As a result of the Allied victory over the Axis in 1945, Korea was divided into the Republic of Korea in the south and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north, one of which was communist and the other capitalist. Korea suffered from the long Japanese occupation, then the American occupation and Soviet totalitarianism, and they have not returned to a unified state again to this day.
The Korean people suffered from the scourges of political conflicts and the conflict between major powers over control of their country. Koreans suffered from the scourges of war, poverty, disease, and political conflict, and this produced fine humanitarian literature.
The two stories of this book are the result of those circumstances, their profound impact on the Korean person, and his deep view of death, life, and freedom.Kim Won-il: Born in South Korea in 1942, he studied at Dankook University and Yongham University. He published his first short story collection, Colors of Darkness, in 1973. He won the Hyundai Munhak Literary Prize in 1974. His first full-length novel, Twilight, was published in 1978. He is the author of more than twenty novels, and Kim's primary literary subject is the tragic circumstances surrounding the division of Korea.
Oh Jung-wi: a South Korean writer, born in Seoul in 1947, studied arts at Sorabol College. She was an early recipient of the Changang Prize for Aspiring Writers while she was in high school. Her writings focus on the idea of family life as a trap for women. She received the Dong-in Prize for Literature in 1983.
