Land

by Pak Kyongni, Park Kyong-ni

Acclaimed as one of the masterpieces of modern Korean literature, Land is an epic novel set against the background of the struggle between conservative and modernizing forces at the turn of the century. It follows the fortunes of several generations of Korean villagers during a time of turbulence and change. Born in 1926, Park spent some twenty-five years working on this novel sequence, of which this is the first part.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Asia, Classics, Literature, Asian Literature, Historical

657 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Pak Kyongni (December 2, 1926 – May 5, 2008) was a prominent South Korean novelist. She was born in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, and later lived in Wonju Gangwon Province. Pak made her literary debut in 1955, with Gyesan (계산, Calculations). She is, however, most well known for her 16-volume story Toji (토지, The Land), an epic saga set on the turbulent history of Korea during 19th and 20th century. It was later adapted into a movie, a television series and an opera.

Pak Kyongni died from lung cancer at the age of 81 on May 5, 2008 and many literary men recollected her as a guide for their literary works and life as a writer. She was posthumously awarded the country's top medal by the newly created Culture Ministry of South Korea for her promoting South Korean arts.

Reviews

[Sus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great. It took a little bit to get into, as it takes some time to get the names and relationships of everyone straight, and I have a personal peeve against reading Romanized Korean. The story revolves a rural village at the turn of the 20th century, a time of great social change in Korea. The large cast of characters include all levels of society, giving an interesting glimpse into life at the time. Unfortunately, it seems the translated book is only part of a larger series.

[pearl]

Yes. Yes. YES. God this looks so good!! And it's not about the Korean War either (YES!)!!

((Thank you, Times Literary Supplement))

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pak Kyongni’s Land is a sprawling, epic narrative that situates personal and familial drama within the turbulence of Korean history, yet postmodern reading foregrounds its formal and ethical sophistication. The novel traces characters across generations, blending mythic resonance, historical events, and intimate psychological observation.

Language oscillates between lyricism and narrative precision, producing a textured consciousness of place, time, and social force. Postmodern sensibilities emerge in its multiplicity of perspectives: no single moral or narrative authority dominates; the text foregrounds mediation, subjectivity, and the provisionality of understanding.

Land itself is both literal and symbolic: soil, labor, inheritance, and cultural memory intersect in ways that destabilize conventional linear storytelling. Characters negotiate power, tradition, and desire, producing ethical complexity that challenges traditional reading. Temporal elasticity, episodic structure, and intergenerational layering create a narrative collage, making readers aware of narrative construction while they are immersed in the human struggle.

The novel interrogates social structures, gender roles, and historical violence, yet does so with reflective narration that cultivates empathy and critical distance simultaneously. Postmodern reading highlights how Land performs its historical meditation while attending to narrative ethics: memory, trauma, and cultural negotiation are always mediated, contingent, and textualized. By the conclusion, the reader confronts the multiplicity of human experience, the fragility of moral certainty, and the complex interplay of history and storytelling.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit I didn't have bring enough attention to this epic, Toji, of which only the first part has been translated in English. I can only tell you that it's episodes in the daily lives of people in rural Korea at the end of the 19th century, revolving around the wealthy landholding Choi family. It was hard for me to keep all of the characters straight, despite a list in the beginning. I also didn't understand most of the italicized Korean words. I did learn that (1) having someone looking after the ancestors' graves is very important, (2) sex isn't a taboo topic, and (3) millet is grown in Korea. The last factoid helps me check off a box in a scavenger hunt for 1001 books you must read before you die, which was my motivation for reading this long book. It was enjoyable but slow bedtime reading.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok but like, WHAT HAPPENS TO KUCHON

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part (and only one translated into English) of Pak's Korean saga focuses on the life of a small village at the turn of the 20th century.