`Cutting-edge` author receives Yi Sang literary award

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- Since his debut in the literary world in 1993, Kim
Yun-soo has been counted among the few South Korean authors who have inherited
the sophisticated yet esoteric writing style of the country's emblematic author
Yi Sang (1910-1937).
The resemblance proved well grounded Tuesday as Kim's recent work "The Five
Pleasures of Street Walkers" was selected for this year's Yi Sang Literature
Award.
The 39-year-old author, who will be adding another prestigious prize to his
impressive resume, said he was "dumbfounded."
"I had expected this year to pass by quietly," the soft-spoken writer told
reporters at a press gathering. "I am too surprised for words, but I will think
of this prize as an opportunity to regain faith in myself and move on."
"The Five Pleasures???" is a short story about a movie director who is pained by
miscommunication, physical illness and the loneliness rampant in modern Korean
society.
The main character, an insomniac and a cancer patient, constantly questions the
meaning of his being and his status in society, representing our contemporaries.
The insecurity and pain are symbolized by a "giant elephant foot" that haunts the
main character.
While Kim's novels have often been considered too abstruse for ordinary readers,
his recent work was "well-balanced and more considerate," Kwon Young-min, a
literary critic and a member of the five-member jury, said.
"Kim's work was selected unanimously by the jurors," he said. "I personally think
Kim is the only contemporary South Korean author with a cutting-edge style that
resembles Yi Sang's literary technique."
Kim, who made his debut in the literary world in 1993, is already the winner of
five renowned literary prizes including the Hwang Soon-won Literature Award in
2007.
The Yi Sang Literature Award was established in 1977 in honor of Korea's late
writer and has since been one of the country's most esteemed awards for short
fiction.
Yi, whose original name is Kim Hae-gyeong, is one of the most innovative writers
in modern Korean literature. Most of his works were written during the Japanese
colonial period in the 1930s, including the renowned poem "The Wings." He died
shortly after being arrested in Tokyo for "distorting the minds of the people
with rebellious writing."
"The Wings" has been translated into several languages including English, German
and Italian.
Many of South Korea's prominent writers including Lee Moon-yul, Kim Hoon and Lee
Chung-jun, who passed away July last year, were awarded the prize.
This year, 11 short stories recommended by literary critics, authors, professors
and journalists were up for competition.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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