Im Che

Im Che 

(pseudonyms, Paekho and Kyomje). Born 1549, in Naju; died 1587. Korean writer.

Im Che was the son of a military official. He served in the department of ceremonies. Im Che’s allegorical novellas, written in hanmun, are filled with biting satire. In the novella The Mouse on Trial (date unknown; Russian translation, 1964), he criticizes officials who embezzle state property and abuses in the courts. In Flower History (date unknown; Russian translation, 1970), where the protagonists are power-hungry flowers and grasses, the struggle among groups within the ruling class is shown. The novella The City of Sadness (date unknown; Russian translation, 1970) is the fruit of the writer’s reflections on the history of his country. Im Che’s talented verses in the sijo genre were included in a collection of his works (under the pseudonym Paekho) and attained wide popularity. Im Che’s works played an important role in the formation of literary prose in Korea.

WORKS

In Russian translation:
In the collection Koreiskie rasskazy 15–17 vv. Leningrad, 1970.

REFERENCE

Kim Ha Myon. “Im Che wa ku ui munhak.” In the collection Kojon chakkaron, vol. 1. Pyongyang, 1958.

L. R. KONTSEVICH