'Our Neighborhood Library' Cha In-pyo: "A Meta-Novel That Breaks Conventions... I Wanted to Broadcast My Writing Process Live"

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Cha In-pyo is set to present a novel in the unique genre of "meta-novel."

On the afternoon of the 27th, Cha In-pyo held a press conference at an undisclosed location in Jung-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the publication of his novel "Our Neighborhood Library" (Sayuwa Gonggam).

When asked about the distinctive features of "Our Neighborhood Library" compared to his previous novels, Cha In-pyo stated, "I began writing a novel with a certain theme, and as I considered including my own process of writing the novel, the form of the novel unintentionally broke away from the classical style."

He added, "A critic described my latest novel as a 'meta-novel,' but I did not intend to write a novel that breaks conventions. As I was writing, my mind drifted elsewhere, and the story changed."

"Our Neighborhood Library" features two eras: Goguryeo and modern times. Regarding this, Cha In-pyo explained, "I did not intend to write about the Goguryeo era from the beginning. I wondered why we know so much about the existence of dragons, and I thought our ancestors must have had similar questions. I wondered if they might have embedded answers in legends or murals, so I studied many Goguryeo murals."

He continued, "Through Goguryeo murals, I saw dragons painted on the ceiling. I assumed they would not have drawn something completely unknown, so I decided to write as if I had returned to that time to view them together. I visited many book concerts over the past year and a half and observed readers. I found that what they were most curious about was, 'What do you refer to when writing?' I wanted to broadcast how I write, so I included both the Goguryeo era and the modern era."

"Our Neighborhood Library" is Cha In-pyo's first full-length novel in two years. It follows the story of "I," a modern-day author writing a novel in a library, and Beon-gak, a painter from the Goguryeo era, and adopts the genre of "meta-fiction," where the reader intervenes in the novel.

"Our Neighborhood Library" begins with an author writing a novel about Beon-gak, a Goguryeo painter, every day at a neighborhood library. Beon-gak is a character who refuses to paint anything he has not seen with his own eyes. However, he is forced to paint a portrait of a nobleman using his life as collateral and is placed in a situation where he must paint a "dragon" whose existence has not been confirmed. One day, a "dragon" appears before the real-world author writing in the library, mocking the desire to become a best-selling author and the limits of creativity. The novel also depicts a self-reflective journey on how one can connect with others, such as a reader met at the library.

Cha In-pyo previously published "One Day We Will Look at the Same Star" in 2024, which gained attention for addressing the issue of comfort women victims of the Japanese military in language accessible to teenagers. The book was selected as a Korean studies textbook at Oxford University in the UK, solidifying his position as an author. His 2022 novel "Mermaid Hunting" revealed concerns about environmental destruction caused by human greed and selfishness, as depicted through the legend of mermaids on the east coast and humans attempting to catch mermaids to extract oil (mermaid oil) for immortality. The work won the 14th Hwang Sun-wonMoon Hak-sang-eul (수상)award.

Cha In-pyo became an author starting with his 2009 full-length novel "Goodbye, Hill." He subsequently wrote "Their Day," "One Day We Will Look at the Same Star," and others. On this day, he published his new full-length novel, "Our Neighborhood Library."

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*This content was translated by AI.