Paradise

“Is there only one paradise that we’re all looking for in this world?”

Writer Kwon Gi-tae (40, picture) explores this question in his novel that won the “Writer of Today” award this year: “Paradise Garden,” published by Minumsa.

The novel was praised by critic Kim Hwa-young, who said, “From the first sentence you’re hooked, until you find yourself finished with it.” And it deserves as much, because while it’s dealing with a heavy topic, “What’s our Utopia?” the book weaves this into its plot in a way that’s appealing to readers.

From the very beginning, we’re faced with an appalling scene of a dog shot dead. The pet belongs to the stepmother of the CEO of Seongrim Construction Company, Won Jik-soo. He orders that the dead dog be sent back to its owner with a wiretap his stepmother secretly attached hung on the chain. His dream is to be rid of his stepbrother and establish a “Seongrim paradise.”

The subordinate who was delegated this work is a Seongrim employee named Kim Beom-oh, an everyday John Doe who is happy in his own little paradise on the roof of his house. The work is not pleasant, and he gets caught by the dog’s owner. Fearing for his life, he hides out in his friend’s garden.

Through the conflict between Kim and Won, the writer attempts to show “a Korean society with clashing ideals.” Everyone dreams of his own paradise, and we’re all caught in conflicting dreams. Affairs with subordinates, violent gangs, and other popular themes are written into the book as well. The gore is rampant, but the author insists, “Hamlet and other Shakespeare tragedies are bloody, but no one says they’re vulgar. I want to write strong novels with a lurid streak.”

Kwon has just retired from his 13-year career as a reporter for the Dong-A Ilbo, and since the start of this year is focusing on his writing. From his work experience, he’s learned that the reader is the king.

“Look at Park Kyung-lee’s ‘The Land,’ and Jo Jong-nae’s ‘The Mountains of Taebaek’ and Bok Geo-il’s ‘A Journey for Screams.’ They’re all appealing to the public. A good novel is one that brings out the emotions in readers.”

He says of his career turn, “I dreamed of becoming a writer ever since high school, and at forty decided that it’s not too late to achieve a life goal.”

During his days as a literature journalist, novelist Choi In-ho bragged in an interview, “If you become a writer you can travel freely and you get fans,” but after hearing of Kwon’s news, he warned, “If you don’t have a do-or-die attitude, you’ll become a failure in a fraction of a second.” Writer Lee Kyung-ja advised, “A writer should be able to protect himself from praise, as well as scorn.”

Kwon says, “I know that the writers’ world is a battlefield. This is just the beginning. My next novel is going to be about a Korean who was raised a Slav and begins searching for his identity in Russia.”

kimjy@donga.com