Choi Suchol was born in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in French literature from Seoul National University. His doctoral dissertation was on the writings of Michel Butor. Choi debuted in 1981 by winning the Chosun Ilbo New Writer's Contest with his story "Maengjeom" (맹점 Blind Spot). A prolific writer, Choi has published over 20 volumes of fiction over the course of his career, including Gongjung nugak (공중누각 Castle in the Air), Goraeui baetsogeseo (고래의 뱃속에서 In the Wale's Belly), Modeun sinpodo miteneun yeouga itda (모든 신포도 밑에는 여우가 있다 There is a Fox under Every Bunch of Sour Grapes), Eoneu mujeongbujuuijaui sarang (어느 무정부주의자의 사랑 Love of an Anarchist), and Dogui kkot (독의 꽃 Poisonous Flower). Choi has received the Yi Sang Literary Award, the Kim Yu-jeong Literary Award, and the Dong-in Literary Award. He is currently professor of creative writing at Hanshin University.
1. Life
The point of departure for Choi Suchol's fiction is the claim that genuine communication has become impossible in the print culture of the modern age, and he is known for the abstruse quality of his works. Without resorting to traditional structure or characterization, Choi delves into the liminal area between the conscious and the subconscious, often placing as much emphasis on language and the style of writing as the content itself.
This claim forms the basis of his early work, "Gongjung nugak," which features a protagonist who desires to but cannot communicate with the world. "Sorie daehan myeongsang" (소리에 대한 명상 A Meditation on Sounds) and "Siseon go" (시선고 A Consideration of the Eyes) resurrect systems of meaning inscribed onto the physical body itself as possible alternatives to the written language. The search for a means of communication that predates actual language continues in "Hwadu, girok, hwaseok" (화두, 기록, 화석 Hwadu, Record, Fossil), Byeokhwa geurineun namja (벽화 그리는 남자 The Mural Painter) and "Eoreumui dogani" (얼음의 도가니 Crucible of Ice).
Choi Suchol's method is often clinical; he dissects or lengthens observed phenomena and reconstructs them in a way that deliberately flouts the principle of recognizability. His search for alternative means of communication is predicated on the desire to achieve sympathetic understanding with other beings, a desire he views as being frustrated in the modern world of overdetermined signs.
