Lee Geum-yi, one of Korea's most celebrated children's and young adult authors, has completed her ambitious decade-long literary project with the publication of "The Gap of Sorrow," the final installment in her trilogy examining the Korean women's diaspora during Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. The trilogy, which began with "Can't I Go Instead" in 2016 and continued with "The Picture Bride" in 2020, chronicles the overlooked experiences of Korean people through the perspectives of young female protagonists scattered across the Pacific and Eurasia during the first half of the 20th century.
During a book talk session at the Seoul International Writers' Festival on Saturday, where she appeared alongside Swedish novelist Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Lee expressed profound relief at fulfilling a deeply personal commitment to herself. "When you have an idea in your heart that is intangible, you have to get it out, not knowing if it will succeed or where it will lead you. So you feel rather nervous as you go into writing," Lee explained to the audience. "But right now, I feel at peace knowing I've finally brought out what I was carrying in my heart into the world as a book. More than a triumph, it's the satisfaction of keeping the promise I made to myself – to write a trilogy on the diaspora of Koreans under Japanese rule."
Lee's literary career spans four decades, beginning with her debut in 1984 with the short story "With Younggu and Heukgu." Since then, she has established herself as an indispensable figure in Korean children's and young adult literature, publishing more than 50 books across diverse topics and genres. Her contributions to literature gained international recognition in 2024 when she became the first Korean writer to be shortlisted for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award in the writing category.
The trilogy represents a significant departure from Lee's earlier works, which primarily focused on the everyday realities of children's lives, including school experiences, friendships, and classroom dynamics. "Can't I Go Instead," the trilogy's opening volume, follows the intertwined lives of a Korean nobleman's daughter and her maidservant during the early 20th century. Interestingly, Lee had never initially planned to write a diaspora trilogy; instead, she found herself drawn along by the stories themselves as they unfolded.
Lee's fascination with expansive, distant worlds traces back to her childhood in the 1960s and 1970s, when children's books were scarce in Korea. She grew up in a household filled with books collected by her father, a man who would bring home a book for her even when there was no rice in the house. As a young reader, she immersed herself in stories set during the colonial era, featuring characters who journeyed through forbidden landscapes across what is now North Korea and into China and Russia. It was the vast, unreachable geography of these settings that left the most lasting impression on her imagination.
"I would invent my own protagonists, and whenever I read foreign books, I would journey with them into those distant worlds," Lee recalled. "I first dreamed of becoming a writer in third grade. Even then, I promised myself that if I ever became a novelist, I would write works set in expansive worlds." This childhood promise would eventually manifest decades later in her diaspora trilogy, demonstrating the enduring power of early literary influences.
Her latest novel, "The Gap of Sorrow," is set on Sakhalin Island during the 1940s and centers on Dan-ok, a young woman who follows her father after he is conscripted to work in the coal mines. When her father is seized again under a second round of forced mobilization, Dan-ok must build a new life within a community that would remain stranded on the island for decades, unable to return home even after Korea's liberation in 1945. The novel explores the resilience and humanity of those caught in historical circumstances beyond their control.
"Their lives were marked by unimaginable hardship," Lee explained when discussing her latest work. "But I wanted to show not only their sorrow. Even in the cracks of that sorrow, they found dignity, joy and hope. That's why I chose the title 'The Gap of Sorrow' – to speak of respect and consolation, not pity." This approach reflects Lee's commitment to portraying her characters with complexity and humanity, avoiding simple narratives of victimhood.
With the completion of her trilogy, Lee is already looking toward her next literary venture: a novel about a Korean adoptee raised in Sweden. This upcoming project suggests her continued interest in exploring Korean experiences across different cultures and geographical boundaries. Currently, "Can't I Go Instead" and "The Picture Bride" are available in English translation by An Seon-jae, making Lee's powerful narratives accessible to international readers who wish to understand this often-overlooked chapter of Korean history through the eyes of its most vulnerable witnesses.
