With the Century

With the Century is an eight-volume autobiography by Kim Il Sung, the founder and first leader of North Korea. The work spans 3,447 pages and chronicles Kim's life experiences from his childhood through the Korean resistance period. The memoir project began in 1992 with plans for 30 volumes, but only six were completed before Kim Il Sung's death in 1994. Two additional volumes were published posthumously, bringing the total to eight volumes, though questions exist regarding the true authorship of the work. The text includes details about Kim's early life and the formation of his political ideology. The narrative covers his experiences during the late colonial period of Korea and documents the development of the Korean resistance movement. These memoirs serve as one of the few North Korean primary sources widely available to Western readers and researchers. The work provides insights into North Korean perspectives on modern Korean history, while also functioning as a core piece of the state's official narrative about its origins and leadership.

Reader reviews for With the Century are limited, with most coming from North Korean sources or academic settings where it's studied as propaganda material. Readers interested in North Korean history note its value as a first-hand account of the anti-Japanese resistance period, though its accuracy is debated. Several reviewers highlight the book's detail about guerrilla warfare tactics and military operations. Critics point out obvious historical inaccuracies, exaggerated claims about military victories, and heavy propaganda elements. Multiple readers mention the repetitive writing style and length (8 volumes) as major drawbacks. Goodreads: 3.8/5 (12 ratings) Amazon: No ratings available One reviewer on Goodreads writes: "Valuable as a window into how the DPRK wants their history to be understood, but shouldn't be read as factual history." The book has few reviews on mainstream platforms, with most discussion occurring in academic papers and specialized forums focused on North Korean studies.

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✦ The original manuscript was handwritten by Kim Il Sung in the Korean language and later translated into more than 20 languages worldwide ✦ The eight published volumes span approximately 1,800 pages and cover events only until 1945, leaving the post-liberation period of North Korea unaddressed ✦ The memoir's title "With the Century" (세기와 더불어) reflects Kim Il Sung's belief that his life paralleled the major events of the 20th century ✦ The work heavily influenced North Korean "Juche" ideology and became mandatory reading in North Korean schools and political education programs ✦ Kim Il Sung began writing these memoirs at age 80, completing roughly one volume per year until his death in 1994 at age 82