An Interview with DuckSoo Yi

Born on February 15, 1940, Ducksoo Yi earned his B.A. from Yeungnam University in February 1966, and his M.A. from the Graduate School of Yeungnam University in February 1971. He studied English literature as a Graduate Member at Darwin College, Cambridge, for a year in 1981 and earned his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Yeungnam University in August 1984. Further, Ducksoo Yi served as Professor at Yeungnam University from 1978 to 2005 and Emeritus Professor from 2005 to present.

His publications include annotated translations of twenty-six titles of Shakespeare’s plays and poems (Hyeongseol Publishing Co., 1987–2005), The Modes of Tragic Conflict in Shakespearean Tragedies (Hyeongseol Publishing Co., 1992), The Modes of Comic Conflict in Shakespearean Comedies (Yeungnam University Press, 2002), and Afterlife Oriented Culture and Present-Life Oriented Culture: East Arian Acceptance of Hamlet (Yeungnam University Press, 2019).

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

When human beings are born into this world as living beings, they face two universal problems: one is the question of how to survive biologically, and the other is the question of what cultural or philosophical meaning of life is given to them and how they can live their lives in accordance with that meaning.

However, I had to live my teenage years, only immersed in the question of how to survive. I had to do my best to survive during my childhood in the midst of World War II and the Korean War. When the Korean War ended, only my mother and I could survive among my family of ten, including my great-grandparents and my grandparents, my father, my mother, my uncle, me, and my two younger sisters.

Nevertheless, I majored in English literature in college and received a PhD studying Shakespeare in graduate school and spent my entire life studying and teaching Shakespeare at the university. During that time, I could say that I had forgotten the memories of our miserable survival. However, after my mother passed away, while reading the song of reminiscence (Hoesanggok: A Lyrical Memoir) she left behind, I was struck with regret that I had been too indifferent to another issue in life, survival. At the bottom of my consciousness, the memories of the disastrous life I experienced while surviving my teenage years began to rise and torment me. At the same time, I became skeptical of the research I had been immersed in at university. At this very moment, aren’t countless people around the world struggling to survive on the borderline between life and death due to miserable wars and extreme poverty? What on earth would Hamlet’s line, “To be or not to be,” mean to them? They must survive without any preconditions. That is why I wrote A Record of Our Survival. And that is why I decided to write this book in English, not Korean, my native language, and publish it in the United States so that more people around the world can read it, and that’s why I asked the publisher to make the price as low as possible.

For a time, Korea was in despair amid the ruins of war, but now they say that Korea has grown into one of the world’s top ten economies, which is an example that cannot be found in any other country in the world. The reason Koreans were able to do so was, above all, because they have preserved their deep-rooted cultural traditions, but it was also because of the strong will of Koreans to improve their living conditions and systems without giving up on life in the face of any adversity. So I sincerely wanted to let them know that any country or people in the world can become an advanced country economically and politically if they do not lose heart and have a strong will.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

I have published many books in Korean here in Korea, but this is my first time publishing a book in English, so I was very excited and curious. I was especially happy to be able to share my experience with people who are suffering from war and poverty in the world, because I know that there are many people who can read English.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

As I mentioned earlier, A Lyrical Memoir, written by my mother, had a decisive influence on me writing this book.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

During my teenage years, I did everything I could only to survive, but since graduating from college, I have only lived as a teacher or professor.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

I think the most rewarding thing is that we can share some of the Korean experiences with many people around the world.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I hope that this book will help people realize how sacred it is to survive, especially for humans, but also for all other living beings, and give them the courage to live. I especially hope that this book will help the leaders of society, who do not hesitate to trample on the lives of countless people just to satisfy their own political greed, to realize the sacredness of life.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I am currently thinking about and preparing to publish my academic works in English, but I am not sure if my advanced age will allow me to do so.

I think the most rewarding thing is that we can share some of the Korean experiences with many people around the world.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

Yes, it was truly a special and rewarding experience in my life to be able to publish a book with Atmosphere Press.

Although I have published several academic books in Korea, this was my first time having a book published by an American publisher, so everything was new and a little bit of a challenge.

First of all, I didn’t know that all the departments of the publishing company were scattered all over the United States and even in Brazil, but they all worked together as if they were working in one office. They were all kind and competent, so even though I had no idea about the practices of American publishing companies, was old, and had to communicate all through e-mail because English was not my native language, they guided me kindly and accurately, and I was able to publish the book without a hitch. I am deeply grateful for that.

The reason I wanted to publish the book in English in the United States this time was because the content of the book was not academic but a record of the bitter experiences of Koreans in the past century, and I wanted to share it with many people around the world who are still suffering from war and poverty.

Based on my experience, I would highly recommend Atmosphere Press to anyone who is planning to publish a book in the United States, even if they do not live there.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.