못 가본 길이 더 아름답다

by Park Wan-suh, 박완서

Park Wan-seo's reflections on 40 years of writing Revered novelist Park Wan-seo, who is seeing the 40th anniversary of her debut on the literary scene this year, seems more eager to reflect on her writing career and personal life rather than celebrate the occasion. In "The Road Not Taken Is More Beautiful," the 79-year-old offers her short essays written over the past four years that constitute her personal experiences and thought-provoking issues through her poignant eyes with a care for society. Born in 1931 in Gaepung-gun, Gyeonggi Province now in North Korea, the author experienced the Korean War (1950-53) and was separated from her mother and brother during it. But she takes her memories of the war as her fictional inspirations in her numerous works. "I think if I had no experience of the war, I might have not become a novelist, because a lot of stories related to the war have inspired my work and are likely to do in my future works," she writes...

268 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2010

About the author

See 박완서

Park Wan Suh (also Park Wan-seo, Park Wan-so, Park Wansuh, Park Kee-pah and Pak Wan-so, Pak Wanso) was born in 1931 in Gaepung-gun in what is now Hwanghaebuk-do in North Korea.Park entered Seoul National University, the most prestigious in Korea, but dropped out almost immediately after attending classes due to the outbreak of the Korean War and the death of her brother. During the war, Park was separated from her mother and elder brother by the North Korea army, which moved them to North Korea. She lived in the village of Achui, in Guri, outside Seoul until her death. Park died on the morning of January 22, 2011, suffering from cancer.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Miyeonjeong · Rating 4 out of 5]

씨를 품은 흙의 기척은 부드럽고 따숩다. 내 몸이 그 안으로 스밀 생각을 하면 죽음조차 무섭지 않아진다.

[Seongeun Choi · Rating 5 out of 5]

배울 점이 많다