Wayfarer: New Fiction by Korean Women

Recipients of the 1993 Korean Literature Translation Prize for Words of Farewell: Stories by Korean Women Writers, Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton have now translated and anthologized the writings of eight formidably talented writers whose stories interweave social problems and their psychological impact with portraits of enduring political upheaval. ""Scarlet Fingernails,"" by Kim Min-suk, depicts a complex array of attitudes held by the members of a Communist defector's family. Pak Wan-so's ""Identical Apartments"" ironically uses rapturous storytelling to limn the effeteness of apartment life in modern-day Seoul: ""There I am. A woman flush with despairing innocence. A woman who looks like she's spoken with no one, consummated no relationship, in all her life."" In the title story, veteran author O Chong-hui uses the gamut of emotions confronting a mother and wife returning to an empty home after two years in a mental institution to draw universal empathy. Other contributors include Kim Chi-won, Ch'oe Yun, Kong Chi-yong, So Yong-un and Kong Son-ok. Transcending cultural boundaries, this collection emphasizes the enduring strength of human conviction. (Apr.)