Writing history through diary

“Never be weak or lonely, but always be proud and confident.” This is what Jo Su-mi wrote in the first line of her diary when she went to Italy for study in 1983. Though she has now become a globally renowned vocalist, she still keeps a diary everyday as she has done for the last 30 years. Behind the confident singer applauded for her great performance, there was another Jo Su-mi who talked with herself through the diary whether in joy or in sorrow.

Many of the books written by famous writers are based on their diaries. "Yealha Ilgi (or Jehol Journal)" written in 1780 by Park Ji-won, also known as his literary name Yeonam, after his trip to China is the essence of travel essay and represents the ideology in the late Joseon era. Goethe’s diary written during his two-year travel in Italy from 1786 became the basis of "Italian Journey," and "Waldon," Henry Thoreau’s best known work, was also based on his diary written while he was living a simple life in natural surroundings.

Records of one solitary man sometimes make history. The case in point is ‘A War Diary’ of General Lee Sun-shin, which is registered as UNESCO’s Memory of the World. ‘The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank’ is recognized because it testifies people about historical facts that cannot be found in formal documents. Kim Ryeong (1577-1641), a scholar of Joseon Dynasty, kept a diary everyday for 39 years. Recently, the Korean Studies Advancement Center translated his diary into Korean and published it in six volumes. Although he is not as famous as Park Ji-won and Lee Sun-shin, his diary is historically valuable because of its vivid descriptions on not just the major political events, including the coup of 1623, the two Chinese invasions of Korea in the 17th century but also everyday life of classical scholars and ordinary people.

Nowadays, people other than elementary school students hardly keep a diary. In an era where people do not read much, it may be too much to expect people to write a diary, which requires much more efforts. However, taking notes of everyday ideas or thoughts on PC or smartphone can also be good alternatives for writing a paper diary. Who knows? That diary can become valuable historical records hundreds of years from today.

Culture desk reporter Shin Seong-mi (savoring@donga.com)