Lee In-hwa (born 1966) is a South Korean writer, literary critic and professor.
1. Life
Lee In-hwa was born Ryu Cheol-gyun in Daegu. His pen name, Lee In-hwa, is taken from a character in Yom Sang-seop's novella Mansejeon (만세전 On the Eve of the Uprising). Lee earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Korean literature from Seoul National University. While still at university, he made his debut as a critic publishing the essay "Yang Gui-ja ron" (양귀자론 A Study of Yang Gui-ja) in the quarterly Literature and Society.
Lee was well established as a literary critic when he published his first novel, Naega nuguinji malhal su inneun janeun nuguinga (내가 누구인지 말할 수 있는 자는 누구인가 Who Is It That Can Tell Me Who I Am), in 1992, for which he won the first Writer's World Prize for Literature. The following year, he published the bestselling Yeongwonhan jeguk (영원한 제국 Everlasting Empire), which was made into an award-winning film of the same title. In 1995 Lee began teaching Korean literature at Ewha Womans University. After 10 years, he changed his concentration to digital storytelling. He is considered to be a pioneer in the Korean digital storytelling field.
2. Writing
Lee's works generally display strong interest in Korean socio-political history. Spanning over 60 years from the end of the 19th century to the outbreak of the Korean War, Inganui gil (인간의 길 The Way of Man) dramatizes the life of dictator Park Chung-hee and presents him as a man who endeavors to rise above the limitations of his circumstances. This highly unusual stance for an author belonging to the pro-democracy "386" generation quickly caught the attention of the press, sparking huge controversy among Korean intellectuals.
Lee's first novel, Naega nuguinji malhal su inneun janeun nuguinga, as can be deduced from its title which is taken from King Lear, depicts the madness of 1980s Korea and questions whether anyone was able to find his true self in that era. Lee's critical attitude toward the 80s may be a necessary step before ushering in 1990s literature, but it has often been criticized for its one-dimensional belittlement of a painful era in Korean modern history.
Yeongwonhan jeguk, modeled after Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, borrows elements of detective fiction in tracing the mystery surrounding the death of Prince Sado and his son King Jeongjo. An entertaining novel with potential for mass appeal, Yeongwonhan jeguk was also embroiled in much controversy due to the author's over-interpretation of history and the conservative statements he made. Lee's work, in general, shows a strong political leaning: at times, it is as though the author borrows the pages of his own novel to express his political views and promote the awareness of certain socio-political and historical issues. This book is one of Lee's notable works, being a million seller nationwide.
Lee's sixth novel, Jiokseolgyedo (지옥설계도 Inferno 9), was originally developed as the online game under the same name. The book is about intellectually intensified humans going inside a dream world to solve a mystery. The relationship between the real world and dream world is thoroughly described in the story, combined with the author's fantastic creativity inspired from games.
