South Korean Novelist Mirinae Lee (41) has released her debut novel, “8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster,” first in English rather than Korean.
A native Korean who attended elementary, middle, and high school in Seoul, Lee majored in English Literature at a university in the U.S. Despite being the “quietest student” in class and being told by a professor that she would find it difficult to make a living as a writer, she signed a million-dollar advance contract with HarperCollins, one of the largest publishers in the U.S., about a decade later. The book, published in the U.S. in May last year, has since been translated into over ten languages, including Korean, Italian, Spanish, and Danish.
“8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster” follows the narrator, who works at a nursing home in Korea, as she investigates the life of an irritable old woman with dementia named elderly Ms. Mook. The story recounts Grandma Mook’s tumultuous life, from her birth in a rural village near Pyongyang during the Japanese colonial period, to her abduction to a comfort station in Semarang, Indonesia, and her return home after the war, where she struggles to settle and eventually moves south.
Grandma Mook’s life, marked by her transformation from being born Japanese, living as a North Korean, and dying as a South Korean, mirrors the turbulent modern history of Korea. The JoongAng Ilbo, a leading Korean newspaper affiliated with the Korea Daily, interviewed the author, who resides in Hong Kong, via Zoom on July 24.
The following is an edited excerpt from the interview:
– What inspired you to write the novel in English?
“I started writing short stories in English during university classes. Although I enjoyed it, my grades were poor. After graduating, I attempted to write in Korean, but it didn’t go well. I began writing in English again six years ago when we moved to Hong Kong for my husband’s job. I attended a creative writing graduate program there, and since English is an official language in Hong Kong, it felt natural to write in English again.”
– How did you get your debut?
“I asked around about how to get a book published. They told me to write short stories and submit them to American literary magazines. I wrote my first short story, ‘Beautiful,’ and it was published in a summer literary magazine in 2018. My second short story, ‘Virgin ghost on the North Korean Border,’ was also picked up by a literary magazine around the same time.”
– ‘Virgin ghost on the North Korean Border’ is the first chapter of ‘8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster.’
“Initially, I only planned to write short stories, but various ideas came to mind. I spent three years writing the novel and finished it in 2021.”
– How did you feel when you signed with HarperCollins?
“I received the call in the middle of the night due to the time difference. I couldn’t believe it and stayed up all night. When my agent first mentioned putting the book up for auction, I was skeptical. In the U.S. publishing market, an agent only puts a book up for auction if they are confident that at least two publishers are interested. HarperCollins bid on it, and their offer was the best.”
– It’s rare to master a foreign language later in life.
“I never attended a foreign language high school or an international school in Korea. I started preparing for studying abroad later than others. Although my grades in English Literature were poor, I kept reading novels. Many things seem impossible, but surprisingly achievable once you try.”
– Where did you draw inspiration for your novel?
“I was inspired by the life of my late great-aunt, who was a North Korean defector. I added imagination to my father’s childhood memories of the border area. I also heard stories from North Korean defectors during my volunteer work teaching English at church for a long time.”
– The experiences of the protagonist as a comfort woman are very harrowing.
“Writing that part was particularly tough. It took me four months to write one chapter. I was pregnant at the time, and finishing it almost caused preterm labor. I frequently watched documentaries and read records about surviving comfort women.”
– Any authors who influenced you?
“I cried my eyes out reading Svetlana Alexievich’s ‘The Unwomanly Face of War.’ She is a journalist who wrote the book based on interviews with hundreds of women. It’s a non-fiction work but also highly literary.”
– What’s your next project?
“I’m working on a novel about dog farms in Korea. I was inspired by the Korean TV Program ‘There Are No Bad Dogs.’ The main characters are a father who runs a dog farm and his daughter, who becomes a dog trainer. Although the story revolves around the dog farm, it’s ultimately about family.”
BY JIYU HONG, YOUNGNAM KIM [hong.jiyu@joongang.co.kr]
