Yang Hi Choe-Wall

Yang Hi Choe-Wall

Yang Hi Choe-Wall in Sydney, 2011
Born 1932 (age 83–84)
Seoul, Korea
Nationality Korean–Australian
Occupation Writer, researcher and academic
Known for Korean classical literature

Yang Hi Choe-Wall (최양희 崔洋姬 born 1932) is a Korean–Australian academic, writer and researcher specialising in Korean literature of Chosŏn period (1392–1910). She was Fellow / Associate Professor in the Division of Pacific and Asian History, the Australian National University. Choe-Wall is the winner of the 2013 Daesan Literary Awards, who is now retired and living in Sydney.[1]

Early years

Yang Hi Choe-Wall was born in Seoul, Korea, the fourth child of a family of six children. Her father Ch'oe, Chae-sŏ,1908–1964 (Choe Jaisou 최재서 崔載瑞) was a distinguished professor of English literature, a leading Korean intellectual and a prolific literary critic, who published 18 books and over 300 articles in three languages.[2]

Choe-Wall grew up in Seoul during the Japanese annexation of Korea and remained in that city during the Korean War (1950–1953). She attended primary and early part of secondary schools in Seoul, where all subjects were taught in the Japanese language until 1945.

Career

Choe-Wall gained her BA degree at the Chung-Ang University,[3] graduating with First Class Honours in English Language and Literature in 1956. She then commenced her MA degree in the Department of English of the Yonsei University, and from 1963 to 1965 and briefly in 1970 held appointment with Hongik University as lecturer in English language.

In October 1965 Choe-Wall moved to Australia with her young family (Miki Wick-Kim and Dai-Kyu Kim), having accepted an appointment with the Australian National University Library [4] in Canberra as librarian of the Japanese collection.

Because of serious illness she severed her full-time service with the University library in 1974, and while recuperating /working part-time received her Master of Arts degree in Asian Studies from the Australian National University in 1974. Her thesis Hanjung-nok : Memoirs of a Yi Dynasty Court Lady was later published as Memoirs of a Korean Queen.[5] In 1980 she did her Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Science at Charles Sturt University, New South Wales. Choe-Wall was awarded her PhD degree in Korean Literature (Sino-Korean Literature) from the Australian National University in 1985. Her PhD thesis was Hŏ Nansŏrhŏn (Heo Nanseolheon) and Her Hanshi – A study of the life and work of Hŏ Nansŏrhŏn – a late sixteenth century Korean poet. This was published as Vision of a Phoenix [5] with the book now in its 4th edition.

In 1984 she was appointed lecturer in Korean at the Australian National University.[6] This was followed by an appointment as Fellow / Associate Professor of the Australian National University.[6][7] in 1993. She retired from the Australian National University in 1996, but as a Visiting Fellow of the University continued to work on the Encyclopaedia of Korea as Project Director and Chief Compiler until 1999.[7]

Choe-Wall's main research interest is to introduce Western readers to Korean Classical literature. She researched and translated literary works of Joseon period (1392–1910), and published extensively in English.

Awards

Selected Works

OCLC/WorldCat Identities overview statistics for writings by and about Yang Hi Choe-Wall include approximately 13+ works in 39+ publications in three languages and 1,804 + library holdings. The books have been published primarily in English, but also in Korean and French. [5]

References

  1. ↑ National Library of Australia-Libraries Australia Authorities- Choe-Wall, Yang-hi:
  2. ↑ http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n83-21704
  3. ↑ Chung-Ang University Gazette 1957, p.4.
  4. ↑ (http://anulib.anu.edu.au)
  5. 1 2 3 Choe-Wall,Yang Hi.
  6. 1 2 (http://about.anu.edu/profile-annual)
  7. 1 2 http://epress.anu.edu.au?p=31641 The Making of the Australian National University, 1946–1996, p.388.
  8. ↑ Literature Translation Institute of Korea (http://www.klti.or.kr/eng)
  9. ↑ (http://hdl.handle.net/1885/10445)
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