Enpyeong-gu Held “the 6th Lee Hocul Literary Prize for Peace Press Con…

페이지 정보

Writer 이호철통일로문학상 Date Created23-01-28 21:31

Hit553 comment0

본문

Enpyeong-gu Held “the 6th Lee Hocul Literary Prize for Peace Press Conference”

- Yan Lianke (China), the Grand Laureate, and Jang Mari, the Special Award Laureate were present and had time to talk about their feelings and for Q&A
- Expresses hope that blooms from disadvantages and wounds through their works

On the morning of the 28th, Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung), Seoul, held ‘the 6th Lee Hochul Literary Prize for Peace Press Conference’ at the Korea Press Center.

‘The Lee Hochul Literary Prize for Peace’, which celebrates its 6th anniversary this year, was established in 2017 by the Eunpyeong-gu Office to honor the late author Lee Hochul, the foremost Korean author of unification literature who had resided in Bulgwang-dong, Eunpyeong-gu for more than 50 years, and his literary works and spirit that are deeply rooted in longing for the reunification of Korea peninsular.

The Lee Hochul Literary Prize for Peace is drawing attention every year by selecting writers who strive to overcome the worldwide problems caused by racism, discrimination, violence, and war through his or her literary practice and spirit. On this day, the conference was held with Yan Lianke, the 6th Grand Laureate from China and Jang Mari, the Speical Award Laureate being present.

Yan Lianke, the Grand Laureate, is a writer whose works are based on the most basic and universal values of people against the violence of the state and the system, and who has never yielded to any sanctions and disadvantages resulting from this. The Four Books, one of his major works, is a masterpiece dealing with human groups during the Cultural Revolution, and contains the writer's efforts to restore the memories and records of the people who were banned and denied in the name of revolutionizing 'culture' in literary language and to heal historical wounds. Yan was selected as the Grand Laureate in that he closely matches with the truth of resistance that writer Lee Hochul wanted to reach.

Yan Lianke said in his acceptance speech, “I want to write purely for literature itself, not to pursue honor as a writer. Like the literary spirit shown by writer Lee Hochull, I will live a life in my later years trying to keep a distance from the absurd world and protect the universal love of mankind and ideal literature.”
Jang Mari, who received the Special Award, expressed social issues and shadows through her works based on a very specific critical mind and faithful research. Her major work The Strangers in Siberia deals with a subject that is rarely seen in recent years, which makes us question and think about what kind of existence a human being is. It depicts in an interesting way the ideals of young subjects in a divided country, the struggle for survival, and the existential anguish beyond ideology. Jang was selected as the Special Award winner for she broadened the imaginative horizons of Korean literature while expressing the hope that bloomed in wounds.

Jang Mari said in her acceptance speech, “Living in a small town called Iksan, Jeollabuk-do, I felt the limitations of being a local writer surrounding myself. It was then when my self-esteem hit the bottom that I heard the stories of ‘North Koreans working as lumberjacks in Siberia’. I went to Siberia for research and completed the work as it is. Winning this prize is something that I could not dare to dream of, so I may humbly take this thinking it as a sign for me to return to my original intentions and become a sincere writer.”

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, said, “I am grateful to both writers for their dedication to overcoming problems such as conflicts, violence, and war through their literary works. Please pay a continued attention to the Lee Hochul Literary Prize for Peace so that it can contribute to spreading the values of peace and harmony,” she said.

The Lee Hochul Literary Prize for Peace Award Ceremony is to be held on the 29th at 10:00 AM at the Jingwansa Special Korean Culture Zone, and ‘A Meeting with Yan Lianke, the Grand Laureate of the LLPP’ at 2:00 PM. ‘A Meeting with the Special Award Laureate’ is going to be held at the JeungSan Public Digital Library at 3:00 PM on the 6th next month.

Meanwhile, the past laureates of the Lee Hochul Literary Prize for Peace are △2017, the 1st Grand Laureate Kim Sukbum (Korean-Japanese)<Vocanic Island > and the Special Award Laureate Kim Soom <One Person> △2018, the 2nd Grand Laureate Sahar Khalifeh (Palestine) <al-Subbar> and the Special Award Laureate Song Kyungdong <I Am Not A Korean> △2019, the 3rd Grand Laureate Nuruddin Farah (Somalia) <Maps> and the Special Award Laureate Kim Chongkwang <Let’s Go on a Picnic> △2020, the 4th Grand Laureate Arundhati Roy (India) <The God of the Small Things> and the Special Award Laureate Kim Hyejin <The Work of No.9> △2021, the 5th Grand Laureate Jenny Erpenbeck (Germany) <Aller Tage Abend> and the Special Award Laureate Sim Yunkyung <Eternal Heritage>

* Press Releases from Major Newspapers

“Whether it is published in China is not a big deal to me; I just express what is in my heart truthfully”

Lee Hojae, Dong-A Ilbo