Lee Seung-u

Lee Seung-u (, born 21 February 1959) is a South Korean writer.

Life Lee Seung-u was born in Jangheung, Jeollanam-do in 1959. Lee Seung-u graduated from Seoul Theological University and studied at Yonsei University Graduate School of Theology. One of the outstanding writers to have emerged in South Korea after the political repression of the 1980s, he is today professor of Korean Literature at Chosun University. In 1993 Lee's The Reverse Side of Life was awarded the 1st Daesan Literary Award Other works, including A Conjecture Regarding Labyrinth and To the Outside of the World face up to disillusionment pursuant to the corruption and devaluation of language.

Among Lee Seung-u's works, only full-length novels have been translated into English and French, although he has published a great number of short story collections in the past three decades, due in part to the climate of the Korean literary world in which a writer's capacity is evaluated mostly through short stories published in literary journals. La vida secreta de las plantas (Ermitano, 2010) (, 2012) Тайная жизнь растений (Hyperion, 2013) Magnolia Park (ASIA Publishers, 2013) Ici comme ailleurs (Éditions Gallimard, 2013) Prywatne Życie Roślin (Kwiaty Orientu, 2016)

Works in Korean (partial) Novels A Portrait of Erysichton (Erysichton-ui chosang 1981) In the Shadow of Thorny Bushes Warm Rain (Ttatteuthan bi) Gold Mask (Hwanggeumgamyeon) The Reverse Side of Life (Saeng-ui imyeon 1992) The Private Life of Plants (2000) The Old Diary (2008) The Gaze of Meridian (2009) The Song of the Ground (2012)

Short story collections Mr. Koo Pyeongmok's Cockroach (Gu pyeongmok-ssi-ui bakwibeollae 1987) About Eclipse To the Outside of the World (Sesang bakkeuro 1991) A Conjecture Regarding the Labyrinth (Mingung-e dachan 1994) Magnolia Park (Mongyeon gong-won 1998)

Awards New Writer's Award, given by Korean Literature (1981) 1st Daesan Literary Award (1993) Dong-seo Literary Prize (2002) Lee Hyo-seok Literary Prize (2003) Contemporary Literature (Hyundae Munhak) Award (2007) Hwang Sun-won Literary Award (2010) Dong-in Literary Award (2013) Yi Sang Literary Award (2021)