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4월의 눈
자신의 고통을 통해 타인의 고통을 감각하는 사람들의 이야기
2018년 4월, K-픽션 스물한 번째 작품으로 손원평의 「4월의 눈」이 출간되었다.
손원평은 대학교에서 사회학과 철학을 공부했고 한국영화아카데미 영화과에서 영화 연출을 전공했다. 2017년 『아몬드』로 제10회 창비청소년문학상을 받으며 등단했고, 두 번째 장편소설 『서른의 반격』으로 제5회 제주4·3평화문학상을 수상했다. 그녀는 두 소설에서 각각 ‘인간이라는 존재’에 대한 질문을 던지기도, ‘어떤 어른이 될 것인가’라는 질문에 대한 대답을 풀어내기도 했다. 신작 「4월의 눈」에서는 고통을 겪는 사람들과 자신이 겪었던 고통을 통해 다른 사람의 아픔을 헤아리는 공감의 순간을 그렸다.
서로에게 상처만 주는 나날을 반복하던 ‘나’와 아내는 이혼하기로 한다. 그날, 핀란드 로바니에미에서 온 ‘마리’가 집에 도착한다. 예기치 않게 등장한 마리는 둘의 대화를 이어붙이고 사랑했던 지난날의 기억을 상기시키지만, 잠잠했던 시간이 무색하게 다시 아내는 울부짖기 시작하고 그를 지켜보던 남편은 도망친다. 그들의 상황을 어렴풋하게 알게 된 마리와 맞닥뜨린 ‘나’는 눈물을 흘리고, 나의 옆에서 마리는 그녀만의 아픔을 떠올리며 울음을 참는다.
전소영 평론가는 해설을 통해, “참혹한 고통 안에 잠복해 있는 유일한 다행은, 그것을 가진 이들이 자신과 닮은 타인의 마음의 무늬를 헤아릴 수 있게 된다는 점에 있습니다. (...) 둘 사이를 오간 이 말들이야말로 실은 고통과 공감에 관한 가장 명민한 정의입니다. 몸서리쳐질 만큼의 통증이 누구에나 원치 않게 찾아올 수 있다는 것, 그럴 때면 저마다가 예외 없이 아프다는 것, 당신도 나도 그렇다는 것―더없이 외롭고 또 다정한 위로.”라며 공감의 가능성과 불가능성에 대해 치열하게 물어왔던 손원평 소설가가 새로 준비한 진실이라고 말한다.
2018년 4월, K-픽션 스물한 번째 작품으로 손원평의 「4월의 눈」이 출간되었다.
손원평은 대학교에서 사회학과 철학을 공부했고 한국영화아카데미 영화과에서 영화 연출을 전공했다. 2017년 『아몬드』로 제10회 창비청소년문학상을 받으며 등단했고, 두 번째 장편소설 『서른의 반격』으로 제5회 제주4·3평화문학상을 수상했다. 그녀는 두 소설에서 각각 ‘인간이라는 존재’에 대한 질문을 던지기도, ‘어떤 어른이 될 것인가’라는 질문에 대한 대답을 풀어내기도 했다. 신작 「4월의 눈」에서는 고통을 겪는 사람들과 자신이 겪었던 고통을 통해 다른 사람의 아픔을 헤아리는 공감의 순간을 그렸다.
서로에게 상처만 주는 나날을 반복하던 ‘나’와 아내는 이혼하기로 한다. 그날, 핀란드 로바니에미에서 온 ‘마리’가 집에 도착한다. 예기치 않게 등장한 마리는 둘의 대화를 이어붙이고 사랑했던 지난날의 기억을 상기시키지만, 잠잠했던 시간이 무색하게 다시 아내는 울부짖기 시작하고 그를 지켜보던 남편은 도망친다. 그들의 상황을 어렴풋하게 알게 된 마리와 맞닥뜨린 ‘나’는 눈물을 흘리고, 나의 옆에서 마리는 그녀만의 아픔을 떠올리며 울음을 참는다.
전소영 평론가는 해설을 통해, “참혹한 고통 안에 잠복해 있는 유일한 다행은, 그것을 가진 이들이 자신과 닮은 타인의 마음의 무늬를 헤아릴 수 있게 된다는 점에 있습니다. (...) 둘 사이를 오간 이 말들이야말로 실은 고통과 공감에 관한 가장 명민한 정의입니다. 몸서리쳐질 만큼의 통증이 누구에나 원치 않게 찾아올 수 있다는 것, 그럴 때면 저마다가 예외 없이 아프다는 것, 당신도 나도 그렇다는 것―더없이 외롭고 또 다정한 위로.”라며 공감의 가능성과 불가능성에 대해 치열하게 물어왔던 손원평 소설가가 새로 준비한 진실이라고 말한다.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
2 people are currently reading
498 people want to read
About the author
Sohn Won-Pyung
16 books1,319 followersAssociated Names:
* Sohn Won-Pyung (English)
* 손원평 (Korean)
* ソン・ウォンピョン (Japanese)
* ซนว็อนพย็อง (Thai)
* Сон Вон Пхён (Russia)
Sohn Won-pyung is a film director, screenwriter, and novelist living in South Korea. She earned a BA in social studies and philosophy at Sogang University and film directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. She has won several prizes, including the Film Review Award of the 6th Cine21, and the Science Fantasy Writers’ Award for her movie script I Believe in the Moment. She also wrote and directed a number of short films, including Oooh You Make Me Sick and A Two-way Monologue. She made her literary debut in 2017 with this, her first full-length novel, Almond, which won the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction, followed by which won the Jeju 4.3 Peace Literary Award.
* Sohn Won-Pyung (English)
* 손원평 (Korean)
* ソン・ウォンピョン (Japanese)
* ซนว็อนพย็อง (Thai)
* Сон Вон Пхён (Russia)
Sohn Won-pyung is a film director, screenwriter, and novelist living in South Korea. She earned a BA in social studies and philosophy at Sogang University and film directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. She has won several prizes, including the Film Review Award of the 6th Cine21, and the Science Fantasy Writers’ Award for her movie script I Believe in the Moment. She also wrote and directed a number of short films, including Oooh You Make Me Sick and A Two-way Monologue. She made her literary debut in 2017 with this, her first full-length novel, Almond, which won the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction, followed by which won the Jeju 4.3 Peace Literary Award.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 13, 2025
Watch my review on YouTube here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdGGm...
KBS Korea 24 @KBSKorea24
“On #KoreaBookClub, @BarryPWelsh shares "April Snow" by #SohnWonpyung, who wrote the #bestseller "Almond." Barry talks about how this story creates an atmosphere of loss, pain, and hope as it addresses the question, "Can a relationship survive under the weight of trauma?" Today's piece was translated into English by #JamieChang and was published as part of the #AsiaPublishers #KFiction series. #손원평 #사월의눈 #4월의눈”
19:10-20:00 KST, Mon-Fri on KBS WORLD Radio.
Download the KBS Kong / KBS WORLD Radio Mobile apps or subscribe to the Korea 24 podcast for your daily updates!
#KBSWORLDRadio #KBS월드라디오 #Korea24 #코리아24 #책스타그램 #북스타그램 #bookstagram #book #reading #KoreanLiterature #한국문학
(http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/progra...)
KBS Korea 24 @KBSKorea24
“On #KoreaBookClub, @BarryPWelsh shares "April Snow" by #SohnWonpyung, who wrote the #bestseller "Almond." Barry talks about how this story creates an atmosphere of loss, pain, and hope as it addresses the question, "Can a relationship survive under the weight of trauma?" Today's piece was translated into English by #JamieChang and was published as part of the #AsiaPublishers #KFiction series. #손원평 #사월의눈 #4월의눈”
19:10-20:00 KST, Mon-Fri on KBS WORLD Radio.
Download the KBS Kong / KBS WORLD Radio Mobile apps or subscribe to the Korea 24 podcast for your daily updates!
#KBSWORLDRadio #KBS월드라디오 #Korea24 #코리아24 #책스타그램 #북스타그램 #bookstagram #book #reading #KoreanLiterature #한국문학
(http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/progra...)
August 27, 2023
About the actual physical edition of the book
I loved how the book was structured as I hadn't seen anything like that before, so I want to share a few words about it first.
The book contains not only the original story in Korean and its English translation, but also the author’s commentary on the story and a critic’s review, also both in Korean and English. For me, this is the best way to publish a book, because I love to be able to cross-reference translation to the original, and often end up separately looking up authors’ commentary on the books and critical reviews and analysis. It was great to have all of that already collected in one place.
About the story
I enjoyed this short story a lot. It’s simple and touching, emotional and yet quite subtle in the way the characters’ feelings are revealed. The pacing was nice and the flow of the story felt natural and seamless. The characters of the story are ordinary people entangled in their ordinary lives and the struggles, dramas, hopes and despairs that come with it.
I especially liked descriptions of tranquil, snowy Seoul, the ever-in-bloom Bali and how these sceneries painted the emotional backdrop of the story and corresponded with the characters’ experiences.
Favourite Quotes
«I went outside and walked along the quiet streets. The fat snowflakes made it hard to see ahead, snow fell in every uncovered nook and turned familiar things into different shapes, making everything seem special. … I felt like I was travelling alone in a foreign land, too. I continued slowly down the street, leaving footprints on a clean, fresh blanket of snow no one had stepped on yet. When I turned around, my footprints were already growing faint. The sight seemed somewhat secretive and a bit heartbreaking.»
«One day I asked the guide when flowers fall in Bali. He seemed puzzled by my question.
…
‘The flowers fall when it rains. When the rain stops, they bloom again. So, always in bloom.’
I thought Jenny and I were just going through a rainy period. That flowers would bloom again, and that carefree days like the ones we had in Bali would be back again. And for the first time in a very long time, I felt everything would be okay again.»
I loved how the book was structured as I hadn't seen anything like that before, so I want to share a few words about it first.
The book contains not only the original story in Korean and its English translation, but also the author’s commentary on the story and a critic’s review, also both in Korean and English. For me, this is the best way to publish a book, because I love to be able to cross-reference translation to the original, and often end up separately looking up authors’ commentary on the books and critical reviews and analysis. It was great to have all of that already collected in one place.
About the story
I enjoyed this short story a lot. It’s simple and touching, emotional and yet quite subtle in the way the characters’ feelings are revealed. The pacing was nice and the flow of the story felt natural and seamless. The characters of the story are ordinary people entangled in their ordinary lives and the struggles, dramas, hopes and despairs that come with it.
I especially liked descriptions of tranquil, snowy Seoul, the ever-in-bloom Bali and how these sceneries painted the emotional backdrop of the story and corresponded with the characters’ experiences.
Favourite Quotes
«I went outside and walked along the quiet streets. The fat snowflakes made it hard to see ahead, snow fell in every uncovered nook and turned familiar things into different shapes, making everything seem special. … I felt like I was travelling alone in a foreign land, too. I continued slowly down the street, leaving footprints on a clean, fresh blanket of snow no one had stepped on yet. When I turned around, my footprints were already growing faint. The sight seemed somewhat secretive and a bit heartbreaking.»
«One day I asked the guide when flowers fall in Bali. He seemed puzzled by my question.
…
‘The flowers fall when it rains. When the rain stops, they bloom again. So, always in bloom.’
I thought Jenny and I were just going through a rainy period. That flowers would bloom again, and that carefree days like the ones we had in Bali would be back again. And for the first time in a very long time, I felt everything would be okay again.»
March 25, 2025
I didn’t realize this was written by the same author as Almond!
I love a simple and realistic story that reflects on the average human experience. Song Won-Pyung explores the volatility of emotions and I was captivated!!
I love a simple and realistic story that reflects on the average human experience. Song Won-Pyung explores the volatility of emotions and I was captivated!!
January 20, 2021
Read translation
June 17, 2024
A poignant story. It starts out almost light-hearted, but layers are added onto it. And it's a bit too much for me toward the end.
https://4201mass.blogspot.com/
https://4201mass.blogspot.com/
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews