Yom Sang-seop - Three Generations

While a disciple of traditional literary form in theory, in practice Yom used the novel to paint a broad picture of Korea’s colonial era with a fresh perspective and a clear voice. He explores a handful of complex individuals forging their own lives within the context of a nation’s history. The Korean Literary History purports: “ Three Generations is not simply one of Yom’s best works, but one of the outstanding literary achievements during Korea’s colonial era. The work reveals his sense of reality in its full splendor and also vividly depicts multi-faceted interactions of different classes.” It effectively reproduces a society in the throes of drastic change through the most concrete unit of society — a middle class family.

In On the Eve of the Uprising, Korean reality was perceived as a cemetery where the Japanese imperialists carried out their vicious exploitation. The authors of the Korean Literary History suggest that Three Generations is a more cool-headed rearrangement of society shaped by the remains of the pent-up anger that erupted in On the Eve of the Uprising.

Sim Hun, a novelist of the period, explains: “Sang-seop is known for his rich vocabulary. One of his special skills is his exquisite command of the expressions used in the homes of the former Jungin Class or merchant circles, in their full vulgarity. No one can compete with him in this respect.”

It was only in the 1960s, however, that critics began to consider Three Generations a masterpiece of Korean fiction in the 20th century. Young critics, calling themselves the generation of the 1961 Student Uprising for democratization, published a stream of criticism on the work, contributing to raising the novel’s status in the Korean literary canon. Their consensus is that through this work, Yom instills pride into the generation of citizens who did not receive a Japanese colonial education.

Yom was one of the few Korean writers who did not write in Japanese or publish pro-Japanese articles at a time when the Empire’s suppression was at its worst. He lived in Manchuria from 1936 to 1945, at the height of Japanese hard-line policy — it is uncertain whether by choice or chance. What is clear is that Yom was at no point in his career under the thumb of the Japanese, and that he managed to remain true to his ideals.

Kim Chie-sou