- Author
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Publisher
Moonji Publishing Company문학과지성사
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Year Published
2006
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Category
Literary Fiction 순수소설
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Target User
Adult 성인
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Period
Contemporary 현대
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Description 작품 소개
A new paradigm for serialized novels
Since winning the inaugural “Literature and Society” New Writer’s Award in 2002 and making her debut in the literary world, writer Jeong Yi Hyun has consistently lived up to the expectations of both the literary community and readers, receiving praise for being provocative, daring, sensual, and meticulous in all literary aspects, including characters, writing style, content, and form. Her debut work, titled Romantic Love and Society, which also won the “Literature and Society” New Writer’s Award, served as the title piece of her first collection of short stories, ranking highly in various categories such as “Best Young Novels,” “Most Noteworthy Young Authors,” and “Critics’ Choice for Best Novels of the Year” in the year of its publication and the following year.
Additionally, one of the short stories included in her first collection, “Trunk,” was adapted into a television drama (KBS-2TV’s Drama City) in 2005. Jeong Yi Hyun further cemented her literary reputation by winning prestigious literary awards such as the Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award in 2004 and the Modern Literature Award in 2006 for the short stories she published in literary journals. Subsequently, Jeong Yi Hyun surprised the literary community and her audience who were curious about her next move, by choosing an unconventional and adventurous path: she began serializing a daily novel in a newspaper. Her “Daily Serial Novel” was published in Chosun Ilbo from October 2005 to April 2006, totaling 129 episodes, and fruited in her first full-length novel An Ordinarily Extraordinary Life (Moonji Publishing Company, 2006)
The successive release of full-length novels by emerging writers in the Korean literary scene continues to inject fresh vitality into the field. However, these young writers have typically unveiled their works through participation in competitions organized by magazines or newspapers or by publishing their pieces in the format of quarterly literary journals spanning two to four issues. Jeong Yi Hyun’s approach stands out, in that it is something even seasoned authors hesitate to undertake. Throughout her career, Jeong Yi Hyun has consistently championed her own literary philosophy, emphasizing that “literature must derive its significance from communication with readers” and that “personal identity should be reclaimed as literature’s core value.” She conveys these principles through her novels, newspaper columns, and face-to-face gatherings with readers organized by cultural events and universities. Since the launch of the Nownuri portal service in 1994, she has actively embraced the “lightning-like shock of two-way communication,” emphasizing her profound appreciation for immediate interaction with readers. Newspaper serialization, in this regard, is something she would have naturally gravitated towards from the beginning.
Not only creating a buzz, but also an opportunity for readers to rediscover the joy of reading
Jeong Yi Hyun’s An Ordinarily Extraordinary Life which began serialization in October 2005 and concluded with a total of 129 episodes by the end of April 2006, consistently lived up to readers’ expectations from the early stages. Each episode featured a compelling proverb at the beginning, which decorated the introduction with a distinctive tone. Moreover, it had a refreshing structure that allowed readers to enjoy it in short installments. The writing was concise, dry, and free from unnecessary embellishments. Throughout the story, various values of life in the 21st-century city for both men and women were expressed candidly and simply. Additionally, the story had a fast-paced development and skillfully incorporated the lifestyle codes of young urban dwellers at appropriate moments, including references to popular chains like Starbucks, McDonald’s, Baskin-Robbins 31, well-known Chinese restaurants, Vietnamese pho, and more. Furthermore, it possessed a sitcom-like emotional quality that resonated with readers. Finally, the delicate yet grotesque illustrations by illustrator Kwon Shina synergized with the narrative, leading to an explosive response from readers and securing a dedicated fanbase.
Jeong Yi Hyun’s novels prominently feature the “codes of urban life,” a facet not commonly explored in traditional literature. Within this framework, she meticulously delves into the inner worlds of intertwined characters. In An Ordinarily Extraordinary Life, Oh Eunsu, a thirty-year-old woman who has just crossed the seven-year mark in her career, vividly portrays the daily life, relationships, thoughts, and stories of unmarried women living in the city who have become ensnared in the routines of long-term office work. The author skillfully weaves intimate dialogues among characters, unable to conceal their hidden desires and personalities, by integrating diverse cell phone emojis and messenger interfaces. This fast-paced and liberating portrayal unfolds against the backdrop of 2000s Seoul. During the serialization of the novel, the close friendship spanning fifteen years between Eunsu, Yuhee, and Jaein took center stage, drawing the attention of readers, particularly young women in their twenties and thirties. Their varying perspectives on careers, relationships, and marriage sparked a flurry of online comments and blog posts, sometimes receiving overwhelming support, while other times facing harsh criticism.
In addition to these female characters, the novel introduces unique male characters: Taeoh, a warm-hearted, younger man who confronts the uncertainties of his uncertain future with passion and ambition; Yeongsu, who appears flawless in every way but harbors a mysterious secret; and Yujun, who transitions from being a long-time soulmate-like friend to a romantic interest. These distinctive male characters further broadened the readership, attracting male readers of the same generation as well. Interestingly, the novel also piqued the curiosity of middle-aged male readers, which contributed to broadening the novel’s readership. The numerous blog posts and internet café posts on the novel have attested to this phenomenon.
A new wave of energy for Korean novels, the emergence of new 21st-century female voices
The release of Jeong Yi Hyun’s An Ordinarily Extraordinary Life provided a source of reinvigoration to the the stagnant Korean literature and fiction market. It was a time where with the exception of a few best-selling authors, it had been challenging for even well-known writers to anticipate first-edition sales exceeding 5,000 to 10,000 copies in the Korean fiction market. Instead, foreign literature, particularly Japanese novels, had made significant inroads. In light of the rapidly evolving society and shifting reader preferences, Jeong Yi Hyun’s novels, renowned for their sharp depiction of the sensibilities of the younger generation, coupled with their concise writing style and literary acclaim, are seen as having the potential to reestablish Korean literature's prominence and inject fresh vitality into the stagnant Korean fiction market. This optimism is founded on the belief that her work resonates with contemporary readers and could, therefore, play a role in the resurgence of Korean literature.
Meanwhile, the protagonists in Jeong Yi Hyun’s novel exhibits a distinctiveness compared to the female voices portrayed by previous generations of women writers. In the 1990s, women’s literature often focused on themes of resistance against traditional patriarchal ideologies, women sacrificing themselves, or suffering unfair discrimination, and their narratives delved into the delicate and poignant confessions of inner struggles or expressed such sentiments in a refined language. Nevertheless, Jeong Yi Hyun’s female characters, the “she” in her works, initially seem to conform to societal male dominance and the hidden oppression of capitalism. However, they eventually reveal a craftiness that thoroughly exploits these structures. This has been described by some as showcasing “blatant femininity” while simultaneously exposing hidden socio-political dynamics. This invites readers to perceive these dynamics from a fresh perspective. The author's skill in encapsulating the dry realities of life with a crisp writing style, rather than relying on irony and self-mockery, opens up possibilities for reinterpreting these perspectives.
The novel An Ordinarily Extraordinary Life which distinguishes itself in several aspects from conventional novels, became another topic of discussion in the literary world even before its serialization was concluded. A publishing rights contract with a Japanese publisher, Kodansha, was signed for a Japanese version. In addition to this, discussions regarding secondary rights, including e-books, dramas, and movies, were also actively conducted.
Through her works, Jeong Yi Hyun has differentiated herself by breaking free from an obligation to the era and maintaining a certain distance from what can be termed political discourse around nationality and society, a departure from writers of previous generations. Instead, she tunes into frequencies that delve into the often-overlooked aspects of individual lives—the 24-hour imagery that saturates our existence (fashion and advertising), conversations (chatter and news, internet messengers, mobile phone messages), and relationships (family and lovers, spouses). She steers clear of engaging with political and economic ideologies or social theories. Her strongest tools as a writer include characteristics like “fast-paced development,” “a seemingly light yet thought-provoking theme,” and “concise yet deeply memorable sentences.” She wields these tools skillfully, unveiling within her storytelling a world of personal desires that everyone acknowledges but pretends not to, a world that anyone can observe but not everyone can articulate. An Ordinarily Extraordinary Life offers a glimpse into people’s lives and the world, viewed from a slightly skewed perspective, in a somewhat “merciless” manner. It invites us to declare, “This is my story.”
“This is a story about my city, my Eunsu. Of course, the people in your city may be completely different from mine. It’s only natural, and I’ve recently come to that realization.”
“I spent the late summer of 2005 through early summer of 2006 with Eunsu. When you have to part ways with someone, it’s usually best to pretend everything is okay, but this time, it was hard to send her away with a nonchalant expression. Thanks to her, I was able to endure many challenges, and I am truly grateful to her. I hope that An Ordinarily Extraordinary Life will be remembered not by my name, but by Oh Eunsu’s name.”
- From the author’s note in An Ordinarily Extraordinary Life
Reference: Moonji Publishing Company . "An Ordinarily Extraordinary Life", https://moonji.com/book/5715/. accessed 12 October 2023.
Author Bio 작가 소개
There are no expectations.