Kim Hoon: "Writing is just writing, I do not want waves"

Short Story Collection 'Jeomanchi Honsaseo' Published After 16 Years
"The Path of the World Lies Between People, Not Books"
"Satisfaction with My Writing is '0'... Planning to Write a Work to Be Proud Of"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] Writers are generally exhibitionists. They put their claims and thoughts into print and shout out to the world. They hope to be read by as many people as possible, to be positively received, and for their impact to spread widely. This is why many writers call themselves ‘gwanjong’ (attention seekers). However, writer Kim Hoon (74) is somewhat different. Although he writes, he dislikes the impact returning to himself. He always says, “I do not wish to stir public opinion. (...) I only hope that writing remains just writing,” and “I do not scheme for anything nor wait for your approval.” Whenever a book is published annually, he also says, “If the publication of this book disrupts my solitude, that is not at all what I desire.”

He released a short story collection after 16 years. At the time of his previous publication, he said, “I want to save the time of my remaining life to talk about love and hope, humanity and spirituality, the sorrows and joys of my neighbors, and the expressions of living things.” The book contains writings written as “a neighbor of one person.” He focused on “things that became bearable over time, fragile emotions that become increasingly difficult to reveal, and the human existence humbled before the flowing time.” As the title of the short story collection, ‘Jeomanchi Honjaseo’ (Alone Over There) suggests, he loves to quietly observe the world alone. We brought him out for an interview. Since face-to-face was difficult, we received written responses. His answers, insisting on handwriting, were sent by fax.

Answer sheet sent by writer Kim Hoon via fax

- In the past, you said, “I only hope that writing remains just writing, I do not scheme for anything nor wait for your approval.” You might have some desire regarding the impact writing causes, but do you still feel the same way?

▲Yes. ‘Impact’ is not what I want.

- What do you think makes good writing? Is it more about self-satisfaction?

▲Good writing is writing that comes through the concreteness of life. Writing that earnestly reveals what is earnest to oneself is good writing. Writing with well-organized sentence structures is good writing. Writing where sentence structures are not revealed at all is also good writing. Writing that chatters is not good writing. However, if tension is contained within the chatter, then the chatter becomes good writing. Concise writing is good writing. But if that conciseness does not reach the core of the subject, it is not good writing. There is no end to such things if I start talking about them.

- Among the reactions you have received about your works so far, is there any that remains memorable?

▲I am disconnected from the internet world, so I am very unaware of ‘reactions’ to my works. I hear about those ‘reactions’ through word of mouth long after, but I hardly ‘react’ to them.

- What does writing and publishing books mean to you?

▲I mainly wrote to talk about my pain, helplessness, indignation, and alienation. Writing is an act of opposing the violence of the world and human barbarity. It is reflecting on the foolish acts of humanity that have lived here for billions of years without maturing. It is opening new realms of life, thought, and sensation through language. Writing and publishing books means conveying my thoughts to readers through mass publication, earning royalties from book sales to support my livelihood, and securing the material foundation to prepare for the next writing.

- In daily life, do you pursue meaning or enjoyment more? What meaning and enjoyment do you seek as a writer?

▲This morning (July 6, 2022), I saw in the newspaper that Professor Heo Jun-yi (Princeton University), who won the Fields Medal, known as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, said, “Mathematics is a joyful play culture.” Such expression can only come from someone who has joyfully played with mathematics. Professor Heo’s joy was probably the joy of decoding the secrets of the unknown world through the power of pure thought. In this joy, ‘meaning’ and ‘enjoyment’ coexist. I can guess Professor Heo’s joy but cannot participate in it. In my work, moments when ‘meaning’ and ‘enjoyment’ are simultaneously fulfilled are rare. Hearing Professor Heo’s ‘joy’ makes me think that writing is an incomplete means of expression compared to music or mathematics.

- Writing is a side branch of pain. Many writers have their own routines, such as taking a sip of coffee after completing a sentence. Do you have such a routine?

▲My routine is simple. On days when I cannot write, I go outside and play. I never force myself to do anything.

- You said you discarded all works written like essays and included only the remaining writings in the collection. How satisfied are you with this work?

▲My satisfaction is ‘0’. I plan to write works that I can feel satisfied with in the future.

- You seemed to have a strong affection for the work ‘Son’ (Hand), but you chose ‘Jeomanchi Honjaseo’ (Alone Over There) as the title piece. Is there a special reason?

▲‘Jeomanchi Honjaseo’ is more image-driven than factual content. I chose the title because it fits the theme of the work and is lyrical, so I thought readers would find it familiar.

- In the work, Lee Chun-gae, imprisoned, always painted the same landscape. Is there a landscape deeply rooted in your memory?

▲Lee Chun-gae painting the same landscape is an act expressing his despair. There is no particular landscape especially rooted in my memory. I always focus on the landscape of the present moment.

- ‘Dog’ and ‘harbor’ often appear in the short stories. Is there a special reason?

▲There is no special reason. These elements naturally appear frequently as I describe things related to the themes.

- The expression ‘crumbled’ also appears often. Is it a favorite expression?

▲I do not have special attachment to any word. If the same word appears repeatedly, it is my immaturity.

- You did not conclude each short story. It feels like you captured parts of the protagonists’ lives without filtering. It feels like there might be sequels.

▲I cannot write clear ‘endings’ to works. Endings feel awkward and precarious. I think life cannot be summed up with clear endings. It will be the same going forward.

- You dislike your ‘own solitude’ being disturbed by your works and recently spend a lot of time alone.

▲Meeting people has become tiring and hard to handle. This does not mean I deliberately isolate or seclude myself. I am still observing the world. Meeting is not only face-to-face. I think the paths of this world lie not in books but between people.

- Do you read works by young writers?

▲I hardly read poems and poetry criticism by young poets because they are too difficult. I do not read literary works ‘for study.’ In the 1980s and 1990s, there were many poems and criticism that readers like me could understand, but now there are few. I deeply regret this. I wish they would speak in a way I can understand.

- Unusually, you added a long supplementary explanation titled ‘Gunmal’ (Idle Words) at the end of the work. Was there a special change of heart?

▲Since all the works I wrote are lonely and frustrating stories, I added this writing to explain the psychological environment that made the works that way. After writing it, I felt it was still superfluous, so I titled it ‘Gunmal’ (Idle Words). It felt pathetic to ask readers to understand the works by presenting non-literary ramblings, but I had no choice.

- Light-themed novels are gaining popularity rather than heavy themes. ‘Individual’ rather than ‘era,’ and ‘empathy’ rather than ‘lesson’ are drawing attention. What do you personally think of this trend?

▲I cannot overview contemporary novels as a whole, but it seems certain that novels’ interest is focused on trivial aspects of life. In fact, it is difficult to distinguish between trivial and significant things. What seems trivial may not be trivial. I hope great meanings will be derived through pursuing trivial things. Many young writers see things I cannot see.

- What is your greatest recent concern? Are there social phenomena you feel a sense of problem about?

▲Consumer prices rose 6% over the past month (June). There is also a forecast that prices will rise 7% next month. This inflation is not a natural phenomenon but occurred within the structure of the global economy. Inflation is rushing in on the ruins of COVID-19. Which part of this society will this inflation hit? It will collapse greatly again. Such anxiety does not need to be literary.

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