Yi Sang

Early life Kim Haegyŏng was born in Seoul, Korea (address: 4-6, Banjeong-dong, North District, Gyeongsŏng, Korea), on September 23, 1910, as the eldest of two sons and one daughter of Kim Yeun-chang and Park Se-chang. His father worked in letterpress printing for a palace before his birth, but after an accident that cut off his finger, he became a barber instead. Yi Sang was raised by his uncle Kim Yeon-Pil () as an adoptive son since 1913, as Yeon-Pil and his wife had no children at the time of his birth. Later, however, Yeon-Pil took Kim Young-Sook () as his concubine and the son she already had, Kim Moon-Kyung (), became a legal son of Yeon-Pil. There is testimony that Yi's art name originated from the art box he received as a gift from Koo Bon-woong. Since the art box he received was made of plum wood, Yi Sang (李箱) is interpreted to mean 'plum wood box'. Additionally, in his work 'Wings', he expressed his art name as 'Ri Sang' rather than 'Yi Sang'. In April 1929, with a recommendation from the college, he got a job as a public official () in the architecture team of the Department of Domestic affairs () of the Government-General of Korea. In November, he changed positions in the government to work as part of the building maintenance team of the Department of Secretariat and Accounting (). In 1930, he serialized his first literature work (a medium-length novel) December 12th () on the Korean version of the magazine Joseon (), which was a magazine issued by the Government-General of Korea to promote their colony policies. In 1934, Yi joined the Guinhoe (), a literary organization formed on August 26, 1933, to pursue pure literature, as opposed to the Korean Artists’ Proletarian Federation (Korea Artista Proleta Federacio; KAPF), an organization that pursued proletarian literature. The group recruited individuals associated with the cultural departments of daily newspapers, aiming for members who could withstand criticism from the KAPF. Mentioned individuals included Lee Tae-jun, Lee Moo-young, and Kim Ki-rim. To show its character as a literary circle, famous writers at the time such as Lee Hyo-seok, Jung Ji-yong, and Yoo Chi-jin joined the Guinhoe. However, although two individuals closely associated with the KAPF had established the Guinhoe to counter KAPF, the group's character gradually solidified into that of a simple social gathering. As a result, many of the early members of the group, including Kim Yoo-young, Lee Jong-myung, Lee Moo-young, and Lee Hyo-seok, withdrew. Park Tae-won and Yi Sang filled their vacancies. The Guinhoe then began to take on a direction different from its initial purpose. The increase in members with academic backgrounds, particularly those majoring in English literature, suggests that these individuals began to emerge as a force in Korean literature. In 1935, Yi had to close the Jebi due to financial difficulties, and he broke up with Geumhong. Cafe Tsuru and Coffee Shop 69 in Insa-dong were opened and transferred, and after managing Coffee Shop Mugi in Myeong-dong, he healed in Seongcheon and Incheon right after he closed it. He then moved back to his family’s shack settlement beneath Beontigo-gae in Sindang-ri—a slum he later dubbed “the paulownia-hill ghetto”—where extreme poverty, recurring tuberculosis, and a slum fire that destroyed some thirty homes on 31 January 1936 formed the bleak backdrop for his next poems. published by Changmunsa under the aegis of Koo Bon-Woong. His "Street Exterior, Street Passage" () was published in this journal. That February he also issued the five-poem cycle Ruk-Dan (易斷) in Catholic Youth, breaking his habit of publishing only in summer and recording a record −20 °C cold spell and winter haemoptysis in Gyeongseong. After partially recovering and marrying Byeon Dong-rim in June, he unveiled the twelve-poem cycle Wi-Dok (危篤) between 4 and 9 October 1936. Of roughly seventy poems he published during his lifetime, about seventy-five percent (fifty-nine) appeared in serial form, Wi-Dok being the last. Later, according to Byun, she had asked him what he wanted to eat, and he died soon after leaving the words, "Sembikiya's melon." Park Tae-won, a fellow writer and friend of Yi's, mentioned the following: "He loved girls so much, loved alcohol, loved his friends, and loved literature, but not a half of that love went for his body. His death is named as death from illness, but isn't the essence of this death suicide? Such suspicions become intense." == Literary relationships ==

Jeong Ji-yong (鄭芝溶) Jeong Ji-yong is a founding member of the Guinhoe to which Yi Sang belongs. In 1933, he served as an editorial advisor to , playing a major role in promoting Yi Sang's poems. With the help of Jeong Ji-yong, Yi sang published works such as "꽃나무" and "이런시" in Korean in . Park Tae-won (朴泰遠) Yi Sang and Park Tae-won were born around the same time and both hailed from the four gates of Gyeongseong, now known as Seoul. This shared origin is an important clue to understanding their literary worlds. Both Park Tae-won and Yi Sang were members of the Guinhoe (), which they joined in 1934. They first met at Dabang Jebi, a coffee house opened by Yi Sang in Jong-no 1(il)-ga. Their first meeting is estimated to have occurred in June or July 1933. Kim Ki-rim, another Guinhoe member, and Ko Un wrote that Jebi opened in July 1933, while Yi Sang's sister, Kim Ok-hee, mentioned June of the same year. The story of their first meeting is recounted in Park Tae-won's memoir for Yi Sang, "Yi Sang-ui Pyeonmo" (이상의 편모), written after Yi Sang's death. Park Tae-won was intrigued by Yi Sang as a poet and his poem "Movement" (운동; 運動). Maintaining their relationship, Park Tae-won and Yi Sang collaborated with the newspaper Joseon-Jungang-ilbo to publish a series of Yi Sang's poems, ''Crow's Eye View'' (Ogam-do; ), and Park's novel, A Day in the Life of Novelist Mr. Gubo (소설가 구보씨의 일일). Yi Sang also created illustrations for Park Tae-won's novel. Despite facing harsh criticism for the abstruseness of their literature, they continued their literary endeavors. After Yi Sang's admission to Guinhoe in the fall of 1934, they focused on the publication of the bulletin "Poet and Novel" (시와 소설). They also shared literary themes in works like Yi Sang's poem "Movement" (운동; 運動) and Park Tae-won's short story "Bangranjang Juin (방랑장 주인; 芳蘭莊 主人)", both written in a single sentence. Park Tae-won's novels often repeat similar themes and patterns, one of which is ''A Novel Report on Yi Sang's Private Life, including works such as Aeyog (애욕, 1934), Bogo (보고, 1936), Yi Sang-ui Bilyeon (이상의 비련, 1936), Yeomcheon (염천, 1938), and Jebi'' (제비, 1939). The main character of the novel Aeyog (1934) is believed to be modeled after Yi Sang, hinted by Yi Sang's pen name "Hae-yung," who drew an illustration for A Day in the Life of Novelist Mr. Gubo. Jebi (1939) is a novel based on the tea house 'Jebi' run by Yi Sang, illustrated by Park Tae-won. Park Tae-won and Yi Sang were inseparable, sharing not only their literary endeavors but also their indulgences, depressions, and moments of decadence. Park Tae-won's house in Da-dong was a refuge for Yi Sang whenever he was beaten by Geum-Hong, who lived with him. However, their close relationship ended with Yi Sang's death in Tokyo. Kim Ki-rim (金起林) Kim Ki-rim, a poet and a newspaper reporter at the Chosun Ilbo, was one of the founding members of Guinhoe. Yi Sang was initially introduced to Kim by Park Tae-won. During their first encounter, they discussed Jules Renard, Salvador Dalí, and René Clair. Kim became interested in Yi because of their shared aesthetic affinity for surrealism. Yi Sang designed the cover of Kim Ki-rim's poetry collection, "Gisangdo" (기상도). Between 1936 and 1937, Yi Sang sent seven letters to Kim Ki-rim, which are still preserved today under the title 'To Kim Ki-rim'. During this period, Yi moved to mainland Japan and was close to death due to tuberculosis. These letters reflect Yi's everyday thoughts and experiences. For instance, in the fourth letter, Yi mentions René Clair, the French filmmaker, and criticizes his movie, "The Ghost Goes West." The letters also highlight their close relationship. Yi frequently discussed the progress of his works, such as "The Wings" (날개) and "Diary Before Death" (Jongsaenggi; 종생기; 終生記), requesting Kim's opinions on them. Additionally, Yi commented on a paper by Choi Jae-seo, a Korean literature critic, who criticized works like "The Wings (날개)". After Yi Sang's death, Kim Ki-rim wrote a tribute titled "Memories of the Late Yi Sang" (고 이상의 추억). In this tribute, he recognized Yi's death as a "tragedy of a reduced-printed era", placing Yi's death within a historical context. In 1949, Kim Ki-rim collected Yi Sang's works and published the first collected works, "Yi Sang Seon-jip" (이상선집; 李箱選集). Koo Bon-Woong (具本雄) Koo Bon-Woong was a painter and art critic who graduated from the [https://www.taiheiyobijutu.or.jp/english Taiheiyo Art School(太平洋美術 學校). He first met Yi Sang at Sinmyeong School. Koo, who had a hunchback, attended school intermittently due to health problems and ended up graduating alongside Yi Sang, who was four years younger. Teased because of his hunchback, Koo developed a keen interest in art. Similarly, Yi Sang, who also had a strong interest in art, became friends with Koo, supporting and respecting him. This marked the beginning of their relationship, which continued into adulthood. In 1933, to care for Yi Sang, who had quit his job as a public official due to illness, Koo Bon-Woong took him to Baechon Hot Springs in Hwanghae Province. Baechon Hot Springs is also known as the place where Yi Sang first met Geum-Hong. After Yi Sang's health slightly improved, he and Geum-Hong returned to Seoul (Koo returned before them) and opened a coffee shop called "Jebi". It is said that Koo Bon-Woong's painting, "Still Object with a Doll" (인형이 있는 정물, 71.4 cm x 89.4 cm), was displayed in this café. After Jebi closed down, Yi Sang had no means of livelihood. He eventually found work as a proofreader at Koo Bon-Woong's printing press. There, with Koo's assistance, Yi Sang founded a literary magazine called "Poetry and Novel" (시와 소설), featuring works from members of Guinhoe. Although only the inaugural issue was produced due to a lack of active participation from the members, Yi Sang's postscript in the magazine shows that Koo Bon-Woong was a fervent supporter of Yi Sang's artistic activities. Furthermore, Yi Sang's last lover, Byun Dong-Rim, was the younger sister of Koo Bon-Woong's stepmother. This somewhat unusual relationship was due to the fact that Koo's stepmother was not significantly older than Koo. Yi Sang and Koo were close, often spending time together at 'Ugodang,' Koo's studio and office, as coworkers. Yi Sang frequently drew pictures there. When Yi Sang was struggling with a series of business failures, Koo got him a job at a publishing company, Changmunsa, founded by his father in 1935. Koo Bon-Woong painted his friend Yi Sang in a well-known work called "Portrait of a Friend" (우인상). == Relationships with women ==

In Yi Sang's poetry, women appear in various forms, but they commonly exhibit behaviors of fleeing from or becoming disconnected from the poetic speaker. This reflects Yi Sang's feelings of anxiety and alienation in his relationships with women. In his poems, women are always drifting away, leaving the speaker with a sense of loss and loneliness. This portrayal poetically expresses the complex relationships and inner conflicts Yi Sang experienced. The motifs of women in Yi Sang's poetry can be largely identified as three figures: Geum-Hong, Kwon Soon-ok, and Byeon Dong-lim. Particularly, women modeled after Geum-Hong tend to flee from the poetic speaker. Ultimately, the women depicted by Yi Sang can be interpreted as symbols of his deep-seated loneliness and sense of disconnection. Geum-Hong (錦紅) In 1933, 23-year-old Yi Sang first encountered Geum-Hong, who was a kisaeng (기생; 妓生), during a trip to Baechon Hot Springs (배천온천; 白川温泉) to recuperate from tuberculosis. They developed a romantic relationship and managed a coffee house called 'Jebi' on Jong-no 1st Street, Gyeongseong. Yi Sang designated Geum-Hong as the manager of the coffee house, and they lived together for an estimated two years. However, their relationship was tumultuous due to financial difficulties. Geum-Hong frequently stayed out, and Yi Sang would lash out at her by mentioning her previous life as a kisaeng. As a result, she would physically beat him and often run away from home, leading to their eventual breakup. Consequently, in September 1935, the coffee house Jebi closed down. Their love story is depicted in Yi Sang's novel, 'Bongbyeolgi' (봉별기; 逢別記), which means 'A Story of Meeting and Parting'. Geum-Hong is also implicitly portrayed in his short story 'The Wings' (날개) under the name Yeon-shim-i (연심이), her real name. Furthermore, Yi Sang's poems reveal the dynamics between him and Geum-Hong. In the poems "危篤:追求" and "明鏡", Geum-Hong is always trying to escape from Yi Sang, which fills him with sorrow each time. However, in the poem "ㆍ素ㆍ榮ㆍ爲ㆍ題ㆍ" and the novel "The Wings", despite his sadness, Yi Sang does not deeply dwell on Geum-Hong's acts of infidelity and prostitution. These aspects highlight the unique nature of their relationship. Gwon Sun-ok After the failure of the coffeehouse Jebi, Yi Sang took over the café 'Tsuru' (Hangul: 쓰루, Kanji: 鶴) by mortgaging his parents' house. He recruited Kwon Soon-ok, who had worked as a waitress at another café, 'Angel'. Kwon Soon-ok was highly educated and had broad interactions with other writers, such as Jeong In-taek. While Yi Sang fell for her, their romantic relationship never fully developed. Jeong In-taek had a secret crush on her, leading to a love triangle. Jeong In-taek even attempted suicide to win her favor, and after this incident, Kwon Soon-ok and Jeong In-taek married. Ironically, Yi Sang presided over their wedding ceremony. Following Jeong In-taek's death, Kwon Soon-ok remarried Park Tae-won. Byeon Dong-rim (卞東琳) Byeon Dong-rim (변동림), a writer introduced to Yi Sang by Gu Bon-woong, became his wife. Yi Sang and Byeon Dong-rim met in 1936 through this introduction. Only three months into their marriage, Yi Sang left for Tokyo alone, where his health sharply deteriorated. He was transferred to Tokyo Imperial University Hospital in a severe state, worsened by a sudden arrest. Upon hearing the news, Byeon Dong-rim traveled to Tokyo within two days. After just four months of marriage, Yi Sang died in her presence. Their feelings towards each other can be traced through Yi Sang's "Tokyo" (Donggyeong; 동경; 東京) and Byeon Dong-rim's "Moonlight Heart" (월하의 마음; 月下의 마음). According to Byeon Dong-rim's essay "Moonlight Heart," shortly before his death, Yi Sang reportedly said he wanted to eat "Sembikiya's melon." Byeon Dong-rim went to buy the melon to fulfill Yi Sang's final request, but sadly, Yi Sang did not get to eat it. In later years, Byeon Dong-rim reflected on Yi Sang's death, stating, "He lived a most brilliant, enchanted life. The 27 years he spent on this earth were enough time for a genius to fully blossom and then fade away." ==Perception and legacy==

Yi Sang is renowned as perhaps the most famous avant-garde writer of the colonial era. His work experiments with language, interiority, and the separation from oneself and the external world. His poetry was influenced by Western literary concepts such as Dadaism and Surrealism. In particular, the "Crow's Eye View" reject semantic interpretation, and the text itself functions as an event equivalent to reality. This embodies text reality, a core characteristic of the avant-garde, and defines the work as a performance that directly transforms reality, not just a reflection. Direct references to Western literature are rare in his writings, but in "Three-Dimensional Angle Blueprint (三次角設計図)", there is a notable mention that suggests such influence. The inclusion of Faust and Mephisto in this piece has been interpreted by some as being inspired by Faust, the famous work by German writer Goethe. Yi's background in architecture also influenced his work, often incorporating the languages of mathematics and architecture, including lines, dots, number systems, equations, and diagrams. His most famous short story is "The Wings" ("Nalgae", ), and his poem "Crow's Eye View" is also well-known. In 1960, a previously unpublished manuscript written in Japanese by Yi Sang was discovered and introduced by literary critic Jo Yeon-hyeon through the magazines Literary Thought (Munhak Sasang) and Contemporary Literature (Hyundae Munhak). The manuscript, written in vertical Japanese script across 64 pages of grid-lined paper the size of a university notebook, was composed with remarkable precision. It was written on graph paper typically used for architectural design, evoking the geometric structure of blueprints. However, significant portions of the text are difficult to decipher due to heavy graffiti and markings left by a third party. Yi Sang's works are complex and often use ambiguous expressions, sometimes employing words that do not conform to conventional grammar. Most of his early poems (including those published in "Joseon and Architecture" (朝鮮と建築), believed to be written until 1932) and parts of his Posthumous Note were written in Japanese. The translations may not fully capture the intended meaning of Yi Sang's original works. Yi Sang’s Japanese poems were first translated into Korean in 1956 by Yoo Jung and Im Jong-guk. In fact, their translations involved liberal interpretation and were not cross-checked, resulting in inconsistencies in how words were translated. Therefore, to analyze his works accurately, it is preferable to understand them through the original texts rather than translations. Yi Sang’s works are closely connected to mathematics and science. He adopted numbers and mathematical symbols as poetic language, distinguishing his literary imagination through these elements. In his first published poem, “異常ナ可逆反應”, geometric concepts such as “a circle of arbitrary radius” and “a line connecting a point inside and a point outside the circle” appear. Furthermore, in “Three-Dimensional Angle Blueprint(三次角設計図)”, mathematical expressions like and names of mathematicians such as Euclid are mentioned. Scientific knowledge from physics—such as spectrum, atom, and electron—also makes appearances in his work. His poetry also contains expressions that reflect concepts related to the theory of relativity. "Three-Dimensional Angle Blueprint(三次角設計図)", there is a line that poses the question, "If a person runs faster than light, can they see the light". Some interpret this as the writer's contemplation on the theory of relativity. Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology(GIST) has a 'Yi Sang's Literature and Science' course, which specializes in the analysis of Yi Sang's literary works from the perspective of science and various languages. Four papers on Yi Sang were published from the course.[https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART002754263 [https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART003112980 ==Published works==

After his death, from 1937 to 1939, 16 of his posthumous works were released, including poems, essays, and novels. In 1956, nine more Japanese poems were found and their Korean translations were released. In the following years, more draft notes in Japanese, which are almost certainly thought to be Yi Sang's for several reasons, were found, and they were translated into Korean and introduced from 1960 to 1976. Regarding the discovery process, Jo Yeon-hyeon explained, "Some time ago, a student named Lee Yeon-bok from the night school at Hanyang University brought an old notebook to me. Although it was my first time meeting him, it was immediately evident that he was a literary enthusiast and particularly fond of Yi Sang. The notebook he presented was a draft book of Yi Sang's Japanese poems. Lee had found this notebook while visiting the house of his friend, Kim Jong-sun, who runs a furniture store. Kim's older brother had acquired the notebook, which had been used as waste paper, from an acquaintance who owned an antiquarian bookstore. About 90% of the roughly 100-page notebook was already damaged, with only about 10% remaining intact. Although Lee Yeon-bok was not proficient in Japanese, he was intrigued by the characters written in the notebook. He obtained the notebook and, after comparing it with various sources, including , he surmised that it was an unpublished manuscript by Yi Sang and brought it to me." Works in Korean Works in Japanese Works translated into English • Yi Sang: Selected Works (translated by Don Mee Choi, Jack Jung, Joyelle McSweeney, and Sawako Nakayasu), Seattle and New York: Wave Books, 2020. . • The Wings, Seoul: Jimoondang Publishing, 2001. . • Three Poets of Modern Korea: Yi Sang, Hahm Dong-seon, and Choi Young-mi, Louisville: Sarabande Books, 2002. • Yi Sang, "Wings," translated by Walter K. Lew, in Modern Korean Fiction: An Anthology, eds. Bruce Fulton and Youngmin Kwon. NY: Columbia University Press, 2005. • Yi Sang, 20 poems, translated from the Korean by Walter K. Lew, from the Japanese by Edward Mark, in The Columbia Anthology of Modern Korean Poetry, ed. David R. McCann. NY: Columbia University Press, 2004. • Meetings and farewells : Modern Korean stories, Chong-wha Chung St Lucia QLD: University of Queensland Press, 1980. • The Wings : eBook I-AHN CREATIVE, 2015. . ==In popular culture==

Yi Sang inspired numerous contemporary cultural works including video games, musicals, music and movies. Films and TV shows • The Mystery of the Cube (, 1999). Directed by Yoo Sang-wook. • The Wings of Lee Sang (, 1968). A 59-minute romance short film produced by the Korea Art Film Company. The film was directed by Choi In-hyeon and features actors Shin Sung-il, Nam Jeong-im, Moon hee and Choi Bul-am. • My dear KeumHong (금홍아 금홍아, 1995). A 96-minute feature film produced by Taeheung Film Company. Directed by Kim Yoo-jin, the film stars Kim Kap-soo, Kim Soo-chul, Lee Ji-eun, and Yoon Jeong-bin. • Yi Sang and more (, 2013). is the eighth installment of the 70-minute MBC drama festival season 1, which aired on MBC from Nov. 28, 2013. The director is Choi Jung-kyu, actor Cho Seung-woo plays Yi Sang, and other actors such as Park Ha-sun, Jung Kyung-ho, and Han Sang-jin appear. Musicals • Smoke(스모크, 2017). Produced by Double K Entertainment, draws inspiration from Yi Sang's "Crow's Eye View." It explores the lives of three characters who represent different facets of Yi Sang's persona. The musical's narrative and lyrics include direct references to Yi Sang's literary works, and it delves into the psychological and existential struggles depicted in his writings. • Fan Letter(팬레터, 2016). First released in 2016, is a 160-minute musical produced by Live. The song was written by Han Jae-eun and composed by Park Hyun-sook. Based on the 1930s-era anecdotes of "Yi Sang," "Kim Yoo-jung(김유정)," and the "Guinhoe(구인회, 九人會)". • L'art reste(라흐헤스트, 2022). First released on September 6, 2022, is a 110-minute musical produced by the Hong Company. The musical was directed by Kim Eun-young. The lyrics were written by Kim Han-sol, and Moon Hye-sung and Jung Hye-ji composed the song. "L'art reste" means "art remains" in French. It is based on a true story about a Western painter, Byeon Dong-rim, her first husband Yi Sang, and her second husband, Kim Hwan-ki. • Kkood bye, Yi Sang (꾿빠이, 이상, 2017). Organized by the Seoul Arts Center, is based on the 2016 original novel of the same name. Other • The character Yi Sang, who is based on a real person, appears in Project Moon's role-playing game Limbus Company. In the game, Yi Sang is portrayed as a talented scientist, mirroring the author's real-life career as an architectural engineer during the colonial period. The character's dialogues often reference Yi Sang's poems, such as "The Wings" and "Mirror," reflecting the profound themes of time and existence found in his works. • Shin Hae Gyeong, a contemporary musician, frequently draws on Yi Sang's literary themes in his music. His stage name and several album titles are direct references to Yi Sang's works. For instance, his name is taken from Yi Sang's real name, Kim Hae-kyung. His album My Reversible Reaction is inspired by Yi Sang's poem "A Strange Reversible Reaction." At the end of the music video "And then", a phrase from Yi Sang's novel Bonbyeolgi, "속아도 꿈결, 속여도 꿈결" appears directly. His music often captures the melancholic and introspective tone of Yi Sang's poetry, creating a modern dialogue with the poet's legacy. ==Footnotes==