Ch'oe Hae


Ch'oe Hae was a Korean poet and novelist during the Japanese colonial period. His real name is Choi Hak-song and his pseudonym is Seohae. In 1918, he made his debut as a poet through the poem Moonlight in Woohu Garden in Hakjigwang and debuted as a novelist in 1924 through the novel Homeland in Chosun Mundan.

Career

He was born on 21 January 1901 in Sŏngjin, North Hamgyong Province, Korean Empire. His father was an oriental medicine doctor and Ch'oe learned Chinese from him when he was young. Around 1910, his father left the family and went to Manchuria. Ch'oe enrolled in Sŏngjin School and dropped out in the fifth grade. This was Ch'oe's last education. He loved to read novels since childhood. When he was 17, he was moved by reading "Insensitive" by Lee Kwang Soo and wrote a letter to Lee.

Chronology

Family and relatives

  • Spouse: Jo Bun-nyeo.
  • Children: 2 sons and 1 daughter passed away prematurely due to an illness.

Literature

  • Structure of Modern Korean Novels Kim Young-hwa, Taekwang Munhwasa
  • Study of Korean Biography Writers