How many memories can we store?
How long can we keep old memories?
Sometimes, we forget our yesterday's memories completely but can still remember clearly memories from long time ago as if it were yesterday.
Not long ago, on Dec.12,2018 I was invited at a book publishing party at Dallas, Texas and I attended there.
The title of the book is "The Way Back Home" which collected memories from the Korean-War from 17members of Association of Northern Province of Korea of North Texas and took more than one year and a half.
I got curious as to why this book was published not in Korea, and not on June 25(the starting day of the Korean War). Also, why was it not published in New York or Los Angeles or other more Korean-populated cities?
Who made this book and why was it made?
Soon, I realized that for this book to be published, there were endless efforts, passions and dutiful minds from the writer Park In Ae.
She has served as the 5th Chairman of Dallas Literature Association, working as the Director of Korean Literature Society of America, and as a poet, essayist, and lecturer of literature class in JoongAng Newspaper’s Culture Center. She is teaching numerous students and more than 10students have already debuted as writers. Also, she acquired the 29th World Poetry Award, 26th Overseas Korean Literature Award and Grand Prize of International Literature.
Also, she has one more working experience as the General Affairs Manager of Association of Northern Korea Province of Korea of North Texas.
Her father is one of Northern Koreans who came down to the South during the Korean War and whenever she looked at father, she felt some sort of sympathy and anticipation. That was the reason of her participation in this Association.
Through this service, she learned and heard so many heart broken and frustrating stories from these members. She could realize that all their memories would disappear entirely and because of such anticipations, she made a decision to publish the book of memories of Korean-War.
Most of the stories in the book of "The Way Back Home" are rough and unrefined. But those memories were buried in their lives for along time, and were just woken up in this memories book without exaggeration or hidden truth. This is enough for this book to deliver meanings.
For many refugees who already settled down in new places, for them, the memories about what we call "home town" would be very occasional ones. However, the short times they had in their home town and farewells become their own sad songs and stay with them.
The first words from the guest speaker in this party, the retired lieutenant general, Richard Terry were "There is not much time remaining for me." it might also mean that the there is not enough tie left for him to deliver his whole story about the Korean War, which made me feel solemn.
Most stories of this book were told repeatedly by writers has told repeatedly for their whole lives. Living and dying, running and hiding endlessly are repeatedly remembering as if they happened yesterday. The history is not made only with big events but also with the stories on all lives in that past times.
However, if such real-life histories could not be delivered to the next generation, the stories, at any moment, would be disappeared along with winds.
All the stories in this book that Poet Park has collected and edited are true and have never been expressed before. This memory book contained columns of stories from Richard Perry, Chairman Kim Ji Hwan(Association of Northern Province), Kim Chonghee(Critics), Yoon sooa(poem), paintings of Kim gongsan and Cho shinho.
I am very happy to introduce clauses from Poet Park’s lovely poem.
In the village where the sound of
Hooves has been long gone,
A wordless iron horse passes through,
Pulling hundreds of striplings behind.
It chugs as it swallows the inner cries.
A foreign mule, after a lifelong servitude,
Broken down, now unsaddle,
Taking off the iron shoe.
The phrases are part of the poem "Mustang Park" in her poem book. I think this part represents Poet Park herself perfectly.
She is in sickness, tiredness and sadness too. All migrants who departedfrom their home countries have some similar emotions as Poet Park's. But, I believe she has more sensitive and delicate poetic minds. Even other than her works as a poet, she can hear and take actions. Just like a busy running mustang, she has been doing all her given tasks restlessly while setting up home and taking care of children. Still she is walking with tired body continuously on her own way.
Younger generation will say easily that we should over come and move on from our past history, forgetting and erasing our past.
However, we should listen carefully to lessons in our past history which is our duty. And in dark and hard times, our old generation gave their whole efforts to make the present world for us.
Now I am hoping for Poet Park's wishes that she wants even one more person join reading and listening to stories written in this book.
I sincerely wish that her life steps are like a mustang’s and can be lighter.
* 《쿨투라》 2019년 2월호(통권 56호) *
