In Buddhism, the four agonies of human existence—birth, aging, illness, and death—are collectively referred to as saengnobyeongsa. The surface interpretation of the four-character idiom is horrifying: being born is in itself described as agony, followed immediately by aging and battles with illnesses, which culminate in death. However, the more we consider our existence, the more we discover its hidden beauties. Old age is no exception. It is a period of life when we lose some of our abilities and capacities, but in other ways we gain wisdom.

In this issue’s cover feature “On Growing Old,” literary critic Kim Hwa-Young reflects on Marcel Proust’s idea of the time built within us all as he confronts his own aging. Novelist Lee Juhye seeks new meaning in old age through the perspective of Mawe, a character from her own novel: elderhood is a stage that looks forward to the future, an era when one still has much to learn. Essayist Choi Hyunsook argues that our perspectives on death are intertwined with our perspectives on life. This pursuit of answers is, Choi claims, an act of facing oneself without turning away.

Featured writer Jin Eun-young is a poet who refuses to ignore others and clings to love with all her strength. Her warm interview with poet An Heeyeon and the meticulously sensitive review by critic Kyung Eon Yang offer a glimpse into Jin’s fascinating perspective on the meaning of her work and her attempts to understand and connect with other beings through her poetry. The Bookmark section includes fiction by Cho Hae-jin and Park Seon Woo, as well as poetry by Choi Ji Eun and Sin Yong-Mok, and is sure to serve as a warm fire for cold winter evenings.

We were delighted when, on October 10, author Han Kang was named the Nobel laureate in Literature. KLN has prepared a special feature to commemorate the occasion: literary critic Kyung Hee Youn writes about her personal outlook on Han’s Nobel Prize win as a longtime reader of her work; Deborah Smith, translator of Han Kang’s The Vegetarian and Human Acts (among others), reflects on the reasons she became a translator and comments on Han’s works; Susan Harris muses on the meaning of Han’s accomplishment in the international context; and Han Kang translators Kyungran Choi, Paige Aniyah Morris, Ok-kyoung Park, Saito Mariko and Sunme Yoon discuss their experiences in a group interview. May these insights serve as a guidepost to Han Kang’s literary vision.

— Oh Eun

Editorial Board Member, KLN