In a commentary for Jung Yong-jun’s first short story collection, Gana (가나), ㅣiterary critic Kim Hyeongjung has said that “Jung Yong-jun’s pedigree follows that of writers that have desexualized the energy for death impulse, which includes Chang Yong-hak, Son Chang-sop, Nam Jung-hyun, Park Sang-ryoong, Baek Min-seok, Paik Gahuim, and Pyun Hye Young”, adding that “across the history of Korean literature, it is not easy to find such beautiful writing of death”. As if he is living up to such praise, Jung Yong-jun is writing based on the fear, as well as familiarity of sleeplessness. Jung Yong-jun was awarded the Hwang Sun-won Literary Award for his short story, “Seolleung sanchaek” (선릉산책 A Walk Along Seolleung) in 2016.
1. Life
Jung Yong-jun is a South Korean writer. He was born in 1981 in Gwangju. He graduated from Chosun University for Russian language studies, and then studied creative writing in the same university’s graduate school. He began his literary career as his short story “Good Night, Oblo” (굿나잇, 오블로) won the 2009 Hyundae Munhak Prize for New Writers.
Jung Yong-jun did not feel interest or curiosity toward his undergraduate major, Russian, and instead he began having interest in writing fiction. Jung Yong-jun first started writing fiction at twenty six, and then later on he wanted to continue writing fiction, as well as wanted to improve his writing. So he began meeting people who were writing fiction, then attended literature classes, and then ultimately entered a graduate school. He has said that he was not sure whether he had talent for writing, but it was the first time he had felt that strange feeling of wanting to continue doing it, and improve on it, as well as be with it. Thus, he has continued writing fiction to this day.
From when he was young, Jung Yong-jun stuttered. As he grew up, he taught himself his own methods of dealing with it. He has stated that he constantly tried things whenever he spoke like changing the words slightly when saying them out loud, and inverting sentences to change the first sentence. However, he stutters a lot in front of family, though because they don’t make fun of him stuttering, he has said in an interview that he can speak very comfortably with them and say what he wants to say. His thoughts on language that came from his habit of stuttering led to them being dramatized as the short story Tteo Tteo Tteo, Tteo (떠떠떠, 떠) and the novel Babel (바벨).
He has published short story collections Gana (가나), Urineun hyeolyuki aninya (우리는 혈육이 아니냐 Aren’t We Blood Relatives?), and the novel Babel (바벨). He is active as the member of ‘Text Experiment Group Ru’ with Kim Tae-yong and Han Yu-ju. He was awarded the Hwang Sun-won Literary Award for his short story, “Seolleung sanchaek” (선릉산책 A Walk Along Seolleung) in 2016.
2. Writing
Writer Paik Gahuim has said the following of his impression of Jung Yong-jun. “The way his sentences draw the reader in is absolutely outstanding. The blade of the imagination of a novel where language is the protagonist, and of the writing skills that come from his small form is sharp and powerful. His form is small. Of course, just his height. He has broad shoulders and a strong body. He is a writer who holds up the world with his small but strong body. He stands on the ground with short but solid legs. That is how a writer should be.” The record of this impression on the writer is much in line with the literary appraisal of Jung Yong-jun. Based on his excellent writing skills, Jung Yong-jun writes works of various subjects. The writer Jung Yong-jun presents not just one staple narrative, but various types of narratives. Such examples are Gana (가나), where a body wanders across the ocean on its way toward the home that it longs for, Meok-I (먹이 The Feed), where a delusional man is met by a wild predator in his own world (room), and Saranghaeseo geuraetseumnida (사랑해서 그랬습니다 Because I Loved), where a fetus kills itself while still in the womb for the sake of its young mother, who had become pregnant unintentionally.
Particularly, he often lays out very profound thoughts on language by reflecting his experiences of stuttering from when he was young on his narratives. Such examples are Tteo Tteo Tteo, Tteo (떠떠떠, 떠), which is a story about the love of a stuttering man that works in an amusement park, and Babel (바벨), which is a story about a new age called Babel, where everyone doesn’t speak due to the rotten smell called ‘pellets’ produced by talking, a result of a failed experiment for crystallization of speech.
Reference
http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?artid=201111272149345&code=960205
http://blog.aladin.co.kr/line/8472226
http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?artid=201407182023085&code=960205
http://news.mk.co.kr/newsRead.php?year=2014&no=256348
