Disposable life

Mom's Secret
Children and Robots
Yaro's Hope
A thousand wells
Waltz of Expectation and Disappointment
Ship of Theseus
I don't know
The meaning of suffering that became a scandal
leave
Where a ferry without a captain can reach
Dragon of Dance
Graph of life
moral luck
What comfort

Reviews, Thanks, and 'How to Use Life'

How I became who I am
“I have a responsibility to live this life well.”

Kim Young-ha's prose has been faithful to the present.
From 『Reason for Travel』, which contains all the travels I have taken, to 『Answer that has been prepared for a long time』, which depicts a humanistic journey in Sicily, to 『Dadadada』, which stands out for its unconventional thinking and sharp insight that penetrates the depths.
Kim Young-ha has been communicating with readers by recording and sharing what he has seen, experienced, and felt.
When I developed my thoughts based on the experiences I had diligently accumulated, episodes from my life often came out naturally, but I rarely directly brought out my own life.
In this prose, ‘life’ comes to the forefront.


If we consider our lives as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, then the only life we ​​can dare to talk about is our own.
The title, which was originally "How to Use Life" when it was serialized in the newsletter, was changed to its current title based on the author's insight that it is difficult to make confident statements about life.
Not only the title, but also the content and structure were refined and revised over time after the serialization ended in August of last year to match the weight of the story, which can only be written once in a lifetime.
The story begins at the mother's funeral.
The secrets that my mother, who passed away from Alzheimer's, kept while she was alive are revealed.
I also look back on the first expectations and disappointments I had toward my father.
The author takes a long, careful look at his past life to see what meaning the memories he had simply accumulated in one corner of his heart have.
Relationships with parents, memories of childhood, the warm hostility and ordinary hospitality of school days, the lifestyle choices made as an adult… … Kim Young-ha shares the small yet meaningful moments of everyday life in his signature plain and intuitive writing style, while confronting head-on the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with the fact that life is ‘disposable.’
Born in 1968, Kim Young-ha, who has just reached the turning point of his life, seeks his own answer to the question, “Why am I who I am today?”


And how to live
Looking back on yesterday and recording today's journey toward tomorrow

The story naturally leads into the reader's life.
Just as Kim Young-ha looked back on the time that had passed while organizing his memories, readers will also look back on their own 'one life' while reading this book.
He calmly reflects on the choices he has made in the relationships he has encountered throughout his life and the roles required of him by society.
But this retrospective is not simply a recollection of the past; it brings to mind the questions that each of us harbors.
At what moments do we anticipate, feel disappointed, and find our way again?
Why did we make certain choices, or not make certain choices, and how did that affect who I am today?


The stories in books create a space where readers can project their own lives.
The emotions I felt as I experienced my mother's aging and death remind me of the moment of separation that each of us will face at some point.
Honest confessions about family history and memories of different periods make us look back on the meaning of the past that we may have overlooked.
And so I come to realize that the moments that I once took for granted are the very things that shaped my life.
We make one choice in life every day, sometimes with regret, sometimes with relief.

That is why 『One Life』 does not remain as a memoir of a novelist.
Instead of giving advice or telling the reader the right answers to life, he shares with the readers the questions life has posed to him.
Have I ever had a moment like this?
What have I missed, and what am I keeping and living for?
"One Life," which can be read like an autobiographical novel, provides readers with a narrative experience that naturally transforms the author's unique life episodes into their own stories.

Although we all live our lives in different ways, we all ultimately face the same questions.
'How did I become who I am?' and 'How should I live this one and only life?' Kim Young-ha wrote down his answers in this book.
Now it's the reader's turn.
After you've finished reading the book, why not try leaving your own record?
We need time to reminisce, process our emotions, and be honest with ourselves.