#hwangsunmi

I recently finished reading "The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly" by Hwang Sun-mi.  I bought the book at the 10 Magazine Book Club Event with the author last month. 

The book is a fast read and keeps you thinking from the first to the last page.  I really identified with the Hen and her little duckling (yes, you read that right).  I laughed, I hoped, I contemplated, and I cried.  It really is a beautiful story about fighting for your dreams and letting go of things beyond our control. 

In short, it is a story of a hen who dreams of leaving the coop to live like the other animals on the farm.  When she escapes from the coop, she quickly comes face to face with the outside world.  A world that is both free and yet full of dangers, she struggles to raise a duckling as her own and protect it from the predators lurking in the wild. 

This story really spoke to me because it reminded me of my life in Korea and my family back home.  One major theme in the story is the fact that a hen cannot fly while a duck can fly.  Having delayed my own inner desire to live abroad for a long time partly due to my closeness with my family, I finally fully realized those dreams in 2011 when I moved to Korea.  As with the hen in the story, it took time for my mother to come to terms with having a desire for me to be home yet also understanding my almost innate need to be abroad and "spread my wings". 

Yesterday, I attended my second of the 10 Magazine Book Club events. This time around, the special guest was:

Hwang Sun-mi (황선미)

Hwang is the author of the popular book:

"The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly"

The event was once again excellently thoughtful and inspiring.  They really know how to pick interesting and engaging guests. 

Hwang Sun-mi seemed very quiet and direct at first, but as the interview and audience questions went on, she showed a very kind, emotive, and open-minded attitude.  Speaking in Korean, they had an interpreter from Hanguk University translate into English.  I would say overall she interpreter did a very fine job.

I was able to pick up a copy of the book "The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly" on discount at the event.  Hwang Sun-mi also stayed after to sign copies for anyone interested.  I'm now about three chapters into the book and will share further thoughts on the story after I complete it. 

For now, here are a few highlights from the interview:

1. English vs. Korean Title: While the English title is "The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly", the Korean title, if directly translated, is slightly different.  "마당을 나온 암탉" would translate into: The Hen (암탉) who went outside (나오다) the coop/yard (마당). 

2. Hwang Sun-mi's inspiration for the story is based on her father and his battle with terminal cancer.  Hence, she makes it very clear that while students or children who read the book may question the role of death in the story, she wanted to emphasize that while death may be sad, what that person leaves behind is something to be treasured and that she didn't want to avoid the topic in her story.

3. Hwang Sun-mi shared a greatly open mind about her stories being translated into other languages and what readers may take away from her stories.  She does not suggest that the reader should only get one view from the story and stated that she doesn't write with the goal of pushing an agenda or a specific emotion on the reader.

  Another great even and I look forward to the next one.

  For future book club events:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/10magazinebookclub/

She will also be a featured author at the London Book Fair this year, so if you are in London please take the time to see her speak on Wednesday April 9, 2014: