Seo Jeong in

Life

Seo Jeong-in was born December 20, 1936, in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do. He obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in English Literature from Seoul National University, and made his literary debut in 1962 when “Transferred to the Rear” was awarded the New Writer’s Prize given by The World of Thoughts (Sasanggye) magazine. He has also worked as a professor of English at Chonbuk National University.

Work

Seo uses his fiction for social critique, sometimes experimenting with formal genres to show the shoddy basis of modern life. He debuted with “Evacuation,” a story revolving around existential angst towards the military and the medical condition Meniere's syndrome. In Labyrinth he depicts how free exploration of paths in life can become closed down. These early works are heavily existential, and focus on issues of human existence within the confines of coarse daily life. The best work of his classical phase, when he was consciously working on the formal aesthetics of the short story is A River. This story recounts the predictable beats of a pointless and lonely life in a world that denies the dream of beauty.

Though diverse in subject matter, Lee’s works share the underlying concern with growing insensitivity to violence and change in modern society and our indifference to the suffering of others. Over the years, however, the sharply critical tone of his works has grown relatively mild. The Color of Water, the Pattern of That Shade published in 1996 marks a point of change in the author’s perspective from cold and analytical to warm and compassionate. The Color of Water, the Pattern of That Shade is a moving story of family hardships and maternal love which also explores the negative side-effects of rapid industrialization.

Works in Translation

Works in Korean (Partial)

Short Stories

Narrative Experiments

Short Story Collections

Awards