Cho Se-hui, 80, author of 'The Dwarf,' dies on Dec. 25

This file photo shows Cho Se-hui, the author of best-selling novel "The Dwarf," who died on Dec. 25. [YONHAP]

Cho Se-hui, the author of the critically acclaimed and phenomenal bestseller "The Dwarf," has died of a chronic illness, his family said. He was 80 years old when he passed away Sunday.

Cho had been under treatment in a nursing home after suffering from Covid-19 in April and was sent to an intensive care unit a week ago due to his deteriorating health, according to his family.

Born in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, in 1942, Cho studied Korean literature at the Seorabeol University of Arts and Kyung Hee University.

He debuted as a writer after winning a literary award in 1965 from the local daily Kyunghyang Shinmun for his short story but did not publish another novel for the next 10 years.

From 1975 to 1978, Cho ran a series of short stories for a literature magazine, which were published as a compilation novel titled "The Dwarf" in 1978.

The collection portrays the miserable life of Korea's poor city dwellers who were short-changed while the country achieved rapid industrialization and a meteoric economic rise.

The book received wide acclaim both from critics and readers but often fell victim to press crackdowns by the authoritarian governments of the 1970s and 1980s as it is critical of undemocratic governments and mirrors the dark, ugly sides of their economy-first policies.

In a writer's note in 2000, the author said: "Since the stories were published, there have been several crises. However, they survived and were read by readers. My work has been nearing its completion with the help of my readers."

In 2005, the book became the first Korean novel to publish its 200th edition. So far, it has had 320 editions published and sold over 1.48 million copies in Korea.

Cho is survived by his wife and two sons. His funeral is scheduled for Wednesday.

Yonhap