신인문학

新人文學, Sinin Munhak; 1934/08 ~ 1936/09
available upon request at National Library of Korea

A literary magazine created by 노자영 for the purpose of cultivating and promoting new literary talent(It is worth noting that Noh, once a commercially successful writer in the 20s, was ousted from the literary community in Korea at the height of his early career, as it was revealed that he had passed off foreign texts, which he himself translated, as his own work to several publications. 신인문학 was founded after 8-9 years’ time of self-exile, study abroad, and sickbed following the allegations. Regardless of Noh’s motivations for doing so, it is apparent that despite his best, seemingly genuine efforts to attribute his translations properly, the frequency of translation and attribution errors present throughout these two editorials might be better contextualized knowing that he once possessed a catalogue of translated foreign texts which he plagiarized/intended to plagiarize. More information about his career can be found in his translator biography: 노자영.). The publication is notable in that it features pieces to the editor’s personal taste and appreciation without a distinct statement of purpose.

신인문학 featured several translated excerpts by various Black poets, all translated by 노자영:

vol. 2, issue 2 (1935/01) featured:

Gwendolyn B. Bennett, To a Dark Girl as 스탄떠
Langston Hughes, Our Land as Our Land and 우리들의국토(Noh himself seems to be unaware that these two are the same poem.)
Claude McKay, The Tropics in New York as 뉴육의 열대지방
Countee Cullen, A Song of Praise as 카렌(mistakenly attributed to Gwendolyn B. Bennett.)

as well as a translation which has yet to be identified:
and 비닭기, attributed to 이마누엘 카누바리(unidentified author: Imanuel or Emanuel Canterbury? Possibly: Immanuel Kant)

vol. 2, issue 4 (1935/06) featured:

an unidentifiable John Henry spiritual in the original English
an excerpt from the spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot in the original English(mistakenly attributed as a Gwendolyn B. Bennett poem.)
Claude McKay, If We Must Die as 어차피 죽어야 할몸이든가
Langston Hughes, I, Too as 도전(Mistakenly attributed to a John(?) Schuyler. The title seems to be a misattribution as well.)
Countee Cullen, Harlem Wine as 하렘의 주
Langston Hughes, Our Land as 우리들의국토

as well as two translations which are currently unidentified:

망향, attributed to Langston Hughes(seems to contain fragments of Our Land, as well as other fragments which might not have been written by Hughes.)
녹도, attributed to Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

sources:
Encyclopedia of Korean Culture,
National Library of Korea

first published #-193408
vol. 2, issue 2 #-19350115
vol. 2, issue 4 #-19350602