
Gong Ji-hee
공지희
All children are born somewhere. Except for...those that aren't. ─p.287, Toktoktok (톡톡톡 Tap Tap Tap) Gong Ji-hee made her literary debut in 2011 when her short story “Darakbang chingu” (다락방 친구 My Attic Friend) won the Daehan Maeil New Writer's Award. She read adult literature for consolation in her teens, and found beauty in children's literature as an adult. Since her debut, she has written steadily for children, becoming the winner of the 13th Kwon Jeong-saeng Literary Award for Uri yonghodongeseo manna (우리 용호동에서 만나 Let’s Meet at Yongho-dong), a collection of short stories featuring members of a community slated for redevelopment. The Kwon Jeong-saeng Literary Award is in commemoration of the esteemed children's author Kwon Jeong-saeng. Gong has mentioned her admiration for Kwon and his influence on her as a writer when she was starting out. Her earlier works Annyeong, biteullaendeu (안녕, 비틀랜드 Hello, Beetle Land) and Meongcheongi (멍청이 Dummy) are also devoted to the subject of children affected by urban redevelopment. Her first foray into YA, Toktoktok (톡톡톡 Tap Tap Tap), was awarded the 4th Jamo Books YA Literature Prize.