Authors redefine 'home' as a place of built relationships and shared time at Gunsan book talk

The book "We Do Not Reside" redefines the concept of home, moving beyond a mere birthplace to a place where relationships are forged and time is accumulated. This idea was central to a recent book talk held at Wolmyeong Seojai in Gunsan, attended by seven of the book's ten co-authors, novelist Hwang Sok-yong, and politician Kim Eui-gyeom.

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Writing about 'me' naturally became a story about Gunsan.

Contributors shared how their personal narratives intertwined with Gunsan. Son Jin, for instance, found connections in the city's proximity to water, linking it to his experiences in Venice and Naples. Kim Na-ryeong spoke of reconnecting with the Korean language and discovering her identity through her ties to Gunsan. For painter Yoon Ji-won, Gunsan evokes a "nostalgia for things not experienced," viewing the city through the lens of John Berger's "ability to read sadness." She noted how the city's decaying landscapes, remnants of American military culture, and time bypassed by development create a unique emotional texture.

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Gunsan is a city that makes you feel nostalgic for things you haven't experienced.

Other authors highlighted their experiences of building new lives in Gunsan. Lee Hyeong-yeol moved from Seoul, finding new relationships and cherishing his time in the unfamiliar city as a "shining memory of the latter half of life." He believes that "memories scatter, so if you leave them in writing, you can meet yourself again someday." For Bum Eun-kyung, Gunsan transformed from a childhood memory of "a city with a sea" into a place of affection discovered through literature and film, embodying the sentiment, "If you see, you know; if you know, you love."

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Memories scatter, so if you leave them in writing, you can meet yourself again someday.

Novelist Hwang Sok-yong emphasized that "the most important value of the 21st century is 'everyday life,'" stating that "the present 'I' exists within the sum of very detailed and unremarkable memories experienced by individuals." He praised the book for revealing "the brilliance of scattered pieces of mother-of-pearl, full of small everyday lives." Mayor of Gunsan, Kim Jae-joon, quoted Yoon Ji-won's observation that "Gunsan goes well with jazz. Decline is not something that disappears but a chance to start anew. Gunsan, which can be reinterpreted, is jazz itself." Ultimately, the book suggests that true residence in a city is achieved when people share memories and make space for each other's lives.

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If you see, you know, and if you know, you love.