Collected here are translations into English of six classic stories from colonial Korea (1910-1945) as well as the time of liberation (1945-1948). Each piece takes a different perspective on a defining process in Korean history-the colonization and modernization under Japanese rule. The volume demonstrates the rich variety of registers, settings, styles, and thematic concerns that characterized the literary production of early modern Korea.The editor's introduction places the collection in the context of modern Korean literary history, and short biographies precede each story. In its judicious selection of classic texts, On the Eve of the Uprising and Other Stories from Colonial Korea offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore the intellectual complexity and artistic richness of colonial Korean literature.

Sunyoung Park is Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Gender Studies at University of Southern California.