| Moonji
Publishing Company was established in 1975 by the initiative
of four literary critics - Byoung-Ik Kim, Joo-Youn Kim,
Chi-Soo Kim and Hyoun Kim. They were the editors of the
quarterly literary magazine "Literature and Intelligence".
As the first generation to learn the Korean language after
the liberation from Japan and as the "4.19 Generation",
they were one of the leading groups to revaluate Korean
literature with independent viewpoints, build self-consciousness
in Korean literature and bring fresh movements to it.
Which started out as an active community of activists
of literary ideologies, Moonji Publishing Company began
publishing books mainly concerning literature before long.
Series such as "Literature and Intelligence Selected
Poets" and "Literature and Intelligence Selected
Novels" discovered new poets and novelists. It also
reappraised hidden poets and writers who couldn't get
appropriate valuation. These kinds of efforts enriched
Korean literature. Novelists, Soon-Won Hwang, In-Hoon
Choe, Choung-Joon Yi, Sae-Hui Jo, Won-Il Kim, Joung-Hui
Oh and In-Soung Yi, poets, Dong-Gyoo Hwang, Hyoun-Jong
Joung, Gyoo-Won Oh, Gwang-Gyoo Kim, Ji-Woo Hwang, Soung-Bok
Yi and Hyoung-Do Gi, and other writers who were discovered
or recovered by Moonji are rated as the cream of the crop
in Korean literature.
"Literature and Intelligence" was discontinued
by the notorious "Press Abolition and Amalgamation"
policy in 1980 after publishing 40 issues. To continue
communicating with the society, Moonji started the "Modern
Intelligence" series and published 117 volumes
so far. From this point on, Moonji expanded its horizon,
and planned various series on human knowledge and social
science. Edited by the new generation critics, Oh-Ryong
Gwon, Min-Yup Soung, Gwa-Ri Joung and Joung-Sun Hong,
the quarterly literary magazine "Literature and
Society" was born in 1988. Unlike the "Literature
and Intelligence" Generation, the new generation
of literary critics vigorously accepted the changes
in Korean literature which began in the 80's. While
stressing the importance of social influence on literature,
they also tried to be the vanguard in the aesthetical
aspects of literature.
In 2000, the management team of the "Literature
and Intelligence" generation withdrew from the
front, and the "Literature and Society" generation
took over. Since then Moonji actively published new
series, "Seonam Oriental Academic Works" and
"Daesan World Literatures", and expanded its
domain to children and teenage readers - "Moonji
Kids", "Moonji Blue Book".
Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. is a joint-stock company
with 54 shareholders - comprised of artists and scholars
who are currently active poets, writers, critics and
philosophers. Twenty editors in the planning board or
sectional board examine manuscripts every week, and
they decide on the planning and publication through
the editing meetings.
Moonji Publishing Company has published around 1500
volumes of books, and currently plan and publish 30
series including "Modern Classics", "Modern
Literary Theories", "Moonji Spectrum",
"Deep Reading Korean Literature", "Studies
on the History of Korean Society" and "Author
Theories".
Moonji is the leading publisher of Korean literature
and academic works. However, we won't stop at this peak.
We will continue to unearth authors with potential and
put maximum efforts in drawing the map of profound knowledge
that will lead the way in Korea. |
