Interview with You-jeong Jeong A Storyteller Exploring Mankind's True Nature
2017.10.10
She may be, undoubtedly, the best writer of Korean-style thriller novels. She is also gearing up to spark a new wave abroad with her writing. She is You-jeong Jeong, renowned for novels like A Night of Seven Years, 28 and Origin of Species. Jeong's novels explore the true nature of mankind hidden deep in the folds of humans and they have captured not only Korean readers but those abroad, leading to her books becoming translated and published in different countries.
KPIPA While we were preparing for your interview, we found a number of words that describe you: star writer, storyteller, female warrior, monster writer. What would you personally like to be introduced as to our readers abroad?
Jeong I was born and raised in Hampyeong in Jeolla Province. In our regional dialect, it was a "wicked village town" with not a library in sight. The only cultural experience I had was the circus that came to town whenever the five-day market opened. My grandmother loved the circus and she used to take me. Now, this circus was not your conventional one with dancing elephants and trapeze dancers. It was a circus with a traveling medicine peddler who would sell a cure-all ointment for your stomachaches, your headaches. Of course, the circus' repertoire was far from vast. They would roll cans, walk a tightrope, spin plates on sticks and do some magic. Of those, the most popular was the tented theater where two storytellers would sit and tell old traditional tales.
△ Shoot My Heart, recipient of the Segye Literature Award in 2009 (LEFT)
KPIPA When reading your books, the strength in the narratives is quite impressive. It seems the reason behind your success as a bestselling novelist is here. What is the source for your forceful and speedy narratives?
Jeong There are three. First would be my stamina. It takes me at least two years to write one novel. During that long, long time, I need strength to persevere with a clear head. This is why I exercise roughly two hours a day. If I didn't have the physical stamina, there would be no force in my stories. For instance, in scenes where the main character has to scale a mountain to fight a tiger, if I had little strength I would make the character avoid the tiger and go all the way around the mountain instead. The story would suffer for it.
△ FROM LEFT The Night of Seven Years, 28 and Origin of Species
KPIPA Through many of your novels, you talk deeply about the true nature of mankind and evil. It's a theme that is quite interesting and worthy of interest, but it doesn't seem like an easy task to pull off. Is there a special reason for the theme of your writing?
Jeong All writers have their own themes. Actually, many writers keep writing about the same theme over and over again until they die. Hemingway wrote about humans facing death, Charles Dickens focused on family or fathers, and Stephen King writes about man's deepest fears. I don't believe these themes are selected on purpose but rather, they are created through the writers' personalities and experiences.
KPIPA Your novels are much loved in South Korea but they are also gaining attention outside the country. Have you had a chance to personally feel this interest? Please tell us if you had an experience that stands out from others.
Jeong Yes, I've had a few. Among these, the open book talk even at a Aix-en-Provence library in France comes to mind. Back then I was suffering from a very bad cold and I took to the stage after taking some very strong medicine. I don't remember a single word I said during that one hour as well as the questions that were asked of me. It was like I had blacked out after drinking. It remains in my memory as because I have no recollection of that event.
KPIPA Could you tell us what you're planning after 『Origin of Species』?
Jeong I think in my next novel, the main character will be a woman. It will be the first such main character since I became a novelist and this is because of my literary lacking. I tried multiple times to create a female protagonist, but I failed each time to keep a certain distance between myself and that character. When the writer fails to do this and the writer's voice becomes louder than the character, that novel goes beyond saving. It becomes a perfect failure. It no longer becomes a story, but a work of propaganda with too much self-awareness. This is why I kept bringing in female characters into my stories -- to practice keeping that distance.
KPIPA Lastly, could you tell us what you would like to achieve as a writer? If you have a dream, please tell us.
Jeong My dream is to write novels of a certain quality (preferably those that improve) regularly until I die.
Arranged by Myung-im Nam
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