Author Lee Mirinae reveals inspiration behind acclaimed North Korean defector novel

Korean author Lee Mirinae was born, raised and educated in Seoul until she went to college in the United States where she majored in English literature. But her debut novel, “8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster: A Novel,” was written in English.

Author Lee Mirinae published her first short story at the age of 35. Her college professor told her that “there is a slim chance of her making a living by writing” but she debuted as a super rookie in the literary circle last year after signing a deal with HarperCollins Publishers to publish her debut novel “8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster: A Novel.” [WISDOM HOUSE]

Korean author Lee Mirinae was born, raised and educated in Seoul until she went to college in the United States where she majored in English literature. But her debut novel, “8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster: A Novel,” was written and published in English, not in Korean.

According to the 41-year-old author, one of her college professors once told her that “there is a slim chance of her making a living with writing,” but Lee became a "super rookie" 10 years later in the literary circle by signing a contract with HarperCollins Publishers, one of the largest publishing houses in the world. The publisher promised Lee it would pay her royalties in advance.

The novel was published in the United States in May last year and has been translated into various languages. The story is now available in 10 countries, including Korea, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain and Denmark.

Centered on a protagonist who works at a nursing home in Korea, the story unfolds as the protagonist meets Ms. Mook, a bad-tempered old lady living in a home for patients with dementia, and delves into her life. The old lady was born in a farming village near Pyongyang when the country was under Japanese colonial rule, and she was later dragged to a brothel in Semarang, Indonesia. The war ended and Ms. Mook returned to her home country but couldn’t adapt to life there and eventually headed down to the southern part of the country.

The life of Ms. Mook “who was born in Japanese colonial Korea, lived as a North Korean and died as a South Korean” resembles the turbulent modern history of Korea. The JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, interviewed the author, who resides in Hong Kong, via Zoom. The following are edited excerpts from the interview.

The English book cover of “8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster: A Novel” [HARPERCOLLINS]

Q: How did you come up with writing a novel in English?

A: I love to write so I used to write novels in English back in college, but my grades for writing were terrible. After graduating from college, I began writing stories in Korean, but it didn’t work out. I resumed writing a novel in English six years ago. I emigrated to Hong Kong after my husband relocated to work there. I attended graduate school and majored in literature writing. Since English is one of the official languages here, I naturally began writing novels in English.

How did you make your debut as an author?

I asked here and there to learn how to publish a novel. People told me to write a short piece of literature and submit it to a literary magazine printed in the United States. So, I wrote my first piece titled “Beautiful.” It was printed in a literary magazine in the summer of 2018. My second short story, “Virgin Ghost on North Korean Border,” was printed by another literary magazine around the same time as the first one. The story of “Virgin Ghost on North Korean Border” is the first chapter of “8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster: A Novel.” I intended to write it as a short story initially but many ideas came into my mind. I continued writing it for three years and wrapped up the story in 2021.

How did you feel about signing a contract with HarperCollins?

I got a call in the middle of the night because of the time difference [between Hong Kong and the United States]. I couldn’t believe it and stayed up all night. I was half in disbelief when my agency said it would put my novel up for auction. Agencies bring novels to auction when more than two publishers want the story. The auction opened and HarperCollins made a bid with the best deal.

You started learning English quite late. How was it possible for you to write a novel in English?

I haven’t attended a foreign language high school or an international school in Korea. I started preparing to study abroad quite late compared to others. My grades for writing in college were bad, but I always read novels. Some things seem impossible but they are possible indeed if you give it a try.

Where did you get inspiration for your novel?

I was inspired by my great aunt who passed away. She was a North Korean defector. I added my imagination to the story of the border, which I heard from my father. I also used to work as a volunteer English teacher at a church for a long time. At that time, I heard many stories about North Korea from defectors.

The Korean book cover of “8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster: A Novel” [WISDOM HOUSE]

What was it like writing the part where Ms. Mook is forced to serve as a comfort woman?

It was hard. It took me four months to finish the single chapter. I was pregnant at that time. When I finished writing it, I experienced preterm labor. I tried to look up documentaries featuring comfort women who have survived and other relevant documents.

Can you tell us an author you find inspirational?

I cried my eyes out after reading “The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II” (1983) by Svetlana Alexievich. The author is a journalist. She interviewed hundreds of people to write the book. It’s nonfiction but has literary value.

Can you elaborate on your next project?

I’m writing a novel on puppy mills in Korea. I began writing it after I watched the Korean TV show “There Are No Bad Dogs in the World” on EBS. A father who runs a puppy mill and his daughter who works as a dog trainer are the main characters of the story. It’s themed around a puppy mill, but it is about family.

BY HONG JI-YU [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]