On 22 May 2024, Min Jin Lee, acclaimed author of the bestselling novel Pachinko, gave a talk as part of the Ra Jong-Yil Lecture Series at the University of Cambridge. Hosted by the Korean Studies Section of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, the event was opened by Dr John Nilsson-Wright and moderated by Dr Nuri Kim. An enthusiastic audience of around three hundred people welcomed our speaker who offered many personal and inspirational insights into her career in a warm and engaging atmosphere. Lee discussed numerous topics such as her own humble beginnings as an author of unorthodox background, the precariousness that accompanies the life of many writers, her engagement with the Korean Wave, her future works, and her experience teaching writing to undergraduate students. She also talked about her own influence from nineteenth-century British literature, her hopes in people in a time of polarization, while also offering heartfelt advice to early-career writers and academics.
The event demonstrated the tremendous interest in Min Jin Lee’s work by people of a wide variety of backgrounds. The talk also displayed the universal appeal that the experiences of a small minority group can generate. Lee revealed that she will continue to work on the Korean diaspora, with her next book being American Hagwon and another project looking at Koreans in Europe. Lee also enjoyed the company of our Korean Studies students who showed her around Cambridge which included stop at the Zainichi book exhibition currently underway in the University Library. Lee’s visit to Cambridge was a great opportunity to commemorate her achievements and the community that has formed around her work.
The event marked the fourteenth occasion of the lecture series named after Dr Ra Jong-Yil, former South Korean ambassador to the UK and Japan, and an alumnus of the University of Cambridge.