Theresa Hak Kyung Cha | |
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Native name | 차학경 |
Born | Busan, South Korea | March 4, 1951
Died | November 5, 1982 New York City, United States | (aged 31)
Resting place | Ashes placed at an unknown location |
Occupation |
|
Language | English |
Alma mater | University of San Francisco University of California, Berkeley (BA, MA, MFA) |
Years active | 1974 to 1982 |
Notable works | Dictee (1982) |
Spouse | Richard Barnes (m.1982-1982; her death) |
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha | |
Hangul | 차학경 |
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Hanja | 車學慶 |
Revised Romanization | Cha Hak-gyeong |
McCune–Reischauer | Ch'a Hak-kyŏng |
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (Korean: 차학경; March 4, 1951 – November 5, 1982) was an American novelist, producer, director, and artist of South Korean origin, best known for her 1982 novel, Dictée. Considered an avant-garde artist, Cha was fluent in Korean, English, and French. The main body of Cha's work is "looking for the roots of language before it is born on the tip of the tongue."[1] Cha's practice experiments with language through repetition, manipulation, reduction, and isolation, exploring the ways in which language marks one's identity, in unstable and multiple expressions.[2] Cha's interdisciplinary background was clearly evident in Dictée, which experiments with juxtaposition and hypertext of both print and visual media. Cha's Dictée is frequently taught in contemporary literature classes including women's literature.