Our Limited Time . . .
The novelist Yi Mun-yol reveals his recent bout with cancer to Shin June-bong, of the JoongAng Daily in an interview, "Author mulls future of Korean literature" (September 21, 2015):
Thankfully, it didn't spread to other organs, so I don't need to go through chemotherapy. At the end of this month, I am scheduled to have MRI and CT scans. I will know the exact situation by then . . . . [In the meantime, doctors] made a 5-centimeter (2-inch) incision in my stomach, put four robotic arms into it and then cut out the cancer cells . . . . I wasn't myself for the next 10 days. A lot of thoughts crossed my mind. First, I realized the fact that I have become really old [67 years], and then the fact that I haven't got much time left. Then I started to prioritize what I have to do. That was really important because I don't have forever to do all of the things I have wanted to do.Worst of all, he had to stop drinking! Temporarily, he hopes:
It has been about 100 days since I quit drinking. When the checkup result at the end of this month turns out to be positive, I am going to resume it a little. It would be so unfortunate to not be able to drink for the rest of my life.That would indeed prove tragic, so get well soon, Mr Yi Mun-yol. I'd like to have another drink with you sometime.
Labels: JoongAng Daily, Korea, Literary Criticism
posted by Horace Jeffery Hodges @ 4:22 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
In the article I found this statement by the author - "I have been working on a sequel to my epic novel “Frontier Between Two Empires,” which covers the 1960s. The new book addresses the 1980s,". To me it sounds funny for an author to call his own work "epic". Maybe it has a different meaning or connotation in Korea?
Jay
I noticed that, too. It might be the translator's doing. The author might have meant "historical novel."
Jeffery Hodges
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