Milan Kundera’s Poetry in North Korea and Socialist World Literature in the 1950s

Abstract This essay examines Milan Kundera’s unexpected presence in 1950s North Korean literature, revealing a forgotten chapter of socialist world literature in the Cold War era. The study focuses on three of Kundera’s poems related to the Korean War: “The Gardener,” “Korean Ballad,” and his epic poem “The Last May,” which revolves around the anti-fascist martyr Julius Fučík. By analyzing North Korean literary journals including Chosŏn munhak, the essay traces how Kundera’s early socialist poetry arrived in North Korea as part of broader international solidarity efforts during and after the Korean War. Noting how the translation of these works occurred at a specific historical moment when North Korea was actively engaging with Eastern European literature before turning inward in the 1960s, the essay situates Kundera within North Korea’s evolving conception of “world literature,” which shifted from Soviet-centeredness through Eastern European engagement to eventual interest in the Tricontinental (Asia, Africa, Latin America) before closing off entirely. The divided reception exemplifies the broader fragmentation of world literature during the Cold War, gesturing to the power dynamic that shapes literary histories in conversation with but also beyond ideological boundaries.