| Kim Man-jung | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gim Manjung |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Manchung |
| Pen name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Seopo |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏp'o |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Jungsuk |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chungsuk |
Kim Man-jung (Hangul: 김만중, Hanja: 金萬重; 6 March 1637 – 14 June 1692)[1] was a Korean novelist and politician. He was one of the eminent Neo-Confucian scholars of the Joseon period.
A member of the yangban class, Kim passed the state civil service examination and rose through the official ranks to become an academic counselor and minister during the reign of King Sukjong. He was exiled twice for involvement in the political factionalism of the time.[2]
As a man of letters, his most renowned works were the novels "Record of Lady Sa's Trip to the South" (謝氏南征記) and "The Cloud Dream of the Nine" (九雲夢). The former is a novel about family affairs set in China, but it is also a satirical depiction of the political reality of his day, and in particular a rebuke of King Sukjong. The latter is one of the most prominent novels of traditional Korea. It is said that Kim wrote The Cloud Dream of the Nine during his second exile.[3] It is an ideal novel dealing with the affairs of life and is centered on the travails of the hero. It has a highly Buddhist overtone, with an emphasis on the transience of worldly glory and pleasure.
