Turbid River

by Ch'ae Man-Sik, Chung-Hee Kim (Translation)

Turbid River was written just before Ch ae Man-Sik was arrested in 1938 by the Japanese colonial government. Like the two novels that followed (Peace Under Heaven and Frozen Fish), Turbid River is a realistic portrayal of life in Korea under Japanese colonization. The tragic story of a woman s life, the novel is also a penetrating look into the objectification of women."

Genres: Modern Classics

607 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Ch'ae Man-Sik’s literary debut came in 1924 with the publication in Joseon Literary World (Joseon mundan) of the short story “Toward the Three Paths” (Segillo). His early stories and plays were written from a class-sensitive perspective, and with the publication in 1932 of “Ready-made Life” (Ledi maeideu insaeng), he began to focus his attention on the plight of intellectuals in an era of colonial oppression, a subject matter he continued to pursue in such works as “An Intellectual and Mung-bean Cake” (Interi wa bindaetteok) and “My Idiot Uncle” (Chisuk, 1938). Arrested by the colonial government in 1938 for his affiliations with Society for Reading (Dokseohoe), Chae was released on the condition that he participates in the pro-Japanese literary organization, Korean Literary Society for Patriotism (Joseon munin bogukhoe), a stipulation to which he duly complied after his release. In December 1942, for example, Chae Mansik inspected the Japanese Army's Manchurian Front and wrote a celebratory account of what he had observed there. After Korea’s liberation from the Japanese rule, however, he reproached the pro-Japanese actions of Korean intellectuals at the end of the colonial period, including his own, in such works as “The Sinner Against the Nation” (Minjogui joein) and “Path of History” (Yeongno, 1946). Until his death on June 11, 1950, shortly before the outbreak of Korean War, Chae produced satires of contemporary society in post-Liberation Korea. “Constable Maeng” (Maeng sunsa, 1946) and “Story of a Rice Paddy” (Non iyagi) captures in an especially vivid manner the turbulence and confusion of a society embarked on the difficult process of rebuilding the nation. Chae Mansik’s collected works were published by Changjak gwa bipyeongsa in 1989. (Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%27ae...)

Reviews

[Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turbid Rivers by Ch'ae Man-Sik was originally published in 1939 and translated into English by Kim Chunghee. It was released in 2017 by Dalkey Archive Press as part of the Library of Korean Literature series.

This tragic novel follows the main protagonist- Chobong, a shy, introverted, and fragile young woman who loves her family deeply. Set in early 20th-century Korea, she faces many struggles throughout the story. She believes in everything and assumes that everyone is inherently good, until a tragedy strikes and leaves her emotionally numb.

This novel brought forward the harsh realities of the time: poverty, the objectification of women, the heavy societal expectations surrounding chastity and beauty, what happens if one's first marriage goes wrong. Other themes include crime, cheating, prostitution, the addiction and effects of gambling, charity, first love are also woven throughout the story.

I feel just terrible that the author kept Chobong fragile until the end. I couldn't help but feel disappointed and saddened that she was never given the chance to grow stronger or reclaim her life. In contrast, her younger sister Gyebong is portrayed as more bolder and strong-willed, which highlights Chobong's vulnerability even more starkly.

Overall, Turbid rivers is an unsettling read that leaves a deep emotional impression. It sheds light on the suffering women endured during the time and forces us to reflect on many complex social issues.

"...My goodness, born into this world as a human being, how can anyone endure the fate of starving to death? Is there any worse fate than that in the whole world? Once they're born into this world, they're entitled to live regardless of whether their backgrounds are good or bad. They must find a way to live, whether that may be. Can you blame them for that? Is the will to live wrong?" (pg:496)

[Bianca Mogos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I have mixed feelings about this one.
It starts off so promising and it kept me captivated all along, but the end was disappointing and made the entire story pointless.
It follows the story of Chobong, a young Korean girl, and of the people who come in contact with her, during the Japanese rule. It’s a story about objectification of women and the harsh conditions of those times.
I loved the depth in which we visited each character’s mind and the fact that for all of them we have some background story. I loved the subtle humour and satire. I loved the details.
However, I expected another kind of story. Where the main character rises above and is strong, and learns to provide for herself. But no. Throughout the entire story she’s pushed and thrown around by everyone while she can never stand up for herself and blaming everything on her fate. I thought the first mistakes were for her to grow as a person, but no. She just gets worse and worse. To the point of it being ridiculous. She didn’t grow at all.
Even though I wanted to throw the book around a couple of times, I still enjoyed a lot the very detailed story and the glimpses in each characters mind.

[Edzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tragic novel written by Korean novelist Ch'ae Man-Sik in the Japanese colonial period is hard to read: not because it's poor--it is, in fact, very good--but because of its unflinching look at poverty and the fate of objectified women in the early 20th century. Few 21st century readers would want to be reminded how gruesomely women were treated then.

The protagonist of the novel, Chobong, doesn't commit any crime until the end--only that she's young, pretty and meek. She is lusted on by unworthy men, her life slips from one inexorable disaster to another. She could have married the idealistic socialist doctor Seungjae, and her life may have turned out entirely different. Ch'ae does depict the modern, proactive woman in her sister Gyebong, but the fierce anger in Ch'ae's compassionate eye distinguishes this as an outstanding realistic novel. It will take a heart of stone not to feel for Chobong in the end.

[!Tæmbuŝu]

Reviewed by The Complete Review