Fascinating Encounter: Bestselling Authors Kim Mal-bong and Park Sol-moo Unite in ‘For Prayer’

Kim Mal-bong and Park Sol-moo: A Fascinating Encounter of Bestselling Authors in the 1930s

Renowned 1930s bestselling author Kim Mal-bong and Park Sol-moo, winner of the Moonji Literature Award, had a remarkable meeting through the novel “For Prayer” (Author’s Spirit).

During the colonial era of the 1930s, Kim Mal-bong identified himself as a “people’s novelist” and wrote novels focusing on national liberation and women’s emancipation. He also advocated for women’s social status and rights, taking a leading role in a literary community that only recognized pure literature.

The Novel “For Prayer” – A Collection of Masterpieces

The novel “For Prayer” is the fourth book in the “Novel, Connecting” series. It includes Kim Mal-bong’s debut work, “The Exiled Woman,” as well as representative short stories such as “Patience” and “Letter.”

Park Sol-moo’s novel “For Prayer,” which directly mentions Kim Mal-bong, is also included in the collection. Through the depiction of a speaker following Kim Mal-bong’s footsteps while walking the streets of Busan, readers can speculate on the real-life models of characters in “The Exiled Woman” and imagine encounters between Kim Mal-bong, Jung Ji-yong, and Yun Dong-ju centered around Kyoto City University.

A Neglected Literary Figure

Despite being a novelist who boldly chose the path of a popular novelist and a knowledgeable intellectual who upheld his beliefs and put them into practice, Kim Mal-bong’s literature has not received proper recognition. Through this work, Park Sol-moo brings Kim Mal-bong into the present, allowing readers to experience the places he walked, such as Euljiro, Kyoto, and Busan, just like the essay’s quote: “Time always becomes the present.”

Source: Newsis