Sou Linne Baik (; born 1982) is a female South Korean author.
Early life
Baik was born in 1982 in
Incheon
Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...
, South Korea. She majored in French at
Yonsei University
Yonsei University () is a Private university, private Christian university, Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the three most prestigious universities in the country, part of a group referred to as SK ...
. She graduated from
Sogang University
Sogang University (SU; ) is a private Jesuit research university in Mapo, Seoul, South Korea. Sogang University was established on April 18, 1960 by the Society of Jesus, with the school being the oldest and only Jesuit institution of higher e ...
but still had the desire to write, and started to practice writing after that. She became a published author after being selected in the novel category of the 2010 ''
Kyunghyang Shinmun
The ''Kyunghyang Shinmun'' () is a major daily newspaper published in South Korea. It is based in Seoul. The name literally means '' Urbi et Orbi Daily News''.
Baik's work often depends on identity. The writer says that people see her writings as an art of traditional
grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of rules for how a natural language is structured, as demonstrated by its speakers or writers. Grammar rules may concern the use of clauses, phrases, and words. The term may also refer to the study of such rul ...
and she wishes this writing style to get stronger in the future. She also wants to have her stories to be less packed in the future for she feels like there is too much words being said. Lastly, she hopes that her readers will understand her intentions and meaning behind her books.
She is currently serializing a novel in the
Hankyoreh
''The Hankyoreh'' () is a centre-left liberal daily newspaper in South Korea. It was established in 1988 after widespread purges forced out dissident journalists, and was envisioned as an alternative to existing newspapers, which were regarde ...
newspaper.
In 2016, Baik's next book ''Terrible Light'' (unofficial name; 참담한 빛), a collection of ten short stories, was released by Changbi Publishers. The short stories therein deal with themes of past suffering and of emigrants living in foreign countries, and use intense light as a metaphor for exploration of suffering. Some stories deal with public tragedies, such as "Summer Noon" () which touches on the
Tokyo subway sarin attack
The was a Chemical terrorism, chemical domestic terrorism, domestic terrorist attack perpetrated on 20 March 1995, in Tokyo, Japan, by members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult. In five coordinated attacks, the perpetrators released sarin on three line ...
and the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, while others touch on private suffering which the author nevertheless connects to wider suffering in the world, such as "First Love" () in which the first-person narrator goes to study abroad in Russia but then witnesses the school's decision to close the faculty and how the other students react.
Baik has one work translated into English by Asia Publisher, titled "Time Difference" and was one of four featured speakers (along with Lee Ki-ho, Lee Jang-wook and Geum Hee) at a bilingual author's roundtable in
Myeongdong
Myeong-dong () is a ''dong'' (neighborhood) in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea between Chungmu-ro, Eulji-ro, and Namdaemun-ro.
Myeongdong is known for being one of Seoul's main shopping, parade route, and tourism districts. Jung-gu Office, ...
,
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
in December 2015
Baik's work has received praise from critics including professor of
Seoul National University
Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the SKY (universities), SKY universities and a part of the Flagship Korean National Universities.
The university's main c ...
.
Works
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Works in translation
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Awards
*''
Kyunghyang Sinmun
The ''Kyunghyang Shinmun'' () is a major daily newspaper published in South Korea. It is based in Seoul. The name literally means '' Urbi et Orbi Daily News''.