김만중 金萬重
Joseon civil official and novelist, author of The Cloud Dream of the Nine (Guunmong)
| Life | 1637 ~ 1692 |
| Era | 조선 |
| Clan | 광산 김씨 |
Life & career
Kim Man-jung was born as the posthumous son of Kim Ik-gyeom, who died a martyr during the Manchu invasion of 1636. He was a civil official who served as Daejehak of the Office of Special Advisers, Minister of Rites, and Minister of War. Active as a politician of the Westerners (Seoin) faction, he was exiled to Namhae and other places, where he ended his life.
To console his mother, he wrote the vernacular Korean novel The Cloud Dream of the Nine (Guunmong), and left works such as Record of Lady Sa's Journey South (Sassi Namjeonggi) and Seopo Manpil, earning recognition as a pioneer of Joseon novel literature. He advocated a theory of vernacular literature that emphasized the value of writing in the Korean script.
Descendants
From a family descended from Sagye Kim Jang-saeng; the daughter of his elder brother Kim Man-gi was Queen Ingyeong, consort of King Sukjong.