초록 열기/닫기 버튼

이 글의 목표는 늦봄 문익환(1918~1994)의 통일문학과 통일운동을 신역사주의(new historicism) 그리고 전기비평(biographical criticism)의 맥락에서 재조명하고 그의 문학과 사회운동의 성격과 현재적 의미를 살펴보는 데 있다. 한국 재야운동을 대표하는 문익환은 목회자이자 교육자(교수)이며, 통일운동가요, 시인이었다. 그는 진보적 사고를 가진 사람들이 식민지 조국을 떠나 새롭게 조성한 간도 명동촌에서 태어나 독립운동과 기독교 사상의 영향 속에서 성장했다. 한국시문학의 대표하는 시인 윤동주는 동향 친구이자 동창생으로 오랫동안 우정을 나누며 그로부터 문학적 영향을 받았다. 초창기 문익환은 독실한 기독교인이었으나 부친 문재린 목사의 영향으로 본인도 목회자가 되었으며, 진보적 기독교 신앙인 민중신학의 주창자이자 한신대학을 세운 김재준 목사에게 가르침을 받아 실천적이고 진보적인 기독교 신앙을 가지고 있었다. 그러나 대학 동창이자 영혼의 동반자였던 장준하의 의문사를 계기로 사회문제와 한국현대사에 깊은 관심을 갖고 민주화 운동과 통일운동에 앞장서게 되었다. 그는 절반가량이 시로 이뤄진 구약성경 공동번역 책임자가 되면서 구약성경의 번역을 위해 한국시를 공부하다 시인이 됐다고 술회하고 있으나 실제로는 학창시절부터 오랫동안 잠재해 있던 문학에 대한 열망이 구약성경 번역을 계기로 전면화한 것이다. 만년에 시인이 된 그는 모두 5권의 시집을 출판했다. 첫 시집 이후부터 그의 시는 진보문학, 민중문학, 통일문학을 성격을 띠기 시작했다. 그의 시는 분단의 아픔과 그로 인한 개인들의 수난 그리고 통일에 대한 열망과 결의를 다지는 작품이 주종을 이루고 있으며, 독자대중의 감성 호소하는 작품을 주로 창작하고 발표했다. 이는 일종의 통일운동담론의 낭만화 현상이라 할 수 있다. 늦봄 문익환의 진보사상과 실천은 통일운동에서 두드러지는바, 시창작과 대사회 활동에서 뚜렷한 발자취를 남겼다. 늦봄의 통일운동은 전방위적으로 실행되었는바, 분단의 아픔과 통일의 의지를 피력하는 작품 창작, 강연과 집필 같은 대중적 계몽운동, 그리고 방북과 같은 직접적인 실천이 바로 그것이다. 늦봄의 이 같은 통일운동은 서로 보완하고 상승효과를 만들어내고 있으며 독자 대중의 감성과 정서에 호소하는 활동이라는 특징을 보여준다.


The aim of this article is to reexamine the unification literature and movement of “Late Bom (Spring)” Moon Ik-hwan (1918-1994) in the context of new historicism and biographical criticism, and to examine the nature of his literary and social movements and their current significance. Moon was a pastor, educator(professor), unificationist, and poet who represented the Korean Jaya(be not in a government job) dissident movement. He was born in Myeongdong Village, a newly established village in Gando, Korea, where progressive-minded people fled the colonial motherland and grew up under the influence of the independence movement and Christian ideas. Yoon Dong-joo, a leading poet of Korean poetry, was a friend and classmate of Yoon’s, with whom he shared a long friendship and received literary influence. Initially, Moon was a devout Christian, but under the influence of his father, the Reverend Jae-lin Moon, became a pastor himself, and was taught by Reverend Kim Jae-joon, the founder of Hanshin University and a leading proponent of Folk Theology, a progressive Christian faith. However, after the death of his college classmate and spiritual companion, Jang Jun-ha, he became deeply interested in social issues and Korean contemporary history, and took the lead in the democratization and unification movements. He became a co-translator of the Old Testament, which is half composed of poetry, and although he often says that he became a poet while studying Korean poetry for the translation of the Old Testament, in reality, his long-latent desire for literature, which had been latent since his school days, came to the fore through the translation of the Old Testament. He became a poet in his late teens and published a total of five books of poetry. From the first collection onward, his poetry began to characterize progressive literature, folk literature, and unification literature. His poems are characterized by the pain of division, the suffering of individuals due to it, and the desire and determination for unification, and he mainly created and published works that appealed to the emotions of his readers. This can be considered a kind of romanticization of the unification movement discourse. In the late spring, Moon’s progressive ideas and practices stood out in the unification movement, leaving a distinct footprint in his poetry and public activities. The unification movement of the late spring was practiced in all directions, including the creation of works that expressed the pain of division and the will for unification, public enlightenment campaigns such as lectures and books, and direct actions such as visiting North Korea. These unification movements of the late spring complemented each other and created a synergistic effect, and characterized by activities that appealed to the emotions and feelings of the general public. The progressive ideas and movements of the late spring are especially prominent in the field of reunification, which has left a distinct footprint in poetry creation and public activities. In short, the unification movement of the late spring was practiced encompassed multiple dimensions, including the creation of works that expressed the pain of division and the will for unification, public enlightenment campaigns such as lectures and writings, and practical actions such as visitation. These unification movements in the late spring complemented each other and created a synergistic effect, and were characterized by activities that appealed to the emotions and sentiments of the reading public.