Four Contemporary Korean Plays

South Korean drama has received considerable attention in Europe and Asia, but, until recently, received only scant attention in the United States. This anthology contains early works (1989-1993) by one of Korea's leading theatre artists. These works reflect the nature of Lee Yun Taek's genius, his contributions to contemporary Korean theatre and the socio-political climate in South Korea during the release of his early works. They are indeed "brief chronicles of their time."

The plays, Citizen K; O-Gu: A Ceremony of Death; Mask of Fire: Ceremony of Power; and The Dummy Bride: A Ceremony of Love, are a collection that illuminate such polarities as purity/depravity, madness/reason, power/impotence, life/death, and freedom/oppression. These polarities are clearly Korean in form and substance, but their subject matter and motifs are universal. An introductory essay addresses particular aspects of each drama with extensive notes accompanying each play, which include information about Korean society, culture, and history.

Dongwook Kim is a Professor of English and the Director of the Language Institute at Sungkyunkwan University. He received his Ph.D. in theatre from Michigan State University. His publications include several translations of South Korean plays and English plays for anthologies, as well as many articles on Shakespeare for readers in the United States and South Korea.

Richard Nichols is Professor of Theatre at Penn State University. He received his Ph.D. in theatre from the University of Washington. He has received several grants for Korean Literature translation and the study of Korean drama. He was a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in Korea, and has written extensively on Korean theatre.