Description
Book SynopsisAfter a Chosŏn faction realigned Korea with the Ming dynasty, the Manchu attacked in 1627 and again a decade later, forcing Korea to support the newly founded Qing dynasty. The Korean scholar-official Na Man’gap (1592–1642) recorded the second Manchu invasion in the only first-person account chronicling the dramatic Korean resistance.
Trade ReviewThe Diary of 1636 is a fascinating firsthand description of the turmoil and difficulties in Chosŏn during the second Manchu invasion. Kallander’s engaging and highly readable translation provides an understanding of the Chosŏn response to the invasions, internal power struggles, and consequences of this momentous event that reshaped the face of East Asia. -- Michael J. Pettid, coeditor of
Premodern Korean Literary ProseNa Man’gap’s vivid and detailed description of the Manchu invasion of Korea constitutes an essential work for anyone interested in Manchu-Korean relations. George Kallander’s expert translation and exhaustive introduction make
The Diary of 1636 one of the most important primary sources available in English on early seventeenth-century Korean and East Asian history. -- Nicola Di Cosmo, translator of
The Diary of a Manchu Soldier in Seventeenth-Century ChinaThe Diary of 1636 offers a fascinating narrative of the military attack, traumatic experiences, humiliating defeat, surrender, and the post-invasion political circumstances. This excellent translation is a must-read for students and scholars working on Sino-Korean relations in the early modern period. -- Jisoo M. Kim, author of
The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status, and Legal Performance in Choson KoreaKallander’s translation of Na Man’gap’s eyewitness account of the 1637 Manchu invasion of Korea opens a window into an important event in Korea history. Providing insight into the Chosŏn response, Na's diary shows the attempt to balance the loyalty to the Ming that Confucian ethics demanded with the recognition of the overwhelming strength of the invading Manchu forces that realism required. Truly required reading for the history of Korea’s Chosŏn dynasty. -- Don Baker, author of
Catholics and Anti-Catholicism in Chosŏn Dynasty KoreaProviding access to an important text that gives us a sense of life at the frontline of one of the most devastating military invasions in Korea’s history,
The Diary of 1636 is a vital text, highlighting a part of Korean history that has been neglected. -- Andrew David Jackson, Monash University
An interesting read not just as an eyewitness account of a major event in Korean history, but also for the introduction and notes by George Kallander. * London Korean Links *
Kallander’s translation will be a critical source for teaching and research in Korean and Northeast Asian history . . . He has also paved the way for future collaboration between scholars in Korean, Manchu, and Chinese studies through the reading and contemplation of accounts in multiple languages of this pivotal milestone in Northeast Asia’s early modern political development. * Sungkyun Journal of East Asian Studies *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Dramatis Personae
Translator’s Note
Early Complications
Daily Records After Urgent Reports from the Frontier
Record of Loyalists Everywhere
Kanghwa Island Records
Records of Several People Who Rejected Peace Negotiations and Died of Righteousness
Miscellaneous Notes Concerning What Happened After the Upheaval
Record of Ch’ŏngŭm’s Slandering
Humiliation Received from the Qing
Glossary of Names, Terms, and Places
Notes
Bibliography
Index
