After 40 years of writing novels, Yi Mun-yol strikes with renewed urgency.

Kwon Seong-woo: It's been a long time, Mr. Yi. Over 10 years ago, I accompanied your close friend Jang Chang-shik, Professor of Modern Japanese History at Dongduk Women's University, on a visit to your house in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Today is the first time we've met since then, I think. How have you been?

Yi Mun-yol: Well, I feel like in the old days my original designs went according to plan, but it doesn't happen so much nowadays.I was supposed to have finished my current project in March and to have begun a new work in the summer, but I still haven't started on the new project yet. Besides the original project I'm working on, there are others that I want to start as well. In the past, such a situation never would have happened. Anyways, for the past three or four months, I've been unable to make concrete progress on my writing, so I've just been reading books.

Kwon: I heard that your short story, “An Anonymous Island” (1982), was recently published in The New Yorker on September 12th. I believe this is a sign that the universal literary value of your work has been acknowledged. This is a first in Korean fiction, and I would like to hear your thoughts on this development.

Yi: I must say that it was a bit unexpected. During my stay in the United States, I remembered hearing that having one's work appear in The New Yorker was important for entering the American literary world, so I set my hopes on this goal. Ultimately, The New Yorker published one of my works after I had returned to Korea. I believe Heinz Insu Fenkl's superb translation of “An Anonymous Island” (1991) was one of the reasons they decided to publish it.

Novelist Yi Mun-yol and critic Kwon Seong-woo

Kwon: Also last June, The Poet (1991) was selected for the 'LITPROM List' by Germany's Society for the Promotion of African, Asian, and Latin American Literature. Together with the critical success of novelist Shin Kyung-sook's Please Look After Mom in the U.S. and other countries, it seems that Korean novels are finally getting the literary recognition they deserve. Some warn, however, that this might be a short-lived phenomenon. What is needed to keep Korean literature in the international spotlight?

Yi: It has already been 20 years since my first novel was translated into a foreign language. Over this period, interest in translating my works for foreign markets has been relatively higher than for other writers, yet I find this issue wearisome. To be honest, there is little that authors themselves can do in the process of introducing Korean literature to foreign audiences. We have no choice but to leave this to foreign readers of various countries who possess their unique outlooks on life. I think it's possible in some cases for foreign readers to pay attention to what Korean writers have to say; it's also possible for Korean writers to become conscious of the global audience and choose themes accordingly. In other words, writers may deliberately choose material likely to appeal to global readers. For example, I believe that American readers want to read well-written Korean novels about North Korea. America is quite interested in the DPRK, having called it the "axis of evil." On the other hand, authors cannot always choose their subject matter in such a mercenary fashion. I think that overall, we can look forward to the outside world becoming more interested in Korean culture and literature.

Kwon: There are some who say that the Korean government must play a more active role in overseas support for the Korean arts. What kind of support do you think the Korean government can provide?

Yi: Obviously the government can provide support, but it must proceed very carefully as its involvement might actually be counterproductive.

Kwon: It's a known fact that many of your works have been translated into various foreign languages, more so than any other Korean writer. Among your yet-to-be-translated works, however, is there any one in particular which you would like to introduce to foreign readers?

Yi: Yes, The Song of Songs (2000) is such a work. After all this time, it is only now in the process of being translated into English. This work seeks to evoke the aura of the old Korean culture which disappeared long ago from our society. The Song of Songs was written when I was 50 years old and reflects my issues of interest from that period quite well, which is perhaps why I have special affection for it.

Kwon: The close cooperation between author Shin Kyung-sook and a capable translator has been one of the reasons given for the critical success in the U.S. of her novel Please Look After Mom. In your case, to what extent do you collaborate with translators?

Yi: Actually, I hardly interact with translators at all. When communication does take place, it mostly takes the form of the translator posing a question to which I reply. Even were I to work one-on-one with a translator, I would only be able to help that person understand the original Korean text, and would be limited because I am not a master of foreign languages. There have also been cases in which I have seen my translated work published without ever seeing the translator's face.

1. An Anonymous Island and Other Stories

Yi Mun-yol, Munhaksasang Co., Ltd.

1994, 353p, ISBN 9788970121307

2. Immortality (2 volumes)

Yi Mun-yol, Minumsa Publishing Group

2010, 405p, ISBN 9788937482960 (vol. 1)

3. The Song of Songs

Yi Mun-yol, Minumsa Publishing Group

2000, 300p, ISBN 9788937403392

4. A Portrait of Youthful Days

Yi Mun-yol, Minumsa Publishing Group

2005, 329p, ISBN 978893742012

5. Our Twisted Hero

Yi Mun-yol, Minumsa Publishing Group

2005, 199p, ISBN 9788937420207

Kwon: Are there any comments or critiques of your work from overseas readers that have made an impression on you?

Yi: My novels have been translated into a variety of European languages with the exception of English. My works have received varied reviews, but Our Twisted Hero (1987) in particular was reviewed most prolifically. Some reviewers commented that this work was similar to the novella Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass, or William Golding's Lord of the Flies, or any number of works written in the languages into which my work was translated. There is one terrible review which still sticks in my mind, however. A Columbia University professor claimed that Our Twisted Hero was plagiarized from a Japanese Taisho period novel called Young Kingdom. The basis for his claims were ludicrously flimsy, as the reviewer defined plagiarism in overly-broad terms. The reviewer condemned even the slightest similarities between the novels as wholesale stealing. Of course, there were many good reviews of this work as well. Referring to the French translation, one clergyman wrote me a letter saying that Our Twisted Hero helped him finally understand Korean society, which had remained incomprehensible to him when reading my other novels. This comment moved me, and I was quite thankful to this reader.

Kwon: It could be said that you have the largest reader base of any author in the history of modern Korean literature. In my literature classes, I often recommend A Portrait of Youthful Days, (1981) which was one hugely popular work. Recently published works such as Immortality, (2010) however, have sold relatively few copies. What are your thoughts on this?

Yi: Yes, I admit my readership today has fallen. There are two reasons for this. The first has to do with the fact that my novels are incompatible with the cultural code of the Internet era. I have been writing for about 40 years now, so it is only natural that my readership might dwindle. The second reason, or perhaps suspicion, is that Korean society is controlled by political forces which deliberately seek to deprive me of a reading audience.

I noticed that online reviews of Immortality frequently attacked my political views rather than critiquing the literary merit of the novel itself. The problem is that such online reviews are quite influential. Online booksellers sell many more books than their regular brick-and-mortar counterparts, with something like a six to four ratio in favor of the former.

Perhaps it's bad luck, but there is a dedicated camp of people who hate me and my work. Whenever I publish something new, this group does their best to create negative buzz. There have even been over-the-top cases in which my detractors criticize publishers for even daring to print my work. According to my publishers, for about four days after printing one of my new books, it's impossible for them to answer the phone due to the volume of hate calls. The root causes of this are all speculation, of course. Basically my work is out of touch with the spirit of the times and current trends, as reflected in my sales figures.

1. The Poet

Yi Mun-yol, Minumsa Publishing Group

2008, 300p, ISBN 9788937482168

2. The Poet, versions published overseas

Kwon: Your most recent work is Immortality, a novel about Ahn Jung-geun, which was published in February 2010. Could you talk about your concrete plans going forward?

Yi: I'm currently working on a novel set in the modern era as well as another novel centered on a historic figure. Next year I plan to start working on the former, which I conceived of in the 1980s. I'm also putting the final touches on the latter, a historical novel I've been preparing for a long time. Due to my age, I do not have a lot of time left on this Earth, so I've given much thought to what kind of novels I am best-suited to write. At least for the foreseeable future, I plan to complete the two novels referred to earlier.

Kwon: Do you hope to regain your lost readership with these new novels?

Yi: I cannot help but be slightly concerned about the decline in the popularity of my work, however I do not consider it an urgent matter. Rather, I feel great gratitude to my readers for having enjoyed my writing over the years. As time passes, it is only natural for readers to discover new writers. It is a bit much to expect that my work will be eternally acclaimed.

Kwon: I appreciate your time and candor. I hope that your upcoming novels will be worthy additions to your great collection of existing work.

By Kwon Seong-woo