Pak Kyongni

Pak Kyongni was a prominent South Korean novelist who made her literary debut in 1955 with Gyesan (Calculations). She is best known for her 21-volume epic saga Toji (The Land), which spans the turbulent history of Korea from the late 19th century to the 1970s. Toji is regarded as one of the greatest contributions to Korean literature and has been adapted into a movie, a television series, and an opera. Pak Kyongni also wrote many other novels, short stories, essays, and poems, exploring themes such as human dignity, suffering, love, and social justice. She received numerous awards and honors, including the Republic of Korea Culture and Arts Award, the Ho-Am Prize, and the Order of Cultural Merit. She was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003. Pak Kyongni faced many hardships and tragedies in her personal life, such as losing her husband, son, and daughter-in-law, undergoing surgery for breast cancer, and raising her grandson alone. She also endured the Japanese occupation, the Korean War, and the military dictatorship in her country. She was a devout Buddhist and a supporter of democracy and human rights. She died from lung cancer at the age of 81 in 2008 and was posthumously awarded the country's top medal by the newly created Culture Ministry of South Korea.