LTI Korea 
DLKL 
SIWF 
I must begin with the bathtub. Perhaps it’s silly that a bathtub is where I want to start discussing a literary festival. But after a fourteen-hour flight from London, arriving in my hotel room and finding a stunning lion’s-foot bathtub felt like a minor miracle. Book tours are depleting spiritually, mentally, and physically, and it makes a big difference for the event host to consider authors as people. Out of so many literary festivals and book fairs I’ve participated in, Seoul International Writers Festival strikes me as by far the most people-oriented and author-centric event. Its goal is not just to sell or promote frontlist titles according to publication schedule, but to promote and celebrate authors, connect literary figures from across the globe, introduce international authors to Korean readers, and foster a closer conversation between Korean and world literature.
On the surface, writers today seem more connected than ever through social media and ease of travel; but the truth is that there are few opportunities to truly get to know peer artists. At SIWF, I discussed the particularities of Tolstoy and writerly ambition (“Is it okay to want validation for one’s art?”) with Jonas Hassen Khemiri, the acclaimed Swedish-American novelist. I befriended the critic Nam Seung-won, whose intimate knowledge of writers and artists was an invaluable peek into the Korean literary world. I was touched by the warmth and sincerity of the Korean novelist Kim Soom and the Japanese poet Yumi Fuzuki. At the opening night’s panel, the iconic Chinese author Yan Lianke moved me with his answer to the question, “Are you driven to write in order to resist censorship?” Lianke’s reply was calm but firm. “I am not a ‘writer of censored books,’ and I am not interested in censorship,” he said. “I am first and foremost interested in human beings.”
As an author, I think the fellowship with peer artists is one of the most important elements of a successful writing life. From a practical perspective, publishing depends so much on social networking, and this is true in every market, whether or not that’s “fair.” As books and careers cross borders, connections with diverse international writers can help grow one’s audience.
But more crucially, writerly fellowship offers inspiration and affirmation. By its very nature, writing can be solitary and isolating work. Not only that, publishing tends to foster the myth of a lone genius; there is only one person’s name on the cover of a book; and authors all know who they are competing against in an award season. Individuality is constantly upheld and celebrated in publishing. Rarely do we get a chance to see the big picture of authors, each in their own way, committing themselves to the same task just as a drop of rain joins the great ocean. It is both sobering and uplifting to see that one is not alone in the sometimes overwhelming work of creation.
This is why a highlight of SIWF was seeing my fellow authors at various panels. Another highlight was the interactive sensorial exhibits, interpreting our books through smell, sound, and sight. I was especially delighted by the perfume inspired by my novel, City of Night Birds: it is a creamy white floral with a tuberose heart. Thoughtful installations like these deepen the readers’ experience of our books. In an age when people have easy entertainment at their fingertips, I believe that books cannot be “Netflix in a print-out form.” The text has to be art, first and foremost, but other layers surrounding it—from a beautiful cover and interior design to exhibits like these—can increase the book’s value into something irreplaceable and worthy of cherishing.
Speaking of cherishing, I came home from the festival with a lovely souvenir: the bottle of Eau de City of Night Birds. Every time I smell it, I am reminded of teahouses along Insa-dong street; hot baths to unwind in after panels and receptions; the passion and warmth of full-house audiences; conversations with artists; and autumn in Seoul, a captivating ancient capital and a global publishing mecca.
Writer 필자 소개
Juhea Kim
Juhea Kim is the internationally bestselling author of three books including Beasts of a Little Land, the winner of the 2024 Yasnaya Polyana Award, Russia’s largest annual literary prize awarded by the Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate. She lives in London.
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