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Author Shin's Presentation Gives Better Understanding of a Mother in Her Book

More than 100 people attended a presentation by acclaimed Korean author Shin Kyungsook, which took place on Friday, July 1 at the Korean Cultural Center of the Korean Embassy in Washington D.C.

During the special occasion, Shin opined out what the presence of a mother meant in her latest book, entitled "Please Look after Mom". Shin also gave some explanation about how the meaning of her mother has changed from her childhood to the present.

The author of several best-selling books including Please Look after Mom (2009) and A Lone Room (1995), Shin, 48, is unique in that her books have been widely translated and published abroad.

Her latest, Please Look after Mom, was highlighted on Barnes & Noble's list of most impressive new works for summer 2011, and is already in its second U.S. printing after an initial 100,000 copy run. The novel, reviewed in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and O, The Oprah Magazine, tells the story of a mother who disappeared in a crowded Seoul subway station and is remembered as a heroine by her family members.

Prior to her presentation in the Korean Cultural Center in Washington D.C., Shin had an interview with a local Korean newspaper in the U.S.
Q. The book "Please Look After Mom" is gaining popularity not only among Korean population but also among American public, probably because your book transmits a universal message applicable to every culture. What do you want to say to this wide range of fans?

A. On the first page of this book it says, "Love as much as you can". Families in the modern world are severed between generation and generation, cultures and cultures. The only way to overcome the difference and distance is to accept and love the way they are as much as you can.

Q. Since English version of the book was published, Korean American parents are encouraging their children to read your book. What do you think is the most important message of this book for the families suffering from lack of communication and misunderstandings?

A. The book starts off with a sentence saying, "It's been a week since Mom went missing". The novel makes you look back upon your relationship with your mother as a fictional family searches for the missing mother after she disappeared at Seoul Station. The message that the reader gets from the book would vary from person to person, but, as the characters chase after the traces of the mother, the readers would realize how they've forgot about the most important factor of their lives: family. The daughter in the novel experiences a belated realization. If the readers could sympathize with the characters and be enlightened themselves of the mother's role in their lives, that would be the greatest reward for me as an author.

Q. What is your plan for your U.S. visit?
A. I came to U.S. not just for the book but also to give myself a break from writing lengthy novels. I wanted to come to New York, the cultural capital of the world, to observe and experience, but luckily the schedule coincided with the publication of my book. I'm planning to have few meetings with U.S. publisher in July, for Please Look After Mom is being republished as a paper book next February. Although not completely set, I also have a plan to visit Israel before I go back to my desk in Korea in August.

Q. Do you have any design for your next novel?
A. I have few treasure chests in my mind. The first one that fills up will open up itself for me. I am patiently waiting but am also very excited to see what story leads me next.

By Erin Kim

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