Man of letters who gave up office to devote himself to writing; pen name Hanghae; younger brother of Hong Seok-ju
| Life | 1786 ~ 1841 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 풍산 홍씨 |
Hong Gil-ju (洪吉周, 1786-1841) was a Joseon scholar and writer active in the early nineteenth century from the Pungsan Hong clan, with the courtesy name Heonjung and pen name Hanghae (沆瀣). His father was Hong In-mo and his mother Lady Yeongsuhap of the Dalseong Seo clan; his elder brother was Hong Seok-ju, a chief scholar, his younger brother Hong Hyeon-ju, King Jeongjo's son-in-law, and his sister Hong Won-ju. His grandfather Hong Nak-seong had been Chief State Councillor under Jeongjo, so he grew up in a top official family. He passed the preliminary examination at sixteen and both the saengwon and jinsa examinations at twenty-two, but abandoned any wish for office and devoted himself to writing.
In the scholarly atmosphere and reading culture of a family with easy access to the newest books, he read widely and exchanged learning with his relatives, and this is said to have given him a firm basis and a broad outlook. With his unconventional viewpoint and fine prose he left works such as "Hyeonsu gap-go," "Pyorong eul-cheom," "Hanghae byeong-ham," "Suksunyeom," "Suyeo bangpil," "Suyeo yeonpil" and "Suyeo nanpil." Details of the size and contents of these works could not be confirmed here.
Hong Gil-ju's prose is described as free and experimental, in contrast to his brother Hong Seok-ju's orderly classical prose. The brothers show the richness of a scholarly family built up over generations by the Pungsan Hong. His father Hong In-mo belonged to the same scholarly circle of Pungsan Hong as Hong Yang-ho, and his mother Lady Yeongsuhap is known as a writer who left the poetry collection Yeongsuhap go. Hong Gil-ju died in 1841; his tomb could not be confirmed here. The three brothers Hong Seok-ju, Hong Gil-ju and Hong Hyeon-ju are today often treated together in Korean literary Chinese studies as the "three Hong men of letters."
Passing both the saengwon and jinsa examinations at twenty-two, he gave up on office and devoted himself to writing.
His surviving works include Hyeonsu gap-go, Pyorong eul-cheom, Hanghae byeong-ham, Suksunyeom, Suyeo bangpil, Suyeo yeonpil and Suyeo nanpil.
His tomb could not be confirmed here.