Born in Manchuria in 1943, novelist-slash-Vietnam War veteran Hwang Sok-yong is an alumnus of Dongguk University (DU) and has written various bestselling books such as The Road to Sampo (1987), The Old Garden (2000), and Gebabbaragibyeol “Evening Star” (2008). Hwang has received many of Korea’s most prestigious literary awards and was shortlisted for the Prix Femina Etranger.

 

Hwang discoursed on his creative process, the censorship of literature, and Korean literature. During the talk, Hwang said, “The Old Garden is a self-biography—it is my story. In it is expressed my experiences of visiting North Korea, seeking asylum, and going to prison. This was because I believed my story needed to be told before I could go back to being a novelist after 10 years of vacuum in my career.” He also spoke out about the importance of languages and expressed his anguish over lost languages during colonial periods.