VOL.69/2024.04

 

Writer Kim Yeon-Su

Playing the Happiness of Every Moment

 

2022.12.05

 

We all dream of living a happy life. What is a happy life? Some might say that it is achieved through social success or economic wealth. But there’s no guarantee that they will lead to true happiness. Here’s an interview with writer Kim Yeon-Su, who writes when he is happy and wants to cherish the happiness that comes from each moment, realizing that feeling joy is more important than making success or pleasing people. Perhaps that’s why his writings always deliver positive energy to people, no matter how long – 28 years since his debut – he has been writing. Following is the story of writer Kim Yeon-Su, who writes as if he is playing an instrument with full affection toward writing.

 

 

It is an honor to have you on K-Book Trends. Please say hello to our subscribers and give a brief introduction of yourself.

 

Hello, it is good to see you all. I debuted in 1994 with my full-length novel Walking While Pointing to the Mask (Sekyesa). Since then, I have published many full-length novels, short stories, and essays, as many as the number of years I’ve been in my career as a writer – 28 years.

 

You published Such an Ordinary Future (Munhakdongne) recently. This is a short story collection published after 9 years. How does it feel to be meeting readers through the book?

 

I believe that the true value of novels derives from a good coordination of inner desire and the external environment. I have had some time to look back at myself, as I couldn’t catch up with the speed of change in society. Then, with the COVID-19 outbreak, I have seen people around the world change their lifestyles with no other choice. Only then did I have the desire to create new stories. Perhaps it was the desire to communicate with people who lived in modern times like me. I think it's a good thing that my stories about changes since the pandemic can come together as a book. I believe there is still time to change our lives and the world in a better direction. I look forward to hearing other thoughts from readers after reading my book.

 

 

I had the desire to make new stories as COVID-19 spread across the world.

 

 

You said you had a “strong internal desire to change” until right before you published your latest book. What made you think so? Also, please tell us how your “new attitude” is reflected in the book.

 

Watching my parents die naturally reminded me of the end of life. I realized that I hadn’t really thought about it at all in my entire life. I just had the belief that, if I lived my life to the fullest by pursuing the so-called “social success,” there would be a good end. But then, one question came to my mind – is chasing success, giving up on the things I love right now, the best life possible? Can that success be called true success?
Such questions have given rise to a desire within. A social norm cannot be my standard of living. Instead of social success to show people, I wanted to take moments of bliss as a new standard for myself. Roughly then, the pandemic occurred. Seeing how it shook the economic foundation of our society, I had a vivid realization that no matter how one does their best, it might be difficult to achieve the “success” that this society defines. So how do you get happiness from moments in life in this intimidating time? My answers to this question are in the short story collection Such an Ordinary Future.

 

 

Which book of yours do you think represents you the best? And why do you think so?

 

I think A Diary of Days (Leger), The Last of Seven Years (Munhakdongne), and Such an Ordinary Future are the best representations of myself today. These three books influenced me in sequence. The book A Diary of Days encouraged me to write The Last of Seven Days, and the two books ultimately led me to write Such an Ordinary Future. The entire process of writing these books was a journey for me to find my own voice.

 

In July, the revised edition of The Writings Written in My Youth (Maumsanchaek) was published, which was initially released in 2004. It must have been a refreshing moment for you as you face the book you wrote 20 years ago. What did you particularly focus on as you worked on the revision?

 

I first thought of letting the book go out of print as I thought it no longer had the value to be read as time went by. But, as I read through the book once again, things became new. It was time that made it so. Over time, the events of twenty years ago have become completely new. Time makes things rise and fall. It also makes grief the seed of happiness, and chance the seed of failure. It’s the magic of time. And, upon learning this, I could see the time ahead of me in detail, and I realized what to focus on and what not to do. The pain I have right now might be a necessary ingredient for me to achieve what I want. And, from that point of view, I was able to be thankful for the unexpected chance and learned not to be obsessed with it. As these realizations came during my revision work, I wanted to deliver them to my young readers.

 

 

What is the most important element when you write novels? Is there a particular part you pay attention to the most?

 

What's more important is how I feel when I write novels. I must be in a good mood. There's no point in writing when I'm obviously not feeling so good, but before that, I can't just hold a pen. I write when there’s something I want to write about. If I want to continue writing after scribbling, that means I'm in the mood to write. In that case, I continue to write all the way. Of course, difficult times come even when I'm writing in a great mood. But it is just that. I’m not in pain. This is the key. It would be better to put the pen down when you are in distress, since there is no chance that the condition leads to a good novel.

 

 

Writings written in a good mood lead to good novels.

 

 

You said the act of writing something is the beginning of writing a novel. From your experience, what kind of writing usually leads to novels?

 

I think with my fingers. I enjoy typing. I sometimes become a pianist or a keyboardist when I type. I particularly like the sound it makes. So, I tend to type on the keyboard, randomly, even if there’s nothing to write about. Yes, that means I’m always writing something. Sometimes it's a complete sentence, and sometimes it's ridiculous self-talk. Well, it doesn't matter – I can listen to the sound of the keyboard. When I have nothing to type, I write stuff I wrote in the past. I sometimes copy them, and sometimes fix some parts. Sometimes a story abruptly begins as I do so, and from what I’ve experienced, it becomes a novel. The short stories, too, if I rewrite them several times, they become full fiction.

 

You have also written novels based on historical facts, such as The Night is Singing (Munhakdongne) and I’m a Ghost Writer (Munhakdongne). Are you interested in history? What made you add historical elements to your novels?

 

When you are swallowed up in your own troubles, you come to think that pain is unique to you. But history has long held that this is wrong. In the course of history, all adults worried about immature young people. As well, there are so many stories of people who have lost loved ones and have had to spend the rest of their lives without them. But, when you realize that pain and grief are not unique to yourself and everyone is experiencing the same thing, your mind will grow even greater. I think it's hard to understand your life without reference to the long history of humanity.

 

 

Your books, such as Mi of April, Sol of July (Munhakdongne), and If the Waves Belong to the Sea (Munhakdongne), were published in other countries, meeting readers across the world. While there’s less chance to meet your readers face-to-face due to the pandemic, what do you want to talk about with them through your books?

 

I think the pandemic has made every citizen of the world experience the same thing. It allowed us to understand one another across borders. So, I hope to talk with people from around the world about how it is going to change us and our world.

 

You have been continuously writing prose collections as well. What would it be – a prose collection or novel – for your next work? Please tell us about your future plans or goals.

 

After deciding to do more things I love, I decided to write only when there is something I want to write. These days, I want to write novels more than essays. So, my next work is going to be a collection of short stories. Then, I’m thinking of writing a full-length novel featuring the Imjin War.

 

 

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