나는 아직, 어른이 되려면 멀었다

by 강세형

이적, 김동률, 스윗소로우, 테이가 추천한 라디오 작가 강세형의 청춘 공감 에세이!

라디오 작가로 활동하는 강세형이 테이의 뮤직아일랜드, 이적의 텐텐클럽, 스윗소로우의 텐텐클럽에서 쓴 원고들을 모아서 만든 라디오 에세이이다. 글들이 방송되었던 당시 코너의 제목인 '청춘, 그 길에 서서' '기억, 한 컷' '어떤 하루'를 소제목으로 정했다. 그녀는 무엇이든 보고 듣는 걸 좋아하는 사람이었고, 좋아하는 책, 영화, 그림, 만화들을 접하기 위해 아르바이트로 방송작가 일을 시작했다. 라디오 에세이는 소설과 에세이 그 사이 어딘가쯤에 놓인 글 같다고 말하는 저자는 이 글들이 누군가에 닿아 '내 이야기 이면서도 내 이야기가 아닌' 어떤 다른 의미가 되기를 바란다고 말한다.

이른 아침, 잠에서 깬 아저씨는 이제 내 청춘도 끝나가는구나 라고 생각했다. 그날은 그의 마흔아홉번재 생일이었고, 강세형은 고등학교를 졸업하면서, 대학을 졸업하면서, 긴 연애에 끝을 만나면서, 스물아홉에서 서른으로 넘어가던 해에도, 그리고 지금도 때때로 그 생각을 한다고 말한다. 어느 순간, 아 내 청춘이 끝나가는구나 라는 생각이 든다면, 그녀가 이야기하는 청춘의 모습을 만나는 것은 어떨까? 마치 나의 이야기 같기도 하고, 어제 들은 친구의 이야기 같기도 한, 친근하고 따뜻한 그녀의 글들은 우리가 살아가면서 느끼는 쓸쓸함이 결코 혼자만의 것이 아님을, 그렇기 때문에 우리는 혼자가 아님을 느끼게 한다.

355 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2010

Reviews

[kutingtin · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked some lines and related well with them, whole some passed my thoughts by and iguess i didn’t really feel a connection :,)

[Cheol Kang · Rating 2 out of 5]

잡지 '페이퍼'를 보는 느낌.
평범한 사람들의 평범한 고민들.
나만 그런게 아니구나. 다들 그렇구나.

근데 딱 그정도.
일부러 읽을 필요는 없고
혼자일 때 손에 집히는 아무 거나 읽고 싶은데 생각하며 읽어야 하는 어려운 책은 부담스러울 때 혹시 옆에 있으면 잠이 올 때까지 스르륵 가볍게 읽으면 나쁘지 않다.

[Nguyễn Bình · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vừa mở trang đầu tiên những câu chữ đầu tiên đã khiến tôi cảm thấy đồng cảm

"Tôi thích xem thích nghe mọi thứ
Có lẽ vì thế gian có quá nhiều thứ tuyệt vời nên thậm chí tôi còn đâm lo
Rằng dẫu miệt mài xem và nghe đến thế nào đi nữa
Chắc cho tới tận khi chết đi tôi cũng không thể thưởng thức được tất cả"

Review:
Cuốn sách này là tản văn.Điều đó là mình cảm thấy hụt hẫng vì khi nhìn thấy tiêu đề sách và phần giới thiệu đằng sau sách, mình tưởng đây là truyện ngắn (sách được bọc nilon) Đọc sách rút ra được nhiều câu văn hay nhưng nó cũng chỉ được đến thế.Sách dành cho nhũng người trẻ hoang mang,bất định nên dễ gây đồng cảm, đúc rút đc nhiều câu, còn giá trị thực dụng và những cảm giác khác thì không có.Lâu lâu xuống dốc tinh thần thì lôi ra đọc đôi ba câu là ổn.

[Jemalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll give 3.5 or 4 stars for it. It was very interesting at first but towards the end of the book, it became a bit boring. I am also confused about the author's gender. I hope that the author can give more deeper thoughts.

[cloud · Rating 5 out of 5]

i wish i was like that:
that at the end of the day, life is good
and that life is indeed worth living.
i really wish it's like that.

🌷

[Kim Scarlet · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I'm Still Too Far From Becoming An Adult" is definitely the kind of book that I would love to re-read over and over again. I love how the author naturally correlates his personal experiences, from the comic books he read, to the movies they watched, the K-dramas he liked, the novels he read, the things he bought, the people he loved, and the friends' stories he heard, into everything he writes. I like how simple and little things can make us realize a lot about life. I love how he was able to make me appreciate what I usually missed appreciating. I like how realistic his approach was. I didn't even know that there are people who also felt the same way as I did when I watched that movie, that kind of feeling.

The book is filled with inspirational quotes that I believe have had a significant impact on my life. I'd like to share some of these quotes with you:

1. "I know things may go wrong.
I may fail or suffer even more than I do now.
But still, shouldn't I try out for myself?
Whether I succeed or fail, if this is something I want or dream of,
shouldn't I still give it a try even if it'll lead to regret?"

2. "You aren't the only person in the world who's suffering, sad, or lonely.
Suffering, sad, and lonely people exist everywhere in the world.
And this, sometimes, serves as our consolation."

3. "I must be that kind of person. When I was there, I missed South Korea.
When I'm in South Korea, I miss that place. I must be the type of person who always struggles with longing,"
When we're in this place, we long for that place.
When we're in that place, we long for this place.

4. "Everyone seems to be living a busy life for a better tomorrow,
moving another step forward in a better way.
But I feel stagnant, stuck in the same spot.
But I guess living another similar day isn't always bad.
Because you care about what others think, you push yourself to start unnecessary changes.
I wish you'll be happy
I want to say this to myself.
I want to be someone who feels happy on my own.
Whether I live through the same day or live a different one,
someone who's satisfied with myself,
someone who's happy with myself
— I want to be that someone."

5. "There's nothing you cant do."

If you are feeling lonely, heartbroken, having a hard time moving on, grieving, battling depression, anxious about life, and disappointed with yourself, this might be the book you're looking for. I felt like 329 pages aren't enough for this book. To the one reading this, I hope you find the happiness you've been looking for.

[Angeli]

I would actually rate this 3.5 stars, but I'm willing to round up as I feel this book may be worth rereading in doses.

I'm not really sure about how effective the book's organization is, but its contents are both varied enough to potentially resonate with the diverse audience of people trying to "adult". I like the way the pieces seem to kick off from something mundane, then somehow reveal something deep. It's like having a poetically elaborated collection of shower thoughts or thinly veiled jokes on how confusing life is.

Admittedly, I got a pet peeve while going through the book as a whole. While it's great that the writer gives credit, there are probably too many pieces that include a line that explicitly states "this was from a movie/novel/etc" (without mentioning what that movie/novel/etc is) . I mean, there are other ways to express that fact, so simply stating it does get old fast when you encounter it repeatedly. That's why I think this book would be more fun to reread in (random) doses.

Generally, it's a nice read for anyone looking for solace amidst the roller coaster that is adulting. It's a nice reminder that we my not be alone in how we ponder our lives.