ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - 10th edition of Catholic Literary Award goes to two works: parent/ child relationship and the power of forgiveness

Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Literary Award, instituted by the Catholic Times in 1998 for authors who sublime the Catholic spirit in literature, celebrated this year its 10th edition. On June 7 at the Uri Bank Auditorium in Seoul the award was presented to “Sh!” by Yoakim Mun In-su and “Our happy Times” by Mary Gong Ji-yeong. Present for the ceremony Bishop Thaddeus Cho Hwan-kil, auxiliary of the diocese of Daegu and Bishop Basil Cho Kyu-man, auxiliary of Seoul, representatives of the literary world and writers. Many of those present, not members of the Church, praised the quality of the selected works.
“Sh!” is a collection of poems which offers a panorama of serious and extraordinary events of life. The poem after which the book is named presents the relationship between a son of seventy and a father of ninety. Whereas the novel “Our happy Times” describes a meeting between a man condemned to death and a woman who has attempted suicide three times. It demonstrates the power of forgiveness and expresses the value of true love. The book was made into a film with the same title which reawakened interest in the question of the death penalty and an opportunity to reflect on the essence of human dignity. (K.P.) (Agenzia Fides 18/6/2007; righe 15, parole 225)