E2024-G091

Fictional Portrayals of the May 18 Democratic Uprising: Literature

Narrative

The May 18 Democratic Uprising has been portrayed in numerous novels and poems. Although they are fictional tales, the capture the emotions and sentiments of the uprising. Among those that have been translated into or were originally composed English, there are the novels Human Acts by Gwangju native and Nobel Prize Laureate Han Kang (1970-), The Old Garden by Gwangju resident Hwang Sok-yong (1943-), The Seed of Joy by American Peace Corps volunteer William Amos, There a Petal Silently Falls by Choe Yun (1953-), as well as the poem "Gwangju, Cross of Our Nation" by Chosun University graduate Kim Jun-tae (1948-) and book of poems "Dance Dance Revolution" by Korean-American Cathy Park Hong.