Author says local issues keep her from going international

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- Considered one of South Korea's most recognized female
writers, with several best-selling novels under her belt, the name Gong Ji-yeong
still fails to ring a bell for literary critics abroad.

A lack of translations
could be one reason, but the fact that her subject matter is often "strictly
Korean" appears to factor in as well.
An English literature major at college, Gong admits she had aspirations of
becoming an internationally recognized writer, but her hands were full with local
issues here in Korea.
"Korea has long been like an isolated island," Gong told a gathering of foreign
ambassadors attending the Seoul Literary Society Thursday night, "and I've
limited my work to focusing on the country's largely domestic issues."
She said that with globalization, Korea began to "have its own voice on more
common issues," but added the country is "going backwards in time after the
inauguration of the current Lee Myung-bak government."
"Again, we are experiencing the suppression of human rights and many more things
I feel I must keep writing about -- even if doing so will keep me from becoming
an internationally-acclaimed author."
A native of Seoul, Gong was born in 1963 and is now a mother of three children.
She has written mostly on women's experiences under Korea's patriarchal society
and the struggles young people face as their political consciousness matures.
Several of her works, including "Go Alone like the Rhinoceros Horn' (1993),"
"Sister Bong-sun (1998)" and "Consideration for Other Human Beings (1994)," have
been translated into other languages, including English and Russian. But they
were not done with commercial purposes in mind and are not on sale overseas.
Although her subjects are often domestic and highly personal, Gong said she
relies on her readers to sympathize with her characters all the same.
"I know from my personal experience that humans have an ability to sympathize
with stories even if they don't share the same experiences," she said. "I have
depended on this fundamental aspect of literature for the last two decades while
writing about student activists, a criminal sentenced to death and other
'uncommon' people."
Making her entrance into the local literary scene in 1988, Gong says she was
largely drawn by the passion of her subjects regarding the student movement of
the 1980s against Korea's former authoritarian governments. Her novella "Rising
Dawn" reflects her experiences with the labor and student movements of the 1980s.

A self-described feminist writer, Gong says she was "part of the generation who
were taught in schools that men and women were equal, but had to live in a
male-dominated society that contradicted such learning." Her book "Go Alone like
a Rhinoceros Horn," which was also made into a movie in 1995, explores this
contradiction.
Divorced three times, Gong describes her life raising three children with
different family names in Korea's conservative society.
"Some call me the 'Joan of Arc' because they view it as revolutionary for one
mother to raise children with three different family names," she said. "But I am
not a fighter -- I would never want to be one."
"I simply lived my life the way I learned at school, that men and women are equal
and that a husband and wife must respect and love each other in marriage," Gong
added. "I have also constantly tried to preserve my dignity and fight against
anything that tries to undermine it. This, perhaps, helped me become a stronger
woman."
Despite a following of devoted readers, Gong has not exactly been well-received
by local literary critics, who often slam her works as "too emotional and lacking
originality."
"I think there's been a long tradition of critics who undermine works loved by
the public," Gong said with a laugh. "I personally consider myself a beneficiary
of the new found respect of populism. With the expansion of the Internet, the
public is no longer an ignorant mass and their valuation has become very
important."
Marking 21 years since her debut as a writer this year, Gong said she continues
to write because she "likes it and is the only thing" she is good at.
"And, most of all, it earns money. A lot of money," she said, drawing laughter
from the audience.
"She's a delight," said Brian McDonald, the EU ambassador to Korea, remarking
that it was a "shame" her works were not available in his language.
The Seoul Literary Society, headed by Swedish Ambassador in Korea Lars Vargo, was
established in 2006 and is aimed at stimulating an interest in Korean literature
within the foreign community in Korea.
Lectures are held from six to 10 times annually, the last of which was led by
another renowned South Korean author, Lee Moon-yeol. The events are usually held
at the residences of ambassadors stationed in Seoul.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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