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Hong Gildong'un Hikayesi
Kore edebiyatının kadim kahramanı ve onun dillere destan hikâyesi şimdi Türkçede.
Hong Gildong'un Hikâyesi, Kore kurgu dünyasının tartışmasız en önemli eserlerinden. Bu fantastik macera yıllar içerisinde önce kendi ülkesinde, sonra tüm dünyada sayısız filme, televizyon programına, romana, çizgi romana uyarlandı.
Soylu ve yönetici bir ailenin gayrimeşru oğlu olan Hong Gildong, ikinci sınıf statüsü nedeniyle toplumda kendisine yer bulamaz. Sonunda yuvasını terk eder ve bir haydut çetesinin lideri olur. Kendi imparatorluğunu kurma ve ailesinden kabul görme yolunda Hong Gildong suikastçıları alt edecek, canavarlarla savaşacak, krallıkları fethedecektir.
Toplum baskısı altında, doğumundan miras taşıdığı yükle gerçek değerini kanıtlamak üzere yola çıkan bu ikinci oğulun hikâyesi, modern Kore'nin kuruluşuna dair pek çok ipucu barındırıyor.
Hatice Köroğlu Türközü ve Mehmet Ölçer’in Korece aslından imza attığı etkileyici ve titiz çeviriyle, Hong Gildong’un Hikâyesi nihayet Türkçede.
"Hong Gildong, Kore edebi kanonunda ikonik bir figür... Kimi zaman keyifli, kimi zaman gerilim dolu hikâyenin efsanevi özünü Hong Gildong oluşturuyor ve artık dünyanın onu tanımasının vakti geldi."
NPR
"Yarı peri masalı, yarı protest bir toplumcu roman. Hong Gildong’un Hikâyesi, okuyanda derin bir yankı uyandıracak."
Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
Hong Gildong'un Hikâyesi, Kore kurgu dünyasının tartışmasız en önemli eserlerinden. Bu fantastik macera yıllar içerisinde önce kendi ülkesinde, sonra tüm dünyada sayısız filme, televizyon programına, romana, çizgi romana uyarlandı.
Soylu ve yönetici bir ailenin gayrimeşru oğlu olan Hong Gildong, ikinci sınıf statüsü nedeniyle toplumda kendisine yer bulamaz. Sonunda yuvasını terk eder ve bir haydut çetesinin lideri olur. Kendi imparatorluğunu kurma ve ailesinden kabul görme yolunda Hong Gildong suikastçıları alt edecek, canavarlarla savaşacak, krallıkları fethedecektir.
Toplum baskısı altında, doğumundan miras taşıdığı yükle gerçek değerini kanıtlamak üzere yola çıkan bu ikinci oğulun hikâyesi, modern Kore'nin kuruluşuna dair pek çok ipucu barındırıyor.
Hatice Köroğlu Türközü ve Mehmet Ölçer’in Korece aslından imza attığı etkileyici ve titiz çeviriyle, Hong Gildong’un Hikâyesi nihayet Türkçede.
"Hong Gildong, Kore edebi kanonunda ikonik bir figür... Kimi zaman keyifli, kimi zaman gerilim dolu hikâyenin efsanevi özünü Hong Gildong oluşturuyor ve artık dünyanın onu tanımasının vakti geldi."
NPR
"Yarı peri masalı, yarı protest bir toplumcu roman. Hong Gildong’un Hikâyesi, okuyanda derin bir yankı uyandıracak."
Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1600
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
January 19, 2020
I am genuinely shocked by the mostly low scoring reviews I'm seeing at the moment for this book. Most seem to be in the 3 and under range, which rather boggles my mind. Admittedly this isn't exactly the most well written or deep classic, but it's an adventure that's pure fun and well worth your time.
The plot follows a Robin Hood-like figure named Hong Gildong. He's the son of a high ranking official and a servant girl, thus even though he is well educated in his father's house, he will never be able to advance in station because of his mother. He chooses to instead set off on his own; he becomes the leader of a group of bandits and proceeds to dispense justice on corrupt officials. Unlike Robin Hood, he does not steal taxes, as he genuinely respects his king and wants to see his country grow. He only steals from the corrupt and often plays as a trickster figure (he has magic allowing himself to fly and various other abilities).
If there is a large flaw that I agree with the other reviews on, it is that Guildong is too perfect. There is simply no true threat to him. Every situation has zero suspense as he's more overpowered than Superman. Literally every situation is resolved in a few paragraphs as he's just too good at everything.
Now, I already said it was massively entertaining though, but it is also a historically important work. It was written during a time where Korean works were still written in Chinese. This is one of the earliest fictions to break away from this and be written in the country's native language. As a friend of mine here on goodreads pointed out (shout out Nocturnalux who made me think about it in these terms as well), the fact that this is a rather simple fantasy/adventure story is probably one of the main reasons it was written in Korean. It wasn't meant to be "literature," it was meant to be fun. So, by thinking of this story as a simple pleasure, this unknown author managed to elevate it into an important work. That dear friends, is a wonderful story in and of itself.
A solid 4/5 stars and a recommendation to all who like their classics on the fun side.
The plot follows a Robin Hood-like figure named Hong Gildong. He's the son of a high ranking official and a servant girl, thus even though he is well educated in his father's house, he will never be able to advance in station because of his mother. He chooses to instead set off on his own; he becomes the leader of a group of bandits and proceeds to dispense justice on corrupt officials. Unlike Robin Hood, he does not steal taxes, as he genuinely respects his king and wants to see his country grow. He only steals from the corrupt and often plays as a trickster figure (he has magic allowing himself to fly and various other abilities).
If there is a large flaw that I agree with the other reviews on, it is that Guildong is too perfect. There is simply no true threat to him. Every situation has zero suspense as he's more overpowered than Superman. Literally every situation is resolved in a few paragraphs as he's just too good at everything.
Now, I already said it was massively entertaining though, but it is also a historically important work. It was written during a time where Korean works were still written in Chinese. This is one of the earliest fictions to break away from this and be written in the country's native language. As a friend of mine here on goodreads pointed out (shout out Nocturnalux who made me think about it in these terms as well), the fact that this is a rather simple fantasy/adventure story is probably one of the main reasons it was written in Korean. It wasn't meant to be "literature," it was meant to be fun. So, by thinking of this story as a simple pleasure, this unknown author managed to elevate it into an important work. That dear friends, is a wonderful story in and of itself.
A solid 4/5 stars and a recommendation to all who like their classics on the fun side.
August 2, 2018
As a South Korean, I feel a little embarrassed to see that Penguin Classic published an English translation of The Story of Hong Gil-dong as a world literature classic from Korea. To be sure, the historical importance of it can't be denied in Korean literature since it is generally believed to be one of the earliest fictions written in vernacular Korean (not in Classical Chinese - Korean counterpart of Latin) by literati. However, as literature, the novel is no more than a 2nd, or 3rd rate fantasy-action entertainment novel and far from being the best kind of classical Korean literary writings. In other words, historical significance is almost all there is to the novel.
If you want to know what high and refined Korean classical literature are really like, The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea or The Jehol Diary are much better choices.
If you want to know what high and refined Korean classical literature are really like, The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea or The Jehol Diary are much better choices.
February 26, 2023
▫️THE STORY OF HONG GILDONG, author unknown but attributed to Heo Gyun, translated from the Korean by Minsoo Kang, 1650?/2016.
A fantastical trickster - the "low-born son" of a government official and a concubine, leaves home at 10 years of age and starts of a gang of bandits that steal from the rich and give to the poor.
"He addressed all the bandits. 'We will go forth across the eight provinces of Joseon and seize the wealth that was ill-gotten, but we will also help the impoverished and the oppressed by giving them goods... We will go after the powerful who obtained their riches by squeezing the common people and take away their unjustly gained possessions." (p31)
Blood-soaked, some magic. Legend and mythic status - the likes of Hercules, Beowulf, King Arthur, Robin Hood in the Euro-centric canon. While reading the 80-pages of this novella/folk tale, various situations reminded me of each of these "heroes": fighting wild animals, magic spells, an act that is deemed impossible that only the hero can accomplish, etc.
My favorite part of this edition was Minsoo Kang's Introduction and Translator Notes, providing more context on this story, and the 30+ versions of manuscripts from the 17th-century, when the story was first recorded. Kang is a historian and translator and gives some great background on the work and its provenançe.
"Hong Gildong" apparently serves as the de facto name on official Korean forms, like "John Doe" does for Anglophones, and his antics and sayings are cultural cache and frequently used metaphors.
A fantastical trickster - the "low-born son" of a government official and a concubine, leaves home at 10 years of age and starts of a gang of bandits that steal from the rich and give to the poor.
"He addressed all the bandits. 'We will go forth across the eight provinces of Joseon and seize the wealth that was ill-gotten, but we will also help the impoverished and the oppressed by giving them goods... We will go after the powerful who obtained their riches by squeezing the common people and take away their unjustly gained possessions." (p31)
Blood-soaked, some magic. Legend and mythic status - the likes of Hercules, Beowulf, King Arthur, Robin Hood in the Euro-centric canon. While reading the 80-pages of this novella/folk tale, various situations reminded me of each of these "heroes": fighting wild animals, magic spells, an act that is deemed impossible that only the hero can accomplish, etc.
My favorite part of this edition was Minsoo Kang's Introduction and Translator Notes, providing more context on this story, and the 30+ versions of manuscripts from the 17th-century, when the story was first recorded. Kang is a historian and translator and gives some great background on the work and its provenançe.
"Hong Gildong" apparently serves as the de facto name on official Korean forms, like "John Doe" does for Anglophones, and his antics and sayings are cultural cache and frequently used metaphors.
April 18, 2016
I’d never heard of Hong Gildong but he is a huge, pervasive part of Korean culture as immediately familiar as Davy Crockett or, more closely, Robin Hood. On top of that his name is the de facto placeholder - he is Korea’s John Doe.
Cast out of his home, the illegitimate son of a concubine in the household of a high ranking government minister, Hong Gildong only wants to refer to his Father as Father and his Brother as Brother instead of by their government titles. Despite his incredible intellect and mastery of the ancient texts he, by caste rules, can never hold a high ranking government position and serve his country.
So naturally he becomes a bandit robbing from corrupt government officials, founds his own kingdom while avoiding assassination attempts, casting magical spells, confusing minds, riding clouds - you know, the usual.
A hella fun little romp that was a nice change from the grim Korean stuff getting translated lately.
Cast out of his home, the illegitimate son of a concubine in the household of a high ranking government minister, Hong Gildong only wants to refer to his Father as Father and his Brother as Brother instead of by their government titles. Despite his incredible intellect and mastery of the ancient texts he, by caste rules, can never hold a high ranking government position and serve his country.
So naturally he becomes a bandit robbing from corrupt government officials, founds his own kingdom while avoiding assassination attempts, casting magical spells, confusing minds, riding clouds - you know, the usual.
A hella fun little romp that was a nice change from the grim Korean stuff getting translated lately.
June 16, 2023
Kitap Kore’nin bir destanını anlatıyor. Destanın ana karakteri Hong Gildong’un hikayesi ile birlikte bu kültürün efsanevi yaratıklarını, sembollerini, Çin’in bu kültüre etkisini ve diğer tüm destan unsurlarını görme şansınız var.
Hızlı okunan, keyifli bir eser.
Puanım 3,5!
Hızlı okunan, keyifli bir eser.
Puanım 3,5!
March 7, 2021
I discovered 'The Story of Hong Gildong' recently. It is a 77-page novella. I just finished reading it.
One day, Hong Mo, a high-ranking minister in the government has a vivid dream. He sees a fantastic vision in a beautiful landscape in his dream. After having this dream, the minister gets intimate with his concubine and she gets pregnant. When their baby is born, he looks very beautiful. He is given the name Gildong. As the years pass, this baby grows up to be a wonderful young man. He is great at studying and acquiring knowledge, he is also great at acquiring martial and magical skills. The only problem is that because he is a concubine's son, he can't become a government official like his father or join the military as a soldier. All official avenues are closed for him. Gildong is frustrated because of this. He can't even call his father as father, and his brother as brother. His father loves Gildong but laments his son's fate. There is a senior concubine at their home who is jealous of Gildong and his mother, and tries to plot against him and kill him. But the assassin she hires is not aware of Gildong's strength and knowledge and skills and how he can summon magic. After this incident Gildong decides to leave home and bids goodbye to his parents. While roaming in the forest, he meets a community of robbers and joins them. What happens after that and the fantastic events that ensue are told in the rest of the story.
'The Story of Hong Gildong' is the story of a son who yearns for respect and legitimacy, a 'Robin Hood and outlaws' type story, and also an Arabian Nights style magical fantasy, all woven into one. It is a pageturning, fast-paced, wonderful read. I loved the character of Gildong's mother, Chunseom. She comes only in a few scenes, but she is gentle and kind and beautiful. When the story starts, she is a maid and then she becomes a concubine and a mother, and then a robber's mother. By the end of the story, she is the Dowager Queen with three daughters-in-law who love her and respect her. I cried when I read the scene in which she meets her daughters-in-law for the first time.
The edition I read had an interesting introduction by the translator Minsoo Kang, in which he discusses who was the actual author of the story and how old the story is and whether it is the first ever story written in Korean script (hangeul). All very fascinating to think about.
I think 'The Story of Hong Gildong' would be even better experienced as a movie or a TV series or as a mahwa comic. I want to watch the movie / series and read the comic sometime.
Have you read 'The Story of Hong Gildong'? What do you think about it?
One day, Hong Mo, a high-ranking minister in the government has a vivid dream. He sees a fantastic vision in a beautiful landscape in his dream. After having this dream, the minister gets intimate with his concubine and she gets pregnant. When their baby is born, he looks very beautiful. He is given the name Gildong. As the years pass, this baby grows up to be a wonderful young man. He is great at studying and acquiring knowledge, he is also great at acquiring martial and magical skills. The only problem is that because he is a concubine's son, he can't become a government official like his father or join the military as a soldier. All official avenues are closed for him. Gildong is frustrated because of this. He can't even call his father as father, and his brother as brother. His father loves Gildong but laments his son's fate. There is a senior concubine at their home who is jealous of Gildong and his mother, and tries to plot against him and kill him. But the assassin she hires is not aware of Gildong's strength and knowledge and skills and how he can summon magic. After this incident Gildong decides to leave home and bids goodbye to his parents. While roaming in the forest, he meets a community of robbers and joins them. What happens after that and the fantastic events that ensue are told in the rest of the story.
'The Story of Hong Gildong' is the story of a son who yearns for respect and legitimacy, a 'Robin Hood and outlaws' type story, and also an Arabian Nights style magical fantasy, all woven into one. It is a pageturning, fast-paced, wonderful read. I loved the character of Gildong's mother, Chunseom. She comes only in a few scenes, but she is gentle and kind and beautiful. When the story starts, she is a maid and then she becomes a concubine and a mother, and then a robber's mother. By the end of the story, she is the Dowager Queen with three daughters-in-law who love her and respect her. I cried when I read the scene in which she meets her daughters-in-law for the first time.
The edition I read had an interesting introduction by the translator Minsoo Kang, in which he discusses who was the actual author of the story and how old the story is and whether it is the first ever story written in Korean script (hangeul). All very fascinating to think about.
I think 'The Story of Hong Gildong' would be even better experienced as a movie or a TV series or as a mahwa comic. I want to watch the movie / series and read the comic sometime.
Have you read 'The Story of Hong Gildong'? What do you think about it?
October 15, 2016
"The ancients have said, 'Kings, lords, generals and ministers are not made from a special blood.' But for whose benefit was such a thing said? I have been born into a situation in which I am barred from following my ambitions, and I cannot even address my father as Father and my older brother and Brother."
(아버지를 아버지라 못 하옵고, 형을 형이라 못 하오니)
The Story of Hong Gildong (홍길동전) is, in the translator's words "arguably the single most important work of classic (i.e. premodern) prose fiction of Korea, in terms of not only its literary achievement but also of its influence on the larger culture," an iconic narrative that forms a key part of Korean culture, similar, but perhaps even more ubiquitous, to our Robin Hood or King Arthur stories.
Hong Gildong is born in the 15th Century to an important government official. Following a dream of a dragon and denied the attentions of his wife, the minister conceives a child with a concubine.
Hong Gildong grows up as a very talented child, indeed one with supernatural powers, as the dream foretold. But as an illegitimate child, he is denied, as the opening quote suggests, both full recognition in the family, although his father is very fond of him, and the ability to himself advance in government service. After he uses his special, magical, powers to thwart a plot by a jealous member to kill him, he takes leave of his father and mother:
"Because of his unfortunate fate, he wandered about like a floating cloud, making the whole world his home and finding uncomfortable rest wherever he could."
He eventually comes across a group of bandits, uses his supernatural powers to become their leader, renames them the Hwalbindang (활빈당, a translation would be "the league of those who help the impoverished") and sets out their mission statement:
"We will go forth across the eight provinces of Joseon and seize wealth that was ill-gotten, but we will also help the impoverished and the oppressed by giving them gifts."
Although unlike Robin Hood, they respect the Government and don't intercept legitimate tax revenues, only those from corrupt officials.
The story that follows flows well, although any narrative tension is rather lost given Hong Gildong's powers which suffice to overcome even the trickiest of situations, and the story wraps up nicely coming full circle with Hong Gildong attaining the status he sought, albeit in another land, reuniting with his family, and having children of his own, including those through his concubines which he gives equal status.
The translation by Minsoo Kang is excellent, preserving a distinctively Korean flavour while being easy accessible to the English reader.
I would particularly endorse his comments on using the modern official Romanization system "I have found the new system to do a better job of expressing the sounds of hangeul characters. It also does away with the diacritical marks of McCune-Reischauer, which gave transliterations a technical look that is intimidating to readers unfamiliar with Korean literature and scholarship."
He also provides an interesting introduction, in which he attempts to dispel what he regards as misconceptions around the story's origin, for example that it was written in the 16th Century and the first story ever to be written in the new hanguel system (see also his article here https://muse.jhu.edu/article/505136) as well as providing detailed notes to help the Western reader.
The story itself perhaps only merits 2.5 stars as a stand alone tale, but as a historic part of Korean literature, and with the excellent top and tailing from Minsoo Kang, 4 stars overall.
(아버지를 아버지라 못 하옵고, 형을 형이라 못 하오니)
The Story of Hong Gildong (홍길동전) is, in the translator's words "arguably the single most important work of classic (i.e. premodern) prose fiction of Korea, in terms of not only its literary achievement but also of its influence on the larger culture," an iconic narrative that forms a key part of Korean culture, similar, but perhaps even more ubiquitous, to our Robin Hood or King Arthur stories.
Hong Gildong is born in the 15th Century to an important government official. Following a dream of a dragon and denied the attentions of his wife, the minister conceives a child with a concubine.
Hong Gildong grows up as a very talented child, indeed one with supernatural powers, as the dream foretold. But as an illegitimate child, he is denied, as the opening quote suggests, both full recognition in the family, although his father is very fond of him, and the ability to himself advance in government service. After he uses his special, magical, powers to thwart a plot by a jealous member to kill him, he takes leave of his father and mother:
"Because of his unfortunate fate, he wandered about like a floating cloud, making the whole world his home and finding uncomfortable rest wherever he could."
He eventually comes across a group of bandits, uses his supernatural powers to become their leader, renames them the Hwalbindang (활빈당, a translation would be "the league of those who help the impoverished") and sets out their mission statement:
"We will go forth across the eight provinces of Joseon and seize wealth that was ill-gotten, but we will also help the impoverished and the oppressed by giving them gifts."
Although unlike Robin Hood, they respect the Government and don't intercept legitimate tax revenues, only those from corrupt officials.
The story that follows flows well, although any narrative tension is rather lost given Hong Gildong's powers which suffice to overcome even the trickiest of situations, and the story wraps up nicely coming full circle with Hong Gildong attaining the status he sought, albeit in another land, reuniting with his family, and having children of his own, including those through his concubines which he gives equal status.
The translation by Minsoo Kang is excellent, preserving a distinctively Korean flavour while being easy accessible to the English reader.
I would particularly endorse his comments on using the modern official Romanization system "I have found the new system to do a better job of expressing the sounds of hangeul characters. It also does away with the diacritical marks of McCune-Reischauer, which gave transliterations a technical look that is intimidating to readers unfamiliar with Korean literature and scholarship."
He also provides an interesting introduction, in which he attempts to dispel what he regards as misconceptions around the story's origin, for example that it was written in the 16th Century and the first story ever to be written in the new hanguel system (see also his article here https://muse.jhu.edu/article/505136) as well as providing detailed notes to help the Western reader.
The story itself perhaps only merits 2.5 stars as a stand alone tale, but as a historic part of Korean literature, and with the excellent top and tailing from Minsoo Kang, 4 stars overall.
March 20, 2021
I’m not going to lie, I was a little intimidated by this book since it’s a classic, and I was scared that the book was going to be difficult to read even though it’s really short (less than 100 pages). I was agreeably surprised by how easy it was to read which I guess is mainly due to the translation.
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August 7, 2023“Yaşarken ayrı düştük ölünce tamamen birbirimizden ayrı düşeceğiz. Duygularımız aynı, insanlar ne kadar güçlü iradeli olurlarsa olsunlar buna nasıl dayanabilirler?"
🌿Hong Gildong beni aile bireylerinin birbirine yaklaşımıyla, ilişkileriyle etkiledi anlaşılacağı üzere. Onun dışında beni orasına burasına not yazarak nedeeen nedeeen diye sorgulamalara nasıl gark ettiğini fotoğraflarda görebilirsiniz:)
🌿Kadim bir hikaye aslında, bir destan okuyoruz kitapta. Kore Edebiyatı’nın kendine has üslubu da eklenince kitabın dili, üslubu çok içine çekmiyor okuru. O yüzden daha önce okuduğunuz Kore romanları gibi hatta klasik roman/hikaye gibi bir metin olarak düşünmeyin.
🌿@aprilyayincilik kitabın başına veya sonuna ne tür bir metin okuduğumuzla ilgili bir bilgilendirme yazsaydı çok güzel olurdu bence.
🌿Neyse ki canım Yasemin @yasonunkitabhanesi bize şahane bir sunum yapıp nedir ne değildir detaylıca anlatmıştı🫶🏻
🌿Çok fazla sembol ve metafor içerdiği için düz bir okumayla da okunabilir, ayrıntılı araştırma ile de tatlandırılabilir.
🌿Kore kültürüne merakı olanlara tavsiye ederim.
#neokudum #honggildongunhikayesi #heogyun #aprilyayıncılık #ahtapotokur #renklikalemkitap
🌿Hong Gildong beni aile bireylerinin birbirine yaklaşımıyla, ilişkileriyle etkiledi anlaşılacağı üzere. Onun dışında beni orasına burasına not yazarak nedeeen nedeeen diye sorgulamalara nasıl gark ettiğini fotoğraflarda görebilirsiniz:)
🌿Kadim bir hikaye aslında, bir destan okuyoruz kitapta. Kore Edebiyatı’nın kendine has üslubu da eklenince kitabın dili, üslubu çok içine çekmiyor okuru. O yüzden daha önce okuduğunuz Kore romanları gibi hatta klasik roman/hikaye gibi bir metin olarak düşünmeyin.
🌿@aprilyayincilik kitabın başına veya sonuna ne tür bir metin okuduğumuzla ilgili bir bilgilendirme yazsaydı çok güzel olurdu bence.
🌿Neyse ki canım Yasemin @yasonunkitabhanesi bize şahane bir sunum yapıp nedir ne değildir detaylıca anlatmıştı🫶🏻
🌿Çok fazla sembol ve metafor içerdiği için düz bir okumayla da okunabilir, ayrıntılı araştırma ile de tatlandırılabilir.
🌿Kore kültürüne merakı olanlara tavsiye ederim.
#neokudum #honggildongunhikayesi #heogyun #aprilyayıncılık #ahtapotokur #renklikalemkitap
December 16, 2018
This story was pleasant and entertaining to read until Hong Gildong mastered the Juyeok and gained the power to summon supernatural spirits and command the wind and rain, because once he does that, he becomes omnipotent and any real conflict the story might have had is resolved right there and then. He can't be defeated so enemies are nothing to him, and though you might say the conflict was that he was respected with equality by his father for being a bastard son, I don't consider that a real conflict, because who cares about that when you have god-like powers?
Also, the way Hong Gildong invades an island country where rulers governed with benevolence from one generation to another, so the place was wealthy and its people lived in peace was unheroic, and actually quite sickening.
This is a shitty national epic. Can't you come up with anything better, Korea?
Also, the way Hong Gildong invades an island country where rulers governed with benevolence from one generation to another, so the place was wealthy and its people lived in peace was unheroic, and actually quite sickening.
This is a shitty national epic. Can't you come up with anything better, Korea?
April 8, 2024
A piece of Korean classic literature that (kind-of) aligns to an equivalent character of, say, Robin Hood. The author is unknown as is the provenance; the introduction gives a lot of historical research details & the debates scholars have about it. There are also numerous end notes which are interesting to read. The name/character/story of Hong Gildong is so ubiquitous that "Hong Gildong" is apparently used in a similar fashion to how the US uses "John Doe". As always, I find it fascinating to read/learn about foundational literature/fiction from places around the world.
December 2, 2020
I gotta say, y'all are seriously missing out on this one. Robin Hood, but make it Korean medieval fantasy, written in either the 1500s or the 1800s apparently. IT'S SO FUN AND Y'ALL NEED TO READ IT. I'm so glad I did.
January 27, 2023
Detaylı yorum sonra gireceğim ama dizisini izlemiştim bu kadar gerçek üstü yetenekleri olduğu kalmamıştı aklımda. Bir çok mit te mevcut kitapta. Hangeul (kore alfabesi) la yazılan ilk eser olması sebebiyle de mutlaka okuyun derim😉
May 18, 2023
Story itself is an incredible, albeit short story of the son of a concubine coming to his own in the world using his gifts and talents. Introduction is good, though i wish that the notes on certain things westerners would be unfamiliar with were longer and more detailed. Would recommend for sure!
January 28, 2023
Okuması zevkli bir fantastik tarihi hikâye
September 4, 2024
Rep: Korean cast & setting
April 6, 2016
Fine recent scholarly, annotated translation of the longest (and probably oldest) version known of the classic Korean historical fantasy novel about the incredible adventures of the son of a noble and concubine, who makes up for his inability to have a proper career in government by mastering all sorts of wizardry, becoming a popular bandit (somewhat like Robin Hood), and finally conquering a nearby island kingdom and establishing an ideal Confucian monarchy.
Definitely not told in a modern story-telling manner, but with the underdog protagonist who reflects popular social concerns, and the fast-paced introduction of marvels and magic, it's easy to see why this character/story have become a Korean cultural institution.
I would love to see some of the modern tv and movie adaptations of the story--the material is perfect for the sort of historical fantasy the Korean industry does so well.
The introduction necessarily describes the book primarily by explaining common misconceptions about it, basically it has been erroneously identified with a Story of Hong Gildong said to have been written centuries before this text, with some consequent misinterpretations based on the politics of the putative author. The notes give a lot of detail on many interesting points of the text.
Definitely not told in a modern story-telling manner, but with the underdog protagonist who reflects popular social concerns, and the fast-paced introduction of marvels and magic, it's easy to see why this character/story have become a Korean cultural institution.
I would love to see some of the modern tv and movie adaptations of the story--the material is perfect for the sort of historical fantasy the Korean industry does so well.
The introduction necessarily describes the book primarily by explaining common misconceptions about it, basically it has been erroneously identified with a Story of Hong Gildong said to have been written centuries before this text, with some consequent misinterpretations based on the politics of the putative author. The notes give a lot of detail on many interesting points of the text.
March 28, 2017
A short read, this Korean novella, if you can call it that, follows the exploits of an illegitimate son born to a magistrate. Similar to Monkey (Wu Kong) in Journey to the West, Hong Gildong is a Trickster folk hero type character, but unlike his Chinese counterpart, Hong Gildong does not have any of Monkey's character flaws. Instead we are treated to a narrative that is part Eastern mysticism, part political commentary, and part folktale, making for an experience that seems just as well suited for a comic book as it would a tv show. It is well readable and worth critical engagement, but it also has enough action and baseline plot twists in it that it could satisfy the less literary minded reader as well.
July 31, 2016
I loved the story because the setting was relevant to ancient Korea and also the character of Hong Gildong was relevant to the setting as there should have been some low-born people who wanted to rebel against the law and King SunJong. Through this ancient story of Hong Gildong, i got to learn some new things about Korea's history and laws. Since i am Korean, i thought it was relevant to my knowledge. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history and cultures of different countries.
March 29, 2021
4 stars. Thoroughly enjoyable
June 1, 2023
dün yorgunluktan yapamadığım güncellemeleri yapıyorum. :( bu kitabı da Yasocuğumun toplantısına (Instagram: @yasonunkitabhanesi & @ahtapotokur) girmeden hemen önce bitirip üzerine konuşmaya yetiştim.
kitap ilk yayınlandığında Yaso ile üzerine konuşmuştuk, neden önemli bir kitap olduğunu o sayede biliyordum ama hiçbir şey bilmeyen bir okur olarak başlamış olsaydım havada kalacak şeyler olurdu. kitabın öneminden ufacık arka kapakta bahsedilmiş mesela ama tatmin edici bir bilgi değil. çevirmenin aynı zamanda akademik olarak çalıştığı bir eser olduğu için kendisinden güzel bir önsöz bu kitaba yakışırdı.
ikinci olarak da toplantıda herkesin defalarca dile getirdiği, benim de şiddetle katıldığım konu: illüstrasyon. bu tarz bir destan için güzel güzel, mini mini, cici cici illüstrasyonlar şahane olmaz mıydı?
kitap ilk yayınlandığında Yaso ile üzerine konuşmuştuk, neden önemli bir kitap olduğunu o sayede biliyordum ama hiçbir şey bilmeyen bir okur olarak başlamış olsaydım havada kalacak şeyler olurdu. kitabın öneminden ufacık arka kapakta bahsedilmiş mesela ama tatmin edici bir bilgi değil. çevirmenin aynı zamanda akademik olarak çalıştığı bir eser olduğu için kendisinden güzel bir önsöz bu kitaba yakışırdı.
ikinci olarak da toplantıda herkesin defalarca dile getirdiği, benim de şiddetle katıldığım konu: illüstrasyon. bu tarz bir destan için güzel güzel, mini mini, cici cici illüstrasyonlar şahane olmaz mıydı?
September 29, 2023
3.5 stars
I read this book with a Catherine Project reading group and had an absolute blast.
I read this book with a Catherine Project reading group and had an absolute blast.
June 14, 2017
Hong Gildong is Korea's biggest 'epic' in the vein of Iliad, Gilgamesh, and other similar narratives. It's dated (as nearly all of these types are) in how women are viewed, how men are to behave, the modes and behaviors, etc (which makes it rather illuminating, rather than making it bad). The tale is high fantasy, set in a period that isn't defined with allusions to several different timeperiods of Korean lore. Primarily the 1400-1600s. This edition comes with some nice additional source information on both Korea/Asian literature, about the possible author(s), about the time periods, about the things relevant and acknowledged in the actual tale, and some information on the linguistics of the language. You can definitely tell it has influenced modern writers, storytellers, and creators (albeit not so much in America/UK/Europe, but in anime and things from the Asian continent, shows like DragonBall [Z] take from this heavily I feel).
June 29, 2018
This Korean folk tale reminded me a lot of Journey to the West: I wonder if it was inspired by Sun Wukong. I didn’t really like how it was quite disjointed, and for a £10 book it’s very short (only 71 pages for the story!!) but the commentary notes were actually very helpful in explaining how neo-confucian values and Korean history affected the story. I think it’s actually a badly written story though by today’s standards: Gildong’s wife is literally just a damsel in distress, and things essentially just happen one after the other rather than a sensible plot. The ending is especially strange, it basically ends mid scene after Hong Gildong and his wife use Daoist magic to travel to Heaven or something. Overall glad I read this though.
July 23, 2017
A classic of Korean prose, this novel-- heavy influenced by Wu Cheng'en's novel "Outlaws of the Marsh", tells of Hong, a talented youth who is denied full status as son and citizen simply because of his low birth. He proceeds to leave home, join a bandit band and raise havoc. But as the translator notes, to read this as a proto-communist or revolutionary work would be to simply ignore the concluding pages of the work, in which Hong rejoins the kingdom as a minister of war and fulfills his filial duties to his father upon the latter's death.
May 1, 2020
A wonderful translation
Minsoo Kang has done a brilliant job of thoroughly researching the extant versions of the tale and provides a detailed introduction which sets the reader up for the adventure to come. The footnotes are very entertaining and enlightening for anyone new to or familiar with Korean literature. The Story of Hong Gildong reads quickly and its breakneck pace keeps your attention as you follow the protagonist's life from prophetic conception dream to mystic death.
Minsoo Kang has done a brilliant job of thoroughly researching the extant versions of the tale and provides a detailed introduction which sets the reader up for the adventure to come. The footnotes are very entertaining and enlightening for anyone new to or familiar with Korean literature. The Story of Hong Gildong reads quickly and its breakneck pace keeps your attention as you follow the protagonist's life from prophetic conception dream to mystic death.
April 7, 2016
This is a quick and easy read. Enjoyable. Lots of over-the-top magic, flying, fighting, etc. I think I found it more interesting than I might have because I have just read two other contemporary books by Korean authors and I found possible influences of Hong Gildong on one of them. I’ve explained the relationship in my review of Rina by Kang Young-sook.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 18, 2016
I read this book in anticipation of hosting the translator for Left Bank Books in St. Louis. Not only is he delightful, but the story is everything it promises. Full of adventure. Fun. Magic. The book has it all.
If you want a signed copy (you know you do), go here.
http://www.left-bank.com/book/9780143...
If you want a signed copy (you know you do), go here.
http://www.left-bank.com/book/9780143...
January 8, 2020
This book led me to some lengthy korean/english discussions in order to learn the Korean words for concubine and a concubine's child. I need to increase my vocab. These words aren't particularly useful but ngl I'm glad I learned them; I enjoy learning random words.
Anyway I actually really enjoyed this! I'm glad I read it. It was a quick, fun little romp and I learned quite a bit.
Anyway I actually really enjoyed this! I'm glad I read it. It was a quick, fun little romp and I learned quite a bit.
July 9, 2018
A classic I look forward to appreciating even more in its native language.
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