JaHyun Kim Haboush 
The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong 
The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea

Lady Hyegyong’s memoirs, which recount the chilling murder of her husband by his father, form one of the best known and most popular classics of Korean literature. From 1795 until 1805 Lady Hyegyong composed this masterpiece, depicting a court life Shakespearean in its pathos, drama, and grandeur. Presented in its social, cultural, and historical contexts, this first complete English translation opens a door into a world teeming with conflicting passions, political intrigue, and the daily preoccupations of a deeply intelligent and articulate woman.



Ja Hyun Kim Haboush’s accurate, fluid translation captures the intimate and expressive voice of this consummate storyteller. Reissued nearly twenty years after its initial publication with a new foreword by Dorothy Ko,  
The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong is a unique exploration of Korean selfhood and an extraordinary example of autobiography in the premodern era.

Table of Content

FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


INTRODUCTION

The Author and Autobiographical Discourse

Narrating Lives and the Sense of Self

The Genres

The Individual Memoirs: Themes and Issues

Texts


TRANSLATOR’S NOTE

PRINCIPAL PERSONS


THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG

The Memoir of 1795

The Memoir of 1801

The Memoir of 1802

The Memoir of 1803


APPENDIX 1: GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE YI ROYAL HOUSE

APPENDIX 2: GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE HONG FAMILY

APPENDIX 3: GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE KYONGJU KIM FAMILY


NOTES

GLOSSARY

INDEX

About the author

Ja Hyun Kim Haboush was Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and History at the University of Illinois.