By Cho Jae-hyon
Staff Reporter
Novelist Cho Jung-rae, known for bestsellers such as "Taebaek Mountain Range" and "Arirang," has published a compilation of essays on his life and literature.
Cho, 66, said he wrote the biographical essay, "Thrilling Prison of Writing (working title)," to answer reader questions he has not fully answered.
"I've given a lot of lectures over the past 20 years. I've always felt a shortage of time to reply to reader questions sufficiently," Cho told reporters Tuesday. "This essay may help quench their thirst for the answers."
The book's style is exceptional. It takes the form of answering 84 of 5,000 questions asked by collegians and young readers.
"I did my best to write on life and literature as sincerely as possible, even though it took the form of questions and answers," Cho said. "It's meaningful to have an opportunity to sum up my literary life as it marks the 40th year of my debut as a writer."
He said the book is segmented into three parts ― literature, literary works, and life. "I've unveiled the stories of my life in detail for the first time through this book. Therefore, it could be read as a sort of biography."
On future plans, he said he wants to write a love story that would surpass the Korean folktale of Chunhyang, the hard-earned love story between Chunhayng, daughter of a kisaeng (courtesan), and the son of a provincial nobleman.
He also expressed hopes of doing oil paintings. "If I make it past 80, I would like to paint, using oil colors as much as I want."