Lee Soon-won (born 1957) is a modern South Korean writer.
1. Life
Lee Soon-won was born in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. He made his literary debut in 1985, winning the Gangwon Ilbo New Writer's Contest with his short story "So" (소 Oxen). In 1988 he won the monthly Literature and Thought New Writer's Contest with his short story "Natdal" (낮달 Day Moon). He won the 1996 Dong-in Literary Award for Susaek,eomeoni gaseumsogeuro heureuneun muni (수색, 어머니 가슴속으로 흐르는 무늬, Susaek, the Pattern of my Mother's Heart), and the 2000 Lee Hyoseok Literary Award for "Abiui jam" (아비의 잠 Father's Sleep).
Lee is a prolific writer whose works include the short story collections Geu yeoreumui kkotge (그 여름의 꽃게 The Crabs of That Summer), Eolgul (얼굴 Face), Mareul chajaseo (말을 찾아서 Looking for a Horse), Eunbiryeong (은비령 Eunbiryeong Pass), the novels Apgujeongdongen bisangguga eopda (압구정동엔 비상구가 없다 There is No Exit in Apgujeong District), Susaek, geu mulbit muni (수색, 그 물빛 무늬 Susaek, the Pattern of Water), 19se (19세 Nineteen), and Satporoui yeoin (삿포로의 여인 The Woman from Sapporo). He is the recipient of the Hyundae Literarary Award, the Hahn Moo-Sook Literary Award, and the Hwang Sun-won Literary Award, among others.
2. Writing
Lee Soon-won's work is populated with characters who lead a life of consumption outside of the limitations of established society or traditional order. These characters serve as the canvas upon which the values and lifestyle of the new popular consumer society are sketched. By showing the ultimate emptiness and meaninglessness of such lives, Lee assesses the new world pessimistically.
Lee's literary world is as diverse and hard to categorize as his background. He has lived in both urban and rural areas, deep in the mountains and in the seaside towns, and has developed a wide range of interests from the tradition of Confucian culture to advertising. Consequently, his works exhibit a great spectrum of literary concerns. In Apgujeongdongen bisangguga eopda, Lee explores the radical idea of terrorism as a possible response to the corruption in capitalist culture. "Eolgul" is a short story about the Gwangju Uprising, while Sunsu (순수 Innocence) is a serial novel that depicts the lives of women scarred by either direct or indirect acts of violence. 19se is an autobiographical novel that belongs to the genre of Bildungsroman. One of the author's experiences fictionalized in the book is a two-year stint of high-altitude farming. As a youth, Lee Soon-won entered Gangneung Vocational High School with hopes of working for the Bank of Korea. Being left-handed, however, he could not keep up with the abacus skills of his fellow students and decided to take up farming instead. He quit school and stuck it out in Daegwallyeong for two years, but the rigors of farming were such that he eventually returned to complete his education.
Though diverse in subject matter, Lee Soon-won's works share the underlying concern with growing insensitivity to violence and change in modern society and our indifference to the suffering of others. Over the years, however, the sharply critical tone of his works has grown relatively mild. Susaek, geu mulbit muni, published in 1996, marks a point of change in the author's perspective from cold and analytical to warm and compassionate, painting a moving story of family hardships and maternal love that also explores the negative side effects of rapid industrialization.
