Author Han Man-soo, who wrote the epic rural novel 'Geumgang,' dies

Novelist Han Man-soo, celebrated for his epic 15-volume novel 'Geumgang,' passed away on the 5th at the age of 71. His passing marks the end of a significant literary career that captured the lives and history of rural Korea.

Born in Yeongdong, Chungbuk, in 1955, Han Man-soo initially worked in banking and insurance for 17 years, dedicating his spare time to writing. He embarked on his professional writing journey in 1990 when his poem 'Eoksaepul' was selected by the monthly magazine 'Hanguksi.' His transition to novel writing was solidified in 2002 when his full-length novel 'Haru' was chosen by Silcheon Munhak.

His magnum opus, 'Geumgang,' was completed in 2014 after a remarkable 12 years and six months of writing. The novel is set in the small village of 'Mosan' in Yeongdong and portrays the societal changes in Korea over approximately half a century, from the 1950s onward, through the lens of the common people's lives.

Literary critic Jeong Ji-chang lauded 'Geumgang' as an epic peasant novel comparable to Mikhail Sholokhov's 'And Quiet Flows the Don.' Jeong noted that the novel uniquely interprets and reconstructs history from the perspective of the rural populace, meticulously depicting the lives of individual villagers without relying on a single prominent protagonist.

Han Man-soo is survived by his wife, Kim Mi-gyo, and his sons, Seok-young and Yong-gu.