[One Sip of a Book] Where Does the Power of Writers Come From? 'Comfort of Study'

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader’s heart, creating a point of connection with the book. We introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from the book. - Editor’s note

This essay is written by reporter Gwak Aram, the first woman to become a daily newspaper’s publishing team leader, reflecting on her academic journey during university and what supports her present self. As indicated by the subtitle, “Where Does the Power of a Writer Come From,” the author aims to reveal the source of her persistence in sustaining a writing career for 20 years. The book is organized sequentially by the courses she took from her freshman to senior year. It is also a lament dedicated to the current university system, where liberal arts lectures are being reduced under the banner of practicality and classrooms have been impaired by the pandemic, failing to fulfill their proper function.

In the earthly classrooms, we were learning celestial language, which was a surplus of life for most students but certainly a ‘comfort.’ The world demands ‘usefulness’ from us, but not everything useful is necessarily meaningful, and practicality alone is not the answer?such is the consolation.

“Studying will comfort you and bring you joy. If study takes root in your heart, sorrow, worry, and the pain of confusing anguish will not invade. Study is the safest shield.”

As time passed, I came to work for ‘earthly livelihood’ far removed from ‘celestial nourishment.’ There was a time I thought humanities, which do not immediately put food in one’s mouth, were just the pastime of the fortunate. However, when I felt like nothing more than a cog in the organization, when I felt useless, and when my heart was troubled, what gave me comfort and rest was the world of study I had long left behind, which I had considered merely ‘surplus.’

Comfort of Study | Written by Gwak Aram | Minumsa | 328 pages | 16,000 KRW

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