Lee Yun-gi (1947 - 2010) was a modern South Korean writer and translator.
1. Life
Lee Yun-gi was born in Gunwi, North Gyeongsang Province. He made his literary debut in 1977 when his short story "Hayan hellikopteo" (하얀 헬리콥터 White Helicopter), inspired by his experiences in the Vietnam War, won the JoongAng Ilbo New Writer's Contest. His first collection of short stories was published in 1988. He worked as a research fellow in the department of religious studies at Michigan State University between 1991 and 1996 and in the department of comparative literature at the same university in 1997.
For the first twenty years of his career, Lee was better known as a prolific translator and scholar of mythology. By the time his first novel, Haneurui mun (하늘의 문 The Gates of Heaven), appeared in 1994, he had translated and published over 150 works, primarily Greek and Roman mythology, but also works of popular fiction such as Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum. He is the recipient of the Dong-in Literary Award, the Daesan Literary Award, and the Korean Translation Award.
2. Writing
Lee Yun-gi draws freely from his knowledge of both eastern and western history, mythology and culture, to build narratives rich in symbols and metaphors. His background in translation gives his language precision and accuracy. In his works, Lee focuses on understanding various forms of life through communication with others. He often uses aphorisms—old ones reshaped or new ones penned by the author and strategically placed throughout the text—that attempt to express a certain universal truth about life. Another characteristic of Lee’s fiction is humor and wit. The comedy of a given situation is brought to life through the author’s multi-layered style of writing that initially delays understanding and then allows his characters an epiphanic moment later on.
Dumulmeori (두물머리 Dumulmeori), for which Lee won the Daesan Literary Award, collects thirteen novellas and short stories. Included are "Gipgogipeun bang han kan" (깊고깊은 방 한 칸 A Deep Dark Room), an ironic story about a man who grew up without a room of his own and longs for a large library lined with books; "Sumeun geurim chatgi 3 – hamjisan" (숨은 그림 찾기 3 – 함지산 Spot the Difference 3: Hamji-san) which warns us about our inability to see what is around us; and "Hayan eollungmal" (하얀 얼룩말 White Zebra) that emphasizes the difference in the way we see the world through the figure of a zebra, which may be white with black stripes or black with white stripes. These stories question our assumptions about the world and ultimately inquire into the essence of human nature.
The name of the town, Dumulmeori, in the title story refers to a point of juncture between the Namhan River and the Bukhan River. Dumulmeori is home to an old man, the father of the protagonist's friend who died in the US two years before. The death of his firstborn is kept a secret from the old man by his other sons, who fear that a shock may prove detrimental to his health. The old man, however, is only pretending to be unaware of his son's death. The author is not concerned with any clear-cut solution to the numerous dilemmas we face in life. He merely describes the various outlooks and beliefs we have and constructs a vision of human life in all its diversity.
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