Child's Bone

by Yi Sang, Janet Hong (Translator)

Yi Sang was one of Korea’s most innovative writers of modern literature, enough to deem him Korea’s finest modernist. He died at the early age of 27, but despite his short literary career, he produced surreal and highly experimental pieces that were avant-garde and far ahead of their time. His short story “Child’s Bone”, which is written in the stream of consciousness narrative style, skillfully depicts the love and affection between a woman named “Yim” and the two men in her life—Yun and the narrator. The story is composed of six natural scenes, like that from a play, from which the narrator’s inner thoughts and feelings flow out.

19 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

Kim Hae-Gyeong (hangul: 김해경, hanja: 金海卿, September 23, 1910 – April 17, 1937), also known as his pen name Yi Sang (hangul: 이상, hanja: 李箱) was a writer and poet who lived in Korea under Japanese rule.[1] He is well-known for his poems and novels, such as Crow's-Eye View (hangul: 오감도, hanja: 烏瞰圖) and Wings (hangul: 날개). He is considered as one of the most important and revolutionary writers of modern Korean literature.

Reviews

[Veronika · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Child's Bones, we see the struggle between two lovers of a certain Yim. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as other works by Yi Sang.