해방기 염상섭 문학의 ‘안동(安東) 기억’의 지형도

Abstract

This paper studied how Yeom Sang-seop's experience in Andong, China, influenced his literature during the liberation period. As we know, Yeom Sang-seop moved to Hsinking of Manchukuo in 1937 and worked as editor-in-chief of the Mansun Ilbo, then he crossed to Andong in 1940 and experienced the liberation there. So far the studies on Yeom Sang-seop's literature during the liberation period have regarded his experience in Andong as the 'experience of Manchukuo'. However, if you study on the literary works during the liberation period, you can find that starting from A Son of the Korea Liberation, the works such as The Intrigue, The Chaos, etc. are all based on the events that occurred in Andong immediately after liberation, and particularly The Intrigue and The Chaos reproduced the situation of Andong right after liberation from different perspectives. This paper noticed that this change in perspective has gone through a year and tried to explain this change by observing the published works between The Intrigue and The Chaos, the personal changes in mind of Yeom Sang-seop and the relevance to his life in Andong. The Intrigue is a work that expresses the feelings of hatred toward the Japanese society and Japanese people in Andong right after liberation. In the opposite, even though The Chaos was written at the same time and with the same event, this work ends with disappointment in the Korean society of Andong area. This disappointment in the Korean society was, in fact, the same as Yeom Sang-seop's feeling toward the domestic situation of Korea right after liberation. This disappointing social situation right after liberation caused him to recall the “memory of Andong” and ultimately, his perception of Korean society was a factor in determining to be a neutral during liberation period. In other words, Yeom Sang-seop's political position in the liberation period is directly related to his life in Manchuria, especially the “memory of Andong”. However, after he came back, his neutral political position made him a new immigrant who couldn't have a feeling to his mother country.