100th Edition of The Bird's Gift by Eun Hee-kyung: "The Work Written Most Easily and Quickly, Blessed with Literary Luck"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] Writer Eun Hee-kyung. She won the Dong-A Ilbo New Spring Literary Contest in 1995. She thought her life would change dramatically. However, there were no invitations or manuscript requests. As the years passed and the emergence of new literary talents approached, she felt anxious. People around her, including her mother, advised her to try writing a full-length novel. She immersed herself in writing in a deep temple, in a narrow space where she could barely move unless lying sideways. The writing came out very quickly and easily. She submitted her work to the first novel contest held by Munhakdongne, a newly established publishing company at the time, and was fortunate enough to win the honor. That work became Eun Hee-kyung’s representative piece, The Bird’s Gift (Munhakdongne). Over 27 years, it has been printed more than 100 times.

At a press conference held on the 30th at a cafe in Mapo-gu to commemorate the 100th printing of The Bird’s Gift, Eun Hee-kyung revealed that she was “blessed with literary fortune.” “It is the most fun and fastest novel I have ever written. In an interview back then, I said na?vely that writing the novel was so enjoyable that I wrote several pages a day, and I was told, ‘You shouldn’t say things like that carelessly.’ Looking back, it seems it was the greatest stroke of literary luck in my life.”

Eun is someone who finds points to revise every time she looks at her writing. Because it was stressful, she did not make corrections and released the second edition as it was. However, the third edition was different. Upon reviewing it, she found issues and corrected them immediately. For example, incorrect expressions such as “short-legged desk,” “mute gloves,” and “pockmarked aunt.” She deeply considered how much of the era’s aspects to preserve or discard. “For instance, I left the grandmother’s curse words as they were but changed clearly incorrect expressions.” She believed that while it is important for a writer to recreate the era, it is equally important to create an interpretive perspective.

The book’s title was taken from Jacques Pr?vert’s poem The Bird’s Gift. “When a very old parrot brought him sunflower seeds, the sun entered his childhood prison.” Eun said, “The ambiguity seems to be the charm of the poem. After reading it, I thought it was a perfect poem for the novel,” and added, “The phrase about entering a childhood prison evoked both hope and tension about life.”

A memorable reader was a teenage reader. The reader sent a long letter describing a situation where, after showing kindness, they were assaulted at a friend’s house. The reader was angry at the surrounding people’s “It’s okay” remarks but found comfort through Eun’s work. Eun reflected, “I realized that comfort is not only gentle and warm but can also come from facing reality squarely and becoming stronger.” She emphasized, “Having such readers for 27 years has been the strength that allows me to keep writing.”

In an era overflowing with content, Eun believes literature has a role. She feels that writing contains reflections that spoken words cannot convey, and she writes with that attitude. Her next work will be about the body. It could be a condition humans possess, a tool for relating to others, or an evaluation of the world. She wants to write a full-length novel that reflects on human finitude from birth to death. Although she has published 15 books so far, she revealed plans to produce more works in the future.

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