Actor Cha In-pyo has shared his honest thoughts after winning the Newcomer Award at the Hwang Sun-won Literary Award.
A press conference was held on the 27th in Jung-gu, Seoul, to celebrate the publication of Cha In-pyo’s new novel, ‘Our Neighborhood Library’.
Last year, Cha In-pyo was named the winner of the Newcomer Award for his 2022 novel, ‘Mermaid Hunt’.
Sharing the behind-the-scenes story, Cha In-pyo revealed, “I was contacted before the award was given, but I actually refused at first. While I was incredibly happy and grateful, I felt like it might become a shackle.”
He explained his reasoning, saying, “I started as a public entertainer and still am, receiving more attention than I deserve for half my life. Pure literature is a field where many have dedicated themselves for a long time. I felt it would be shameless for me to receive an award here as well. I politely declined, thinking about how much more difficult it would be for those who write better and work harder but are struggling.”
However, he eventually accepted the award after being persuaded by the organizers. He noted, “I accepted it humbly. But for a month after receiving it, I stopped writing. I spent a lot of time worrying that my writing seemed too childish.”
Meanwhile, ‘Our Neighborhood Library’, published on the 27th, is a work of ‘metafiction’ that intertwines the story of a modern-day writer and ‘Beon-gak’, a painter from the Goguryeo era.
