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littlebookjockey's review
3.0
A bit disappointing, but a worthwhile read overall. Read my full review here.
floario's review
3.0
3/5 stars
it is a classic in korea, and what i find most interesting about this story (as well as many others from this era) is how we don't know who wrote what. in korea, it is attributed to heo gyun (and after watching an episode (thankfully translated) of dictionary of the useless knowledge), i also believe in it. i'm honestly more interested in the background of the author, rather than the story. the possibility that this couldve been written by a commoner is why i do a literature degree LMAO
the story would've probably been quite radical for its time (im assuming) as it was born during a time when mobility for those of lowborn status was seen as taboo. what i loved about this translation was how well minsoo kang portrayed gildong's eloquence...
all in all - good.
it is a classic in korea, and what i find most interesting about this story (as well as many others from this era) is how we don't know who wrote what. in korea, it is attributed to heo gyun (and after watching an episode (thankfully translated) of dictionary of the useless knowledge), i also believe in it. i'm honestly more interested in the background of the author, rather than the story. the possibility that this couldve been written by a commoner is why i do a literature degree LMAO
the story would've probably been quite radical for its time (im assuming) as it was born during a time when mobility for those of lowborn status was seen as taboo. what i loved about this translation was how well minsoo kang portrayed gildong's eloquence...
all in all - good.
lauren_endnotes's review
▫️THE STORY OF HONG GILDONG, author unknown but attributed to Heo Gyun, translated from the Korean by Minsoo Kang, 1650?/2016.
A fantastical trickster - the "low-born son" of a government official and a concubine, leaves home at 10 years of age and starts of a gang of bandits that steal from the rich and give to the poor.
"He addressed all the bandits. 'We will go forth across the eight provinces of Joseon and seize the wealth that was ill-gotten, but we will also help the impoverished and the oppressed by giving them goods... We will go after the powerful who obtained their riches by squeezing the common people and take away their unjustly gained possessions." (p31)
Blood-soaked, some magic. Legend and mythic status - the likes of Hercules, Beowulf, King Arthur, Robin Hood in the Euro-centric canon. While reading the 80-pages of this novella/folk tale, various situations reminded me of each of these "heroes": fighting wild animals, magic spells, an act that is deemed impossible that only the hero can accomplish, etc.
My favorite part of this edition was Minsoo Kang's Introduction and Translator Notes, providing more context on this story, and the 30+ versions of manuscripts from the 17th-century, when the story was first recorded. Kang is a historian and translator and gives some great background on the work and its provenançe.
"Hong Gildong" apparently serves as the de facto name on official Korean forms, like "John Doe" does for Anglophones, and his antics and sayings are cultural cache and frequently used metaphors.
A fantastical trickster - the "low-born son" of a government official and a concubine, leaves home at 10 years of age and starts of a gang of bandits that steal from the rich and give to the poor.
"He addressed all the bandits. 'We will go forth across the eight provinces of Joseon and seize the wealth that was ill-gotten, but we will also help the impoverished and the oppressed by giving them goods... We will go after the powerful who obtained their riches by squeezing the common people and take away their unjustly gained possessions." (p31)
Blood-soaked, some magic. Legend and mythic status - the likes of Hercules, Beowulf, King Arthur, Robin Hood in the Euro-centric canon. While reading the 80-pages of this novella/folk tale, various situations reminded me of each of these "heroes": fighting wild animals, magic spells, an act that is deemed impossible that only the hero can accomplish, etc.
My favorite part of this edition was Minsoo Kang's Introduction and Translator Notes, providing more context on this story, and the 30+ versions of manuscripts from the 17th-century, when the story was first recorded. Kang is a historian and translator and gives some great background on the work and its provenançe.
"Hong Gildong" apparently serves as the de facto name on official Korean forms, like "John Doe" does for Anglophones, and his antics and sayings are cultural cache and frequently used metaphors.
alleelei's review
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
The introduction and the notes by Minsoo Kang were almost the most interesting thing, really helped me to deeper understand the contents and gain more knowledge of the historical background
mog261's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
shannasbooksnhooks's review
5.0
This was a fun and interesting read. I love reading Robin Hood-style stories, and reading a Korean version was fun. Although it was an assigned reading for one of my classes, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I highly recommend it as a read.
thepoptimist's review
3.0
I’d never heard of Hong Gildong but he is a huge, pervasive part of Korean culture as immediately familiar as Davy Crockett or, more closely, Robin Hood. On top of that his name is the de facto placeholder - he is Korea’s John Doe.
Cast out of his home, the illegitimate son of a concubine in the household of a high ranking government minister, Hong Gildong only wants to refer to his Father as Father and his Brother as Brother instead of by their government titles. Despite his incredible intellect and mastery of the ancient texts he, by caste rules, can never hold a high ranking government position and serve his country.
So naturally he becomes a bandit robbing from corrupt government officials, founds his own kingdom while avoiding assassination attempts, casting magical spells, confusing minds, riding clouds - you know, the usual.
A hella fun little romp that was a nice change from the grim Korean stuff getting translated lately.
Cast out of his home, the illegitimate son of a concubine in the household of a high ranking government minister, Hong Gildong only wants to refer to his Father as Father and his Brother as Brother instead of by their government titles. Despite his incredible intellect and mastery of the ancient texts he, by caste rules, can never hold a high ranking government position and serve his country.
So naturally he becomes a bandit robbing from corrupt government officials, founds his own kingdom while avoiding assassination attempts, casting magical spells, confusing minds, riding clouds - you know, the usual.
A hella fun little romp that was a nice change from the grim Korean stuff getting translated lately.
duckthepianowire's review
5.0
Begins as a supernatural origin story, becomes an adventure story, and ends as an meditation on life and death.