"An answer only the wind knows, a person only the wind knows."
Jump far inside

Wind, pull, and travel… … .
The writings of Lee Byeong-ryul, who wanders the world without a fixed destination or entanglements, following his heart, inevitably smell like the wind.
The scent of the wind is also present in the poetry collections 『The Wind's Private Life』『Brilliance』『Snowman Inn』, as well as in the travel books 『Attraction』, 『The Wind Blows, I Like You』, and 『The Person Next to Me』, which have been most loved by readers over the past 10 years.


He then published his first 'collection of conversations'.
Between the poetry and prose collections, I wanted to let you hear his voice, which only the wind could understand.
Book Nomad CEO Donghee Yoon, who has always admired his writing, read his books, and worked with him as a junior to create books, asked a question and the poet answered.


They first started talking in the summer of 2015, and grew closer as the book came out the following summer.
About the poet's favorite drink, about writing that is imbued with romantic feelings that seem to be slightly drunk, about liking people, about hating people, about work and rest, about abundance and poverty, about the pilgrimage called life, about leaving the world behind with only memories, and about poetry, which is his everything, about literature, about travel... ... In order not to cling to things that cannot be explained, and to collect conversations that everyone could nod to as much as possible, I was able to compile them into one book after discarding many stories.
Even when asked about his childhood memories or the common question of why he writes poetry, his answers are poignant, filled with a tinge of sadness.
So brilliant.
His words, as he says that it was the world that embraced him until now, and that it was you who allowed him to feel love, shine so brightly.

The artist's path is somewhat determined.
If I had to say one thing, it would be that for those who have not encountered a major 'deficiency', the point that they can reach through literature is very far away.
Even when you start writing, there are constant deficiencies, failures, frustrations, neglect, and feelings of defeat.
You have to be in it and keep going through it.
I hope that I can experience, physically and mentally, some degree of minority tendencies and hardships.
If you have talent and put in the effort, of course you will get some results.
As if erupting.

Before a person who writes poetry for the first time can think of what he has written as poetic, he must know how far he has to go to become poetry.
In this urgent world, poetry is largely a spiritual thing.
It's something spiritual and aesthetic that goes beyond the emotional and sentimental to reach a few levels.
There are such subtle yet enormous differences in everything we call 'poetry'.
The process of going down that path is enjoyable but difficult, painful but also joyful.

We all live our lives doing something in a 'battle with alone time', so the question is just simple.
If you ask me, "What do you do on your day off?" I'll answer one or two things, and then I'll think, "Do I have to do the same thing every day on my day off?"
I think the question ultimately tells us who the person is.
I don't know if it's because of smartphones, but I feel like people these days aren't meeting people at all.
Because we don't meet, we don't know how to meet.
Because we don't meet, even if we do meet, we break up soon.

We're all sick.
The disease called loneliness.
But for a young person, loneliness can be a medicine.
Because loneliness arises from the way we try to ‘exist’ on our own.
I think it's okay to think of it as a privilege, but today's youth are too protective of themselves and love themselves excessively.
Loving yourself is important.
It is the most necessary part for a person to live as a person and become a person, but it is a bit much to love yourself too much and lean towards loneliness.
How much time you spend alone is ultimately what makes you shine.
If you manage your 'cells of loneliness' well, you will become a good person, a better person.
This is absolutely certain.

The reason why we need literature is very simple.
This world needs music.
This world needs art.
I live a life so hectic that I don't even know if I'm human and I'm going through a series of problems and conflicts.
Even if you eat three full meals a day and live with the person you love, in the space between you and the person you love, there should be poetry, music, and paintings hanging.
Things that make a 'thud' sound.
I might have wondered at one point whether I could live without them, but I actually believe that without them, my body would be uncomfortable and life would be scary.
I also believe that poetry, music, and art sympathize with us and fill in our weaknesses.
That's why I have no choice but to write poetry.


If you want to do a good job, you have to love the person.
Because it's work, it can't help but be difficult.
If I love the people I work with first, I will be victorious in that work.
This is true.

Before that, I used to drink a lot with my friends.
Of course, I drank for work too.
6-7 days a week, for 3-4 years straight.
But after that day, I started drinking less.
That day, Sewol… … .
I was staying at senior Heo Su-gyeong's house in Münster, Germany, when I heard the news about the Sewol ferry disaster.
Senior Heo Su-gyeong's German husband tells it in English...
After that day, even when I met people, it was difficult to sit in a welcoming place.
From around that time on, I started drinking less.
I have to do public work and keep promises to other people, but I made a resolution to reduce the number of things I do because I like them and the number of relationships I reach out to because I like them.
Let's not meet everyone we miss, Lee Byeong-ryul, you should come to your senses too...
Even for a stupid individual, that draws a clear line.
A single layer like the curtain of the Sewol ferry surrounds us, and even though we live inside it, it doesn't feel like we're living.
I still find it strange that I live in this country and in this state.

People often ask me what I absolutely must bring when I travel, and if it were me, I would definitely bring a good memory device.
A good memory device is not something technical, but above all, it must be 'empty'.
It's empty so it fits well.
Going into a state of great emptiness, like a state of loneliness or deprivation.
You're going to be very exhausted.
That way, you can absorb it well.
At times like that, most things are beautiful and I am grateful for the little things.


Rather than being a poet who stands against the times, he is a poet who stands against ‘people.’
If heaven had given the poet a certain role, what would it be?
The answer lies with the poet, or rather, rather than the answer, the basis for it can be found in the poet's poetry and life.
My role as a poet is to color the next generation beautifully.
I will not let the next generation be greedy or look at the world with a shallow mind.
You must be a good poet.

There is a place where you can forget love.
I'll let you know.
Finland, a national highway in winter.
The road is covered in snow, and the coniferous trees on both sides of the road are covered in snow, making it difficult to tell the path.
The scenery of Finland's snow country is just that.
If you're bored in the car, you can just roll your eyes and watch, but that'll get boring soon.
Suddenly, in front of that scenery.
The way I lived, strangely enough, made me think that maybe my feelings for the person I liked weren't complicated.
Perhaps from the boring we find clarity.
It's like when love is boring, or this level of happiness is boring, or when you feel like you can't bear it anymore, something becomes clear.
Strangely enough, life goes on like that, following the windpipe.

If you love someone, you have to sleep.
Not sleeping while holding hands.
Because sleep is also a part of emotions.
But then I felt like we were getting closer, like everything would be okay.
I don't like that.
It feels like we're becoming easier for each other.
Is it normal for everyone to be like that after experiencing an animalistic situation?

It takes time for us to break up with someone and forget them.
But eventually you have to forget it.
Because I have to live.
That's the truth.
Something that needs to be shaken off somehow.
So you forget, and you are forgotten.
In the end, you can break up and forget because you choose life over love.
But I think that's not what our bodies suddenly remember.

I don't want to work with someone who is good at studying.
I enjoy working with people who have talent, passion, or at least some potential.
Studying is important, but it's hopeless if that study is only used to get a job.
Studying is absolutely necessary because it makes a person, but I often see people who study a lot but are not good people.
As you said, studying becomes faith.
There is a lot of enthusiasm for education, but the level is not up to par.
I think it's a sign that the world has become one where studying isn't just about opening a book.

No wonder the nickname I want to give myself is 'Fragile Tag'.
You know those 'handle with care' tags you put on your luggage at the airport?

--- From the text