Haenam-gun Baekryeonjae Literature House Writer Song Gi-won Publishes First Novel in 7 Years

First Fruit of the Literature Creation Workshop Writer Residency, Publication Commemorative Book Concert on the 8th

Song Gi-won, Novelist (Photo by Haenam-gun)

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Through the Haenam-gun Writer Residency Program, writer Song Gi-won, who has been working on his creations at Baekryeonjae Literary House, has published a full-length novel after 7 years.

According to the county on the 22nd, Song Gi-won, who has been residing and creating at Baekryeonjae Literary House since August last year, is the first writer among the residency program participants to complete and finalize two books during the residency period: the meditation novel “Sum” (Maeumseojae) and the youth novel “Noona” (Baekjo Publishing).

Baekryeonjae Literary House is a complex cultural space operated by Haenam-gun, running a writer residency program providing writing rooms to authors since 2019.

Led by poet Hwang Ji-woo, many writers including Park Byung-du, Jeong Taek-jin, Lee Eun-yu, Lee Ji-dam, Chae Gil-soon, and Lee Jeong-mo have been able to fully concentrate on writing amidst the pristine natural environment of the Gosan Yun Seon-do Historic Site, turning it into a cradle of Korean literary creation.

To commemorate the publication of Song Gi-won’s works, a “Book Concert ? Meeting with Writer Song Gi-won” will be held on the outdoor yard of Baekryeonjae on the 8th of next month.

Hosted by novelist Lee Won-hwa, a resident writer at Ddanggeut Pilgrimage Literature Museum, this valuable event will provide time to share stories about author Song Gi-won’s works and his writing episodes at Baekryeonjae.

Main events will include a dialogue with the author, a poetry song performance based on Song Gi-won’s poems, novel readings, and an autograph session.

The event will be limited to 30 participants on a first-come, first-served basis via phone registration to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19, and will be simultaneously broadcast live on the Ddanggeut Pilgrimage Literature Museum’s YouTube channel.

The meditation novel “Sum” depicts a protagonist who, after wandering, begins meditation following the death of his daughter, and through continuous meditation practice, confronts the spirit of his deceased daughter and attains true enlightenment. The detailed description of the meditation process enhances immersion.

The youth novel “Noona” narrates the pain and sorrow experienced by the Korean people after liberation from the perspective of youth, vividly portraying the hardships of modern Korean history through the growth process of the protagonist Yang Soon.

A county official stated, “Baekryeonjae Literary House is a literary creation space operated by Haenam-gun, the cradle of Namdo literature, and we will continue to do our best to ensure many writers achieve fruitful results at Baekryeonjae. We also hope many interested readers will participate in the book concert, which will be a precious opportunity to meet the author.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.