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into obscurity again, the point is the journey itself.
And Sung is, indeed, a fun person. “If it is not fun for me, it
cannot make others laugh. I cannot tolerate boredom.
Literature fundamentally has no meaning if it’s not read, and a
powerful force that makes people read is when the content is
fun. Whatever the result, there must be something that makes
me excited and curious. However, even if I think the material is
fun, and if my readers do not agree, then ultimately there is no
fun in the material for me either.”
Sung’s taste for entertainment saturates his writing. “I laugh
easily. During my years in university, I was once scolded for
laughing out loud by my professor who said ‘Why do you laugh
at something so simple?’ So I walked out of the classroom and
laughed all I wanted before returning.” His love for jocosity is
one reason he believes novels should be read carefreely, without
the obligation that something must be learnt from the material.
Sung’s novels are much closer to realism than any ideological
philosophies on the origins of our human nature. The weight of
life and its layers of intricate truths can be very easily simplified
with a gallant and bold bout of laughter.
In earlier works, his novels often began with bizarre characters
whose idiosyncracies are expressed playfully, at odds with
their environment. By the mid-2000s, his novels, among them
Mother’s Song and A Really Good Day, began to develop a heavier
feel to them, progressing into new territories of, perhaps,
maturity. More recently, in his new novel Currently Happy,
Sung has returned to his previously playful characters that are
completely introverted into their own lives, but have reconciled
themselves with their surroundings. The characters reflect the
perspectives of the author as his view of the world becomes
more tolerant. However, one aspect of his novels has never
changed, which Sung calls “showing the extreme.”
“My interest in the extreme has not changed. Today I focus
less on a being’s extreme characteristics, and try to focus on
expanding that extremity. It is less evident as it is covered up.
People can change any way they like, whether tragically or
comically or coincidentally. I always keep that in mind.”
His characters are pushed to their limits through gambling,
drinking, dancing, or acts implicitly demonstrating that the act
of losing oneself is a form of liberation. His extremes are not
metaphysical, but a form of experiential immersion.
In writing, Sung is interested in hedonistic paradigms of the
world, such as crime and money. But in person, he enjoys activities
such as hiking, listening to music or riding his bicycle when
faced with writer’s block.
He is currently writing about strangers who connect to form
a family. Until then, his readers will have to lie in wait for the
next laugh, intermingled with sobs. As one of his poems cautions,
“don’t expect this world to be this warm.” Sung Suk-je,
the storyteller, is a true player.
SUNG SUK-JE’S SHORT STORIES
The Last 4.5 Seconds of My Life (Die letzten viereinhalb
Sekunden meines Lebens)
> Language German
> Publisher Peperkorn (Germany)
> Published year 2009
Sung Suk-je’s collection of short stories, The Last
4.5 Seconds of My Life (Die letzten viereinhalb
Sekunden meines Lebens), includes nine of his
major works, including the title work The Last 4.5
Seconds of My Life, First Love, Early Spring, Jo
Dong-gwan Yakjeon, Wandering, Novel Writing
Person, Under the Shadows of the Oleander,
Hwang Man-geun Said, and Cheonaeyullak.
The characters in The Last 4.5 Seconds of My Life
are people on the boundaries of society. Sung
expresses the characters’ cleverness and simplicity
through a lovable combination, using comfortable
and witty writing that only he can. Examining a few
works in his collection of short stories, the title work
The Last 4.5 Seconds of My Life is a piece that uses
satirical allegory to express the transformation of a
man moving from a period dominated by physical
strength, to a period of ideologies. The writer depicted
the last 4.5 seconds of a gangster’s life, like a
slow video motion film, as he falls off a bridge to his
death in his car. Without any frivolous excess or
humor, Sung’s mixture of mythology makes the
novel multi-emotional in dimension.
Hwang Man-geun Said is a short story of a farmer
who is below average in all aspects of life. Hwang
Man-geun works diligently and helps his neighbors,
while never avoiding humiliation from others until
his sudden accidental death. He comes back to life
in this short story as an outsider who sees his true
worth. What would have Hwang Man-geun said?
He never did leave any special message, but his
duty-fulfilled life urges the reader to reflect on their
own, which are littered with desires and
selfishness.
Jo Dong-gwan Yakjeon is a
piece that shows the true
essence of Sung’s writing.
The writer exquisitely expresses
the short life of a gangster
named Jo Dong-gwan and his
roughneck life, and how he
gained fame as a gangster.
Jo leaves to catch his runaway
wife but fails to to get her. On
his way back home, he breaks
all the windows of a police
station. He is arrested, convicted,
and ultimately sent to
a “juvenile facility.” With the
death of Jo, the indescribable
effects of his death on the
villagers are used to expose
the hypocrisy and authority of
older generations.
KOREA
FEBRUARY
2010
19