Author Eun Hee-kyung (left) and Omani writer Jokha Al Harthi (middle) on June 29 discuss the theme of liberation at a sideline event of this year’s Seoul International Book Fair at COEX Mall in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu District.
By Israa Mohamed
Photos = Israa Mohamed
“We’ll set up staff chairs to accommodate at least one more visitor.”
“We’ll raise the speaker volume so that those outside can listen.”
This is what a Korea.net staff writer heard on June 29 at this year’s Seoul International Book Fair while heading toward an exhibition hall. She was on her way to hear a lecture on a theme at COEX Mall in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu District.
The event’s official website said all tickets were sold out, so the long queue at the venue was surprising. It felt like a scene at a K-pop concert.
Two literary stars were there — Eun Hee-kyung from Korea and Jokha Al Harthi from Oman — to discuss the theme of liberation.
For nearly 30 years, Eun has explored human uniqueness through literature, and Al Harthi in 2019 was the first Arab writer to win the prestigious Man Booker International Prize of the U.K. Both writers discussed human dignity and freedom in this era plagued with violence and conflict.
So how would two writers from different continents, cultures, religions, backgrounds and languages interpret liberation? The venue was packed with readers from a diversity of nationalities and ages.
Cultural critic Heo Hee chaired the discussion as Eun and Al Harthi exchanged their opinions.
A visitor on June 29 looks at the Korean-language version of Jokha Al Harthi’s 2010 novel “Celestial Bodies,” the first book by an Arab writer to win the U.K. Man Booker International Prize, at the Omani Pavilion of this year’s Seoul International Book Fair, which was held at COEX Mall in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu District.
When the moderator heard that the topic was liberation, he expressed initial concern whether the atmosphere would get too rigid. He asked both authors what liberation they saw in literature, and the two agreed that the existence of literature itself was liberation.
“We can experience many things and feel new emotions through the stories of other people in novels,” Al Harthi said. “That’s why we can liberate ourselves from longtime thoughts and things that have oppressed us.”
She cited as an example her 2010 book “Celestial Bodies,” the first Omani novel to be translated into Korean.
“In the novel, a mother names her daughter London. That’s not used as a female name in Oman and it’s uncommon to name someone after a city. Readers can think whether the mother wanted her child to live a life different from hers or if she had other intentions. This way, a reader can enjoy freedom and liberation through literature. Writers can also break away from the ordinary and familiar to provide new experiences to readers through the power of art,” she added.
Eun said, “If you look at literary works, you first see characters that seem strange. But as you read, you come to understand the backgrounds and environments that these strange characters grew up in, and gradually realize that the characters are different, not strange. Through this process, we come to respect diversity.”
Literature is a link that respects diversity and helps readers understand one another. After seeing the growth of London, the protagonist of Al Harthi’s novel, Eun said she learned more about Oman.
The Korean said she even ordered and ate dates, a typical snack often served in the Arab world.
Similarly, Al Harthi said she wanted to try kimchi while happily reading Korean novels translated into Arabic, including “The Vegetarian” by Han Kang.
Before bidding farewell, both authors said the Korean-language edition of “Celestial Bodies,” which was published this year, was the first step to stimulate cultural exchange between the two nations.
When an audience member asked Al Harthi what were the reactions of people around her on her visit to Korea, the writer said, “My family and acquaintances taught me basic Korean expressions and gave me many recommendations on things I must experience in Korean culture like the food.”
This was proof of the significant role of literature, music and drama in raising mutual understanding between the people of the two countries.
Prior to this talk, events at the fair included an autograph signing session by the two authors and a lecture to mark the 50th anniversary of official ties between their countries.
Visitors on June 29 listen to a discussion between writers Eun Hee-kyung of Korea and Jokha Al Harthi of Oman on the theme of liberation at this year’s Seoul International Book Fair held at COEX Mall in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu District.
ess8@korea.kr
