Sohn Won-pyung

Sohn Won-pyung studied at Korean Academy of Film Arts and Sogang University. The recorded working language is Korean and English. The field of work recorded is creative and professional writing and film production. Works named in the authority record are Almond and Intruder.

• Name — Sohn Won-pyung • Native Name — 손원평 • Born — 21 April 1979 • Birthplace — Seoul, South Korea • Occupation — * Writer • director • screenwriter • Education — Sogang University • Notable Works — Intruder • Parents — Sohn Hak-kyu (father)

She was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1979 as the second daughter of Sohn Hak-kyu, a Korean politician. In college, she majored in both sociology and philosophy. Sohn believes that structured thinking skills she acquired from learning sociology and the concept of individuality she learned as a student of philosophy have been conducive to her novel writing. Notably, she has been actively engaged in both film making and novel writing.

Since her college years, she had repeatedly applied for numerous literary awards, using more than 30 pen names, but had not been successful. In 2013, she gave birth to a baby and began writing a small amount of words whenever she had time to spare. Sohn recalls that during this period she wrote much more than expected. It was during this period of her life that she had her belated literary debut as a novelist by winning a Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction (2016) for Almond. The translation rights for Almond were sold to 13 different language regions in 12 countries around the globe, an extremely rare case for a novice writer's work. The following year, she won a Jeju 4.3 Peace Literary Prize (제주 4.3 평화문학상) for Seoreunui bangyeok. Sohn says that since the news of her first award-winning had given her ten years' worth of happiness, the news of her second award-winning did not excite her very much. As a novelist, she hopes to create a number of works. In particular, she is planning to write an epic novel depicting the history of four generations of daughters.

Sohn Won-pyung's novels and scenarios pinpoint critical social issues. Such characteristic of her works is related to Sohn's unique way of creating literary and cinematic works, where she determines a subject matter first before creating characters suitable for the subject. Almond Almond (2016) is Sohn's debut novel and representative work. It was critically acclaimed as a great coming-of-age novel and an outstanding young adult fiction stylized in a uniquely Korean fashion. The lead character Yun-jae suffers from alexithymia, a subclinical inability to identify and describe emotions, as he has a relatively small amygdala, whose etymological meaning is "almond." On the other hand, his friend Goni is a boy who cannot control his emotions and bursts out his anger. Ironically, it was Yun-jae, the emotionally disabled boy who is unable to feel any fear, who gave solace to the emotionally hurt problem child Goni. Through a character who cannot feel any emotions and therefore is curious about the behavior of the other, the author stresses that true compassion requires special efforts. Seoreunui bangyeok Seoreunui bangyeok (2017) is a novel about the concerns and a sense of loss felt by younger generations who want to become proper adults. In the novel, the short sentence "The main character Kim Ji-hye was born in 1988" reminds us of the special meaning the year 1988 has in Korean society and of the common name "Ji-hye" that was popular at the time. The year 1988 was when the prolonged military dictatorship had finally come to an end and when the social expectations and hope for the realization of democracy ended up having a halfway success (or failure). Numerous "Ji-hyes" who were born at the time have now grown to become members of the so-called "880,000 Won Generation", and their only dream is to become "ordinary". In the novel, Ji-hye, Gyu-ok, Mu-in and Nam-eun, all are friends of the same age, attempt their own counterattack against their unfair society. However, their revenge is mere practical jokes or acts of play, such as throwing a raw egg toward an immoral member of the National Assembly and sending a mocking letter to the rude General Manager Kim who is always farting and burping. Even though such pranks do not have the power to overthrow society, they can make a small crack in their unfair daily environment. In this way, instead of giving up and accepting their realities, they manifest their rejection of the irrationality through blithe acts of resistance that continue in small ways. Saworui nun Saworui nun (사월의 눈 April Snow) (2018) deals with the "moment of compassion" between someone who suffers and someone who tries to understand the suffering of the other. In this novel, a couple distressed by their baby's stillbirth meets Mari who belongs to a different nationality, race, and generation from this couple. The reason for Mari's own suffering is unknown, but she nevertheless deeply empathizes with them and gives consolation. Their conversation is a completely unexpected event—like a blizzard in April. However, without exception, it provides all those who are suffering with "lonesome yet affectionate solace."

《아몬드》, 창비, 2017 / Almond (Almond), Changbi, 2017 《서른의 반격》, 은행나무, 2017 / Seoreunui bangyeok (Counterattack of the Thirty), EunHaengNaMu, 2017

《4월의 눈》 k-픽션 21, 도서출판 아시아, 2018 / April Snow K-Fiction Series 21, ASIA, 2018