Cho Se-hui
Cho Se-hui (1942- )
Selected Stories
Korean
Postcolonialism / Contemporary Literature
Cho Se-hui (surname: Cho) is a South Korean writer of the so-called “hangeul [the Korean alphabet] generation,” which refers to the first generation to be educated entirely in Korean, unlike the previous generations who received Japanese colonial education or studied Chinese primarily. Cho is most well-known for his novel A Little Ball Launched by a Dwarf (1978), which was initially published as a “linked novel”—a series of related short stories in several Korean magazines. “Knifeblade,” “A Little Ball Launched by a Dwarf,” and “The Möbius Strip” are parts of this novel, which is noted for its sharp allegorical social criticism of South Korea in the 1970s.
Written during the Park Chung-hee authoritarian regime (1961-1979), when South Korea was undergoing rapid industrialization, the novel focuses on the forced redevelopment of Seoul in the 1970s and asks at what human cost the economic development has taken place. Written in concise and accessible language and with the use of irony, the novel brings social contradictions, labor issues under capitalism, and the relationship between the haves and have-nots to the fore. The English translation of the novel, titled The Dwarf, by Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton was published in 2006. Cho’s other works include Time Travel (1983) and Root of Silence (1985).
Consider while reading:
- What aspects of South Korean society are being satirized by Cho?
- How is irony employed in these stories? Provide examples.
- What is the significance of these short stories’ titles?
- Do some research on the history of Korea, and explore how some of the legacies of Japanese colonialism in Korea might be related to these short stories.
Written by Kyounghye Kwon