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Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9782360573776
Collection: Monde coréen
16.5 x 20 cm
Weight: 335 gr
Pages: 240
First publication: 20/09/2023

Je suis une kisaeng

Translation: Jeong Eun Jin, Jacques Batilliot

I am a kisaeng constitutes one of the very rare accounts of the lives of these courtesans, their desires, their dreams and their frustrations. Due to their number and their role, the kisaeng nevertheless occupied an important place in Korean society until the beginning of the 20th century. Their contribution to cultural life — music, dance and literature — was unparalleled. This work is composed of Sosurok, a collection of poetic works in which the kisaeng express themselves in their name, and various documents, also very enlightening, written about these women and coming from university funds and private collections. Annotated and commented by Jung Byung Sul, these documents allow us to hear the voices of the courtesans of the Chosŏn dynasty (until 1910); They depict their states of mind and their aspirations. Their complaints are based on a very simple idea: a kisaeng is also a human being. If they emphasize this evidence, it is because the world in which they live ignores or denies their humanity. Their cries are not only aimed at men, but also at other women. Jung Byung Sul is a professor of Korean literature at Seoul National University and a specialist in novels from the Chosŏn period.

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PRESS REVIEW

"... Je suis une kisaeng offers a unique perspective on the lives of these influential women in Korean history. ..."

(Keulmadang, revue de littérature coréenne, 13/12/2023)
Online article

CONTRIBUTORS' BIOGRAPHIES

Jung Byung-sul

JUNG Byung-sul received his PhD from Seoul National University in 1997. He is currently Professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Seoul National University. His main research subject is the novels under the Choson dynasty. His current research focuses on how Koreans perceive Korean culture in relation to China. He previously carried out research at the Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University (2002) and the Center for Korean Studies, UC Berkeley (2007-2008).

Jeong Eun Jin

JEONG Eun Jin is a lecturer at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Inalco). In collaboration with Jacques BATILLIOT, she has translated numerous Korean literary texts into French. These include works by Hwang Sok-yong (Zulma, Serge Safran éditeur), Shin Kyung-sook (Philippe Picquier), Han Kang (Le Serpent à plumes) and Hwang Jungeun (Zoe).


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

Foreword.

The look and voice of the kisaeng

FIRST PART.

THE LIFE OF A KISAENG

I.| The life of Myŏngsŏn, a kisaeng of Haeju

Being born as a woman

Becoming a kisaeng

Enjoying kisaeng life

Make a name for yourself

Finally meeting love

Hearing the news of the separation

The time has come for separation

The four seasons thinking of my beloved

One year, twelve months, thinking of the beloved

My beloved that everything reminds me of

At night I miss my beloved

I worry about my mother

The loyalty I want to show to my beloved

Loyalty that does not give in, even in front of the new governor

My mother again

The birth of a little Seoulite

Called to Seoul

To my mother

The road to Seoul

The joy of reunion

To friends

II.| Kunsanwŏl's lament

Undo your hair

The loyalty of a kisaeng

Meeting with Advisor Kim

Release of Councilor Kim

Leaving your parents

Advisor Kim's Betrayal Kunsanwŏl's sighs

III.| Concubine, what a pitiful fate!

The pitiful fate of a concubine

The delicate situation of the concubine

Relations with husband

In conclusion

IV.| The song of an old kisaeng

Being sold as kisaeng

Become a famous kisaeng

The song of an old kisaeng

Listen to me, my young sisters

second part

THE KISAENG GAMES

I.| How to have fun in a kisaeng house

How to enter a kisaeng house

How to pick up a quarrel

How to interview a beginner kisaeng

How to humiliate a kisaeng and her pimp

II.| A party at kisaeng

Leaving the man from Seoul to the Kŭm River

Tan’ga

Hwasan’gyo ka

Floating a boat on West Lake under the July full moon

III.| The kisaeng register

Haeju kisaeng roll call register

third part

THE VIEW OF KISAENG, THE VIEW OF KISAENG

I.| Five types of men seen by a kisaeng

A male critique of kisaeng

The opulent life of kisaeng

The achievements of the kisaeng in history

The loyalty of courtesans in history

The usefulness of a kisaeng

The miserable life of man

Know thyself

Aebu

Chŏngbu

Mimang

Hwagan

Ch’iae

The best is a rich man

Nothing beats the game of kisaeng

But don't dive too deep!

II.| Kisaeng, a vixen or a treasure?

A kisaeng is a treacherous thing

A kisaeng is a treasure under the sky

III.| The body of a kisaeng

The sadness of growing old

The look of a dancing kisaeng

fourth part

KISAENG AND CORRESPONDENCE

I.| Die of your heartache!

The man's letter

The kisaeng's response

II.| Take me !

The marriage proposal of a kisaeng from Ch’ŏngju

Songs of heartache in the form of sijo

Man's response

III.| Meet like lightning and part like lightning

Meeting in foreign lands

The joy of meeting

Separate forever

IV.| Saying love through sijo

The enemy is the one who is the originator of love

Who will extinguish the fire in this heart?

ANNEX. THE KISAENG UNDER CHOSON