Yearning1

1.

*Inspiration from the little sea

 

When he was over 40s, he quitted the job of writinging as an editorial writer. He concluded that

the job prevented him from writing literary works of his own. He could not concentrate any more on the news on the outside world which was prerequisite for the job of writing journalistic articles. He realized that he wished to write literary works personal essay-turned novel of his own style.

First of all he went on a journey  alone to the three seasides of Korean peninsular, with a piece of alluring line of Reina Maria Rike kept in the mind pocket.:

"In order to write a line of poem, You have to meet

many cities, many people, and many books. Above all,

you can recollect the nights spent on the road of your journey

which passed away in vanity with myriards of stars

twinkling on the night sky."

​

His writing is inseparably interwoven with journey.This writing would probably not exist, if he had not yearned for journey. He made backpack travels to many cities, He did not make a journey for its own sake, but for the purpose of writing. If any city with its traditional percularity or cultural attractions, where he visited, was not related with his writing subjects, the city did not captivat him. 

베니스 여행중의 모네가 그림 그리기 이외의 그 어떤 것에도 무관심했던 것과 비슷하다. 모네가 순수한 회화적 탐닉자로서의 여행자엿듯이 그는 오르지 문학적 탐닉자로서의 여행자였다.

그의 첫 먼 길 나들이에서 운명적으로 손에 쥐게 된 책 한권이 있었다. 1990년 봄 런던의 노점에서 눈에 띄어 그의 손에 들어온 이래 20 수년이 지난  지금에도 그의 책꽃이에 얹혀있는 Cafe Society가 그 책이다. 그 책에 몰입하다 결국에 한국어로 번역하기에 이르렀던 그 과정이 그에게는 자신에게 글스기르 위한 일종의 수련기였다. 그런 의점에서 그 역서의 마지막 페이지에 담은 그의 후기는 곧 글쓰기 행위의 첫 곡갱이질이엇던 셈이다.