Heo Gyun (
Korean: 허균; 3 November 1569 – 12 October 1618) was a Korean novelist, poet, and politician during the
Joseon period. He was also known by his
art names, Gyosan (교산) and Seongso (성소).
Biography
Heo Gyun was born into the
Yangcheon Heo clan in the city of
Gangneung to Heo Yeop and his second wife, Lady Kim of the Gangneung Kim clan.
Heo Gyun's older sister
Heo Nanseolheon was a poet. Heo's family was of the noble (yangban) class (his father had been mayor of Gangneung) and as such Heo Gyun was afforded a solid education and in 1594 passed the nation's highest
civil service exam.
Under the strong influence of his tutor, Yi Dal (이달; 李達), Heo Gyun became a progressive and liberal thinker who dreamed of establishing a more progressive society by eliminating Confucian elements in the social, literary, and political realms.[1] Heo went on to serve the government of Joseon in such positions as Minister of the Board of Punishment and State Councillor. In the course of his political career he was exiled several times for involvement in political feuds and was ultimately executed on charges of treason during the reign of
Prince Gwanghae.[1]
Heo is often credited as the author of the famous Korean story Tale of Hong Gildong, which in many ways reflects his progressive thinking, although his authorship has been disputed.[2][3][4]
Family
Father
Heo Yeop (허엽; 許曄; 19 December 1517 – 4 February 1580)
Mother
Biological - Lady Kim of the Gangneung Kim clan (정부인 강릉 김씨; 1523–?), married in 1548
Step - Han Yi-jeong (한이정; 韓二貞), Lady Han of the
Cheongju Han clan (정부인 청주 한씨; 1515–?)
Siblings
Older half-sister - Heo Mok-seok (허묵석; 許墨石), Lady Heo of the Yangcheon Heo clan (양천 허씨; 陽川 許氏; 1523–?)
^It was said that Heo Gyun committed adultery with Chu-seom and Hyeon Eung-min but the women’s whereabouts and birth/death dates are unknown
References
^
abTai-jin Kim. 1976. A Bibliographic Guide to Traditional Korean Sources. Seoul: Asiatic Research Center, 291.
^Heo Kyun 허균, Hong Gildong jeon 홍길동전 [Tale of Hong Gildong], edited by Gu Inhwan 구인환 (Seoul: Sinwon Munhwasa, 2003), 54.
^Jeon Yeongjin 전영진, ed., Hong Gildong jeon, Bak ssi buin jeon 홍길동전(洪吉童傳)·박씨부인전(朴氏夫人傳) [Tale of Hong Gildong, Tale of Lady Pak] (Seoul: Hongsin Munhwasa, 2001), 11.
^Heo Gyeongjin 허경진, trans., "Hong Gildong jeon," Heo Gyun sanmunjip 홍길동전·허균 산문집 [Tale of Hong Gildong, Collection of Heo Gyun's prose] (
Goyang,
Gyeonggi Province,
South Korea: Hanyang Chulpan, 1995), 7.
Wikisource has original text related to this article: