Touching Tomorrow atPukyong National University
NEW BEGINNING, NEW INSPIRATION
Pukyong Today List
| What are you doing? | |||
| WRITER | Department of External Cooperation | WRITE DAY | 2014-02-20 |
| COUNT | 1451 | ||
| What are you doing? | |||||
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Department of External Cooperation |  |
2014-02-20 |  |
1451 |
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"Don't be afraid of new start and take a look at yourself constantly" How stern sentence is! The sentence is waking him up constantly from the laziness.
What is the meaning of this sentence to him as he is seventy-five years old? We could know the background of this sentence through the interview article. We could even feel his attitude and special skills for living life.
This article is quite long. It is over 100 pages of 200 character manuscript paper. The summary of the article posted on <Busan Story> which is monthly magazine of Busan city and the original posted on BUVI News (http://news.busan.go.kr) which is internet news of Busan city.
The main title of this article is 「'The Beautiful Old Age' Ask the way of old age to Writer Kang Nam-Ju」.
Let's see recent state of him.
"I've been busy writing novels. I wrote down 8 short stories, and I'm preparing to write literary magazine. I'm also writing about 500 pages of 'Yuhamado' which is middle-length story about pictures of Byun-Bak who is a painter of the Joseon Dynasty period staying a temple of Shikoku in Japan."
Have a look the article more. He worked as a journalist of a press when he was young, and he changed his job as a professor of Busan Fisheries College (former university of PKNU) when he was 40 years old. After that, he worked as the president of the university and retired on reaching retirement age. For quite long lifetime, he has been poet, essayist, and literary critic as side works without being lazy on his own job. After retirement, he had been in charge of representative director of Busan Cultural Foundation and manager of Chosun Tongsinsa Cultural Business Team, so he led exchange of international culture through changes of Busan cultural administration.
At 75 years old, which is old enough to do Goryeojang in Goryeo Dynasty period, he became a new novelist, He recently won the novel contest of the 61th Rookie Literary Works of 「Study of Literature」 which is a literary magazine published quarterly.
What is the reason of becoming a novelist and the meaning of having a new start at the middle of 70's?
He said that the new starting means that excavating a possibility. "Another meaning of recklessness is challenging for creation. People usually don't know their inherent potential and finish their life. I might be same with them. I wanted to write novel from when I was young, but I spent all of my time on studying, employment, and teaching. I'm old now, but I still have a passion about writing novel," he said.
Then, what is his driving force of furious activity?
"It is my attitude and mind. A day shall be passed whatever I waste it or do my best for something. Which side should I choose, then? I just decided to do my best for things I like for the given time. I just wrote down ten pieces of literature, but I have nothing achieved yet. Therefore, I should work hard not to regret my life at the end of my life. The thought that I run until I can run, that is the force of making me keep going," he said.
Then, how does he care his health?
When he wakes up in the morning, he sits up the place where he slept and take a deep breath for ten times. There is no special way or procedure of it, but just taking a deep breath with abdominal breathing. Then, he moves his shoulder and shakes his hands and legs. As the last, he drinks a cup of cold water. It makes him refreshed and wake up, so it has been changed as his important habit in the morning. Eating meals on time and not too much is also a way of his caring himself.
The secret of his health is moving his body busily in his regular life without concerning his health too much.
On the interview, he emphasized that students shouldn't accommodate to trend. He said that focusing on one thing is important. He said that there is not popular or unpopular study, but the attitude toward the study makes it.
His saying is for his students who are studying Korean language and literature (he used to be professor of the major) which is not good major for getting a job by emphasizing 'the attitude to a study'. Even though a study looks unimportant, the study has alpha and omega which are in every studies. The major of Korean language and literature doesn't seem good for getting a job, but actually it is in need of every fields of industry. It can be applied to other majors as well.
He also said about a way of living life that we need to accept other's opinions and don't hurt them as people should live together.
He mentioned that literature should be done alone. He thinks that writing poem is more productive rather than attending literature meetings. He is attending literature event, but he tries to avoid dining with Soju with others.
"I don't know about tomorrow. Does anyone know when they will die? I just want to be the hard-working rookie until I die. If I can die in front of my unfinished novel, I won't have any regret about my life at all," he said.
He also mentioned about his rest of life plan that he wants to keep writing without conflicts with others and to live taking a look himself constantly without hesitating in front of new start with the sentence 'what are you doing'.
The interviewer asked like this: you've been lived various ways such as journalist, professor, president, poet, cultural administrator, and novelist, so what kind of person do you want to be remembered?
He answered that he doesn't care he is remembered as which kind of person. He said he just wants other people to remember me who lived his life without shame.
He wants to live his life more maturely. It is difficult for sure, but we know that that is our hope as well. For that, we need to ask every time what we are doing with taking a look ourselves.
□ Who is Kang Nam-Ju?
He was born in 1939 in Ha-Dong, Kyeong-Nam. Graduated Busan Fisheries College, Doctor's degree at Pusan National University, journalist in Busan MBC(1964), deputy head of newsroom of Joongang Ilbo(1968), professor in Pukyong National University(1978), president of Pukyong National University(2000), manager of Chosun Tongsinsa Cultural Business Team(2003), honorary professor of Renmin University of China(2004), representative director of Busan Cultural Foundation(2008)
○Prize: Bongsaeng Culture Award(in literature, 1989), Fishermen Culture Award(1990), Culture Award of Busan City(1992), Il-Mac Culture grand prize(2001), Chung-Jo medal for officers(2004)
○ literary world: Started literary career through recommendation to 「Poetry」in 1975. 9 books of poetry, 3 review books, and 2 collections of essays published. Entered novelist career through winning the novel contest of the 61th Rookie Literary Works of 「Study of Literature」in 2013 <Pukyong Today> |
'What are you doing?' This is the former president of Pukyong National University Kang Nam-Ju's status message of his Kakao Talk. It looks like a sentence either for himself or for others.