'Our Neighborhood Library' Cha In-pyo: "♥Shin Ae-ra asked me, 'How is your imagination so good?' after reading my novel"

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Cha In-pyo spoke about the praise he received from his wife, Shin Ae-ra.

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

Cha In-pyo said, "While holding book concerts, I realized how much they have influenced me. Before publishing the book and meeting readers, I lacked gratitude because I was not in an environment where I could face the public. However, after publishing the book and meeting readers at book concerts, I came to see the reality of my readers. Each and every one of them is a precious individual just like me, with joys and sorrows, and I felt that they were trying to gain something through the book concerts amidst their difficulties. Some shared stories of their battles with illness, and when I heard them say they had read my book well, I thought, 'These are the people who have made me a novelist.'"

He added, "My wife even asked me, 'How is your imagination so good?' After realizing once again the existence of my readers, I felt that even my own imagination must be a trace of the people I have met. Humans are beings that stimulate and influence each other."

Regarding how the two fields of actor and novelist have influenced Cha In-pyo, he explained, "Many novelists also work in other professions. I am simply doing another job alongside writing. However, because I read many scripts, when I write a novel, I try to visualize it and think in terms of full shots. Some people say my novels feel like watching a movie."

'Our Neighborhood Library' is Cha In-pyo's first full-length novel in two years. It is a metafiction genre that tells the story of 'I,' a modern writer writing a novel in a library, and Beon-gak, a painter from the Goguryeo era, while also featuring readers intervening within the novel.

'Our Neighborhood Library' begins with a writer 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 who holds his life hostage, putting him in a situation where he must paint a 'dragon' whose existence has not been confirmed. One day, a 'dragon' appears before the writer in the present who is writing in the library, shaking off his desire to become a best-selling author and mocking the limits of creation. The novel also depicts a self-reflective journey on how one can connect with others, such as readers met at the library.

Cha In-pyo previously published 'Someday We Will Look at the Same Star' in 2024, a work that gained attention for addressing the issue of comfort women from the Japanese military in language accessible to teenagers. This book was selected as a Korean studies textbook at Oxford University in the UK, solidifying his position as a writer. His 2022 novel 'Mermaid Hunting' revealed concerns about environmental destruction caused by human greed and selfishness, depicting a mermaid appearing in East Coast legends and humans trying to catch the mermaid to extract oil (fish oil) and achieve immortality. The novel won the 14th Hwang Sun-wonMoon Hak-sang-eul (수상)award.

Cha In-pyo became a writer starting with his 2009 full-length novel 'Goodbye, Hill.' He has since written 'Their Day' and 'Someday We Will Look at the Same Star.' On this day, he published his new full-length novel 'Our Neighborhood Library.'

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*This content was translated by AI.