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| Writer Shin Ji-sik Korea Times file |
Her death was made public several days late as her family was concerned about her funeral service drawing too many people amid the spread of the coronavirus here, and attempted a move to keep social distancing to prevent further infections. Her family members said they apologize for not openly letting people know about the service.
Born in Seoul in 1930 when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, Shin was first recognized after winning a literary award for female students with the short-novel "Hayan Gil," or the "White Road," in 1948 when she was a student at Ewha Girls' High School. Spending her formative years in China's northeastern Jilin Province from age 9, she later came back to Seoul in 1946 for her high school education. After graduation, she went on to Ewha Womans University majoring in literature.
While working as a school teacher at Ewha Girls' High School, Shin translated the Canadian classical children's novel into Korean in 1963. The book became a hit partly because at the time few books had been published with females as the main characters. She found a Japanese copy of the book at a used bookstore in 1953 and started translating it into Korean for a weekly magazine for teenagers in 1960.
In the prelude to the book, she wrote, "In a country where there are many orphans, I hope this book can give hope for those boys and girls living in despair. Here I introduce my adorable friend Anne to you."
"Anne of Green Gables" revolves around a young orphan Anne Shirley.
In a media interview, she said the delightful, imaginative girl Ann could help Korean children find a glimpse of hope after their country had been torn apart by war.
"People were so poor and frustration and despair were in the air at that time," she said. "When I discovered it at a used bookstore, I thought 'Wow this is it. Korean children should read this.'"
Not only working as a translator, she had a passion for writing children's books that would give hope to children, especially girls, after the nation was devastated by colonization and the Korean War.
Throughout her life, she published three adult fiction novels and three essays, while writing about 40 children's and young adult books.
Critics say that she helped build the foundation for children's and young adult literature here at the time.
She was awarded various literature prizes, including a presidential award for children's literature (1979) and the Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit (1996) for her contribution to literature.
