VOL.78/2025.01

 

Writer Choi Eun-Young

The power of fiction that transcends the boundary between language and culture

 

2024.10.07

 

It is a well-known fact that the achievement and satisfaction of people who do things they like are higher than any others. It is no exception for writing fiction. Writer Choi Eun-Young, who is said to have been desperate to become a writer, proves this is true. As she feels the happiness of living as a writer, Choi enjoys immersing herself in writing novels more than anyone else - this is transmitted to her readers and transformed into the pleasure of reading. In addition, all 5 of her books have been translated, demonstrating the power of “universal empathy” that transcends language and culture. Now, more than a decade after her debut, Choi declares that she will continue to write more vigorously.

 

 

It is an honor to have you with us on K-Book Trends. Please say hello to our readers and briefly introduce yourself.

 

Hello, everyone. I’m Choi Eun-Young, and I write novels. Since becoming a writer in 2013, I have published 5 books to date.

 

Your first full-length novel, Bright Night (Munhakdongne Publishing), which also won the Daesan Literary Awards, ranked 2nd on a Chinese review ranking website in 2023. Please tell us how you feel about getting good responses at both home and abroad, along with an introduction of the book.

 

The book Bright Night is my first full-length novel, announced in 2021. The story begins as 32-year-old “Ji-Yeon” moves to a small city named “Heeryong” for some reason. There, she meets her grandmother after about 20 years by coincidence, and hears stories about her mother and grandmother. And, through this process, Ji-Yeon gets the chance to understand herself. I didn’t expect the book to receive a good response from international readers. Having it translated and published in other countries was a great pleasure for me. I was just so surprised to hear that the book was well-received in China.

 

 

On top of that book, your first short story collection, Shoko’s Smile (Munhakdongne Publishing), gained popularity when it was published in Japan. Also, several other works have been introduced overseas - The Summer from the book A Person Unharmful to Me (Munhakdongne Publishing) was translated and published in another country for the first time, even before the collection was. What do you think is the key to earning a good response from international publishing markets?

 

I have written five books so far, and thankfully, I have had the opportunity to translate and publish them all. I hope every book gets the chance to be translated into other languages.
I believe there is a destined link between a book and its reader, and I think that books find their readers by following that link. If there is someone who is meant to meet the book, the book will find them. A few years ago, I translated my mid-length novel Shoko’s Smile and took it to Cuba, where over 80 Cubans read it. I remember a reader who was my mother’s age telling me that reading it reminded her of her late father. She told me that she couldn’t help but think of her own father as she saw So-Yoo’s relationship with her grandfather in the story, because she was born when her father was 50 years old. That’s when I realized the power of universal emotions. I think there are universal emotions that people can relate to even if they have different political and social structures, different cultures, and different histories. I believe that such elements are what can transcend the boundaries and limitations of language and culture.

 

 

You have written many stories since making your debut in 2013, and have won many literary awards. What is the driver behind your ability to write works that are recognized by both the public and the literary world?

 

I wrote what I wanted to write, and I tried to be as honest as possible in the process. I let the ugly parts of me that I didn’t want other people to see show through, and I think a lot of people related to that. I think being a writer was a natural fit for me because I love writing, and I feel comfortable in my imaginary world.

 

You once said, “I desperately hoped to become a writer, and it’s a relief that I did.” Are you still happy with your life as a writer? What are the aspects that give you the most satisfaction?

 

I chose this year as a sabbatical year, and thus, I’m spending time relaxing. I have been writing novels for ten years straight, except for a few months, and it kind of made me exhausted. The most satisfying part of being a writer is immersion when writing. When I immerse in writing, I become less lonely and feel less pain. The process of getting to that point is what’s difficult, but once I get immersed, I feel free. It also makes me feel as if I have become my true self, which is great.

 

You once said, “I try to be on the side of people who are despised and hated for who they are.” It seems that these characters and stories must have appeared in your novels. Can you tell us more about how they are expressed in your works?

 

The characters in all of my novels are people who are “despised and hated for who they are.” The intensity of that hate may vary, but everyone in my novels lives in that magnetic field of influence, just like the rest of us do. I tried to write their thoughts and feelings without exaggeration, in a natural way.

 

 

To me, writing novels was an effort to connect with people
that are actually living in other worlds.

 

 

How do you develop things like topics and characters for your works? Such settings must be important since the story and characters work organically in the novels. Please share with us if you have your own way of doing this.

 

I try to feel the main emotions of the characters first. I don’t think about the topic, because if I think about the topic in my head and then write according to those thoughts, the story would be unnatural. I think of the character as a person who actually exists. For me, writing fiction is an effort to connect with people that are actually living in another world. It’s not about me conceiving and creating a character – it’s about meeting someone who already exists and trying to feel their emotions with my heart.

 

You have been focusing on fiction since your debut - what is it about the genre that appeals to you, and do you have any plans to write in other genres?

 

When you are reading a novel, you can completely lose yourself in it. You can be on your phone or do your chores while watching a video, meaning you can multitask. But, you can’t multitask like that while reading words on paper. I think immersion is therapy. Immersion is the thing that most actively saves us from being passively exposed to advertisements and all kinds of information. I believe that deep immersion, where you can’t be multitasking, can be a respite in these complex times. Up until now, I have been mostly writing fiction, but I have plans to publish a collection of essays in the future.

 

It’s been over a decade since your debut. Now that you have established yourself as an accomplished and bestselling author, tell us about your plans and goals for the future.

 

I would like to continue to be the kind of writer who stays true to who I am, but continues to change and renew myself. I’m in my 40s now, and I want to continue writing prolifically.

 

 

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