Sound of the Moon and Other Plays by Myung-Wha Kim

Myung-Wha Kim is an acclaimed Korean playwright, critic, and director. This book marks the first translated play collection by a female Korean playwright and captures her individual style and powerful drama.

The four plays in this collection are translated into English by Walter Byongsok Chon, in collaboration with English language consultant Anne M. Hamilton.

Birds Don’t Use a Crosswalk (1998) explores the role of theatre in society, wherein the protagonist is a director who returns to his college to helm a production. It navigates the generational conflicts in Korean society between the 1980s and the end of the century, which is still reflected in the present day. Oedipus: The Fate of the Story (2000) is a reimagining of Sophocles’ Oedipus and explores the political and personal affairs that might have occurred behind closed doors.

Sound of the Moon (2006), set in the late sixth century during Korea’s Three Kingdoms period, portrays the romance between an aspiring gayageum musician and the Princess of Silla, which creates intrigues with diplomatic, cultural, and socio-political implications. And The Wind’s Desire (2007) tells the story of a middle-aged television writer in crisis in modern-day Seoul, who financially supports her family abroad and starts an affair with a young photographer, which reignites her passion for life.

While these plays reflect specific Korean sentiments and sensibilities, these stories have international appeal. The questions they pose about art, love, family, politics, and society transcend cultural and national boundaries.