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Lee Youngdo
South Korean novelist (born 1972) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lee Youngdo (Korean: 이영도; Hanja: 李英道; born 1972)[2] is a Korean novelist known for his work in the fantasy and science fiction genre. He is best known for his Dragon Raja series of fantasy novels which is also his debut work[2] and The Bird That Drinks Tears accalimed for its distinct races and unique worldbuilding.[3]
At the time Dragon Raja was first published in 1998, Korean readership for fantasy genre (specifically its medievalist form) was considered unsubstantial and unaccounted for by press; but Dragon Raja has sold close to 2 million books in 4 languages.[4][5][6] This was a significant feat for the fantasy genre in Korea where the annual circulation of domestic literature and fiction titles as a whole, ranges between 12~20 million copies.[7]
Dragon Raja's success has prompted a rapid growth of Korean fantasy and science fiction genre, and contributed to the growing acceptance of web fiction, referred to as "Internet literature", both by the country's general public and literary world.
Lee is currently one of the best-selling fantasy writers in Korea.[8][9]
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Background
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Early life
Lee was born in 1972 in Busan, South Korea, the first child of two brothers.[10] When Lee was 2 years old, his family moved to Masan in South Gyeongsang Province where he has lived since.[1] As a child he read heavily in various subjects.[11] In 1991 he entered Kyungnam University where he studied Korean language and literature.[12]
He started writing seriously from 1993, but didn't think that he would be writing novels.[13]
Beginnings of the "typer"
Mid-1990s were when fantasy and science fiction literature was just being introduced to Korea. Lee remembered that "if you asked people what is fantasy, they would say 'Isn't that like western martial arts'" in a 2008 interview.[14] He found the genre attractive and decided to try a story with it.[13] It was also when various online service providers similar to CompuServe in United States (but different in its interface being text-only) were emerging. Lee joined one such provider, Hitel, to start posting on its Serial forum what would be the first chapters of Dragon Raja.
Lee serialized Dragon Raja from October 1997 to April 1998, referring to himself as "typer" as he typed and didn't pen his work. The chapters quickly gained popularity and Lee's readers began waiting online for Lee to post the new ones. Lee usually posted his works well after midnight, and Lee's readers began calling themselves zombies, and Lee the Necromancer summoning them online every night.[2] Through its 6-month running, Dragon Raja accumulated 900,000 hits, and its publishing rights were soon taken by Golden Bough, an imprint of Minumsa Publishing Group. Beginning in May 1998, the novel was published in 12 paperback volumes.[2]
In the midst of his debut success, Lee began typing his second novel Future Walker, a sequel to Dragon Raja. Future Walker was serialised on the same forum from October 1998 to June 1999, and published in August by Golden Bough in 7 paperback volumes.
Lee continued to use Hitel's serial forum for writing his novels such as Polaris Rhapsody, The Bird That Drinks Tears, The Bird That Drinks Blood and a few short stories. All of these stories were published upon completion (and deleted from the forum) or collected in later publications by Golden Bough, which remains Lee's publisher today.
This practice of online serialization and getting published based on its popularity (estimated by the work's view counts) surged in fantasy, science, romance fiction in Korea. Online forums dedicated to these genres opened in hundreds by 2000[15] attracting prospective writers, and caused the boom of the Internet literature.[16]
Outside the forum he published a short story Over the Horizon as an e-book in 2000, and wrote a series of children's stories for RedPen study books published by Kyowon Co. Ltd.
After Hitel
The popularization of HTTP and the Web browser caused the decline of Hitel and other commercial online services, and Lee's readership on the forum was greatly reduced. But Lee continued to use Hitel forum to 2005, completing The Bird That Drinks Blood, the last of his multi-volume novels as of July 2014.[17]
After the forum was closed in 2007[18] Lee said in an interview that he was searching for a place to serialize his work online, saying that "the realtime feedback from the readers is a big joy, and I miss that feeling." But he found it difficult to find a replacement to the old text-only forum, which was "easier for [him] to access because [the forum]'s white text on blue limited one's expression to text, and it enabled [him] to show individuality purely through words." The web's increased sense of community and of the writer's presence thereby, made it more difficult for him. "I believe words and people are separate," Lee said, "some people may like a writing and want to find about the writer, but I don't."[14]
Between 2005 and 2008 Lee wrote several short stories for science fiction magazines, including Regarding the Translation of KAIWAPANDOM which has been translated into English.[19] There were talks of publishing Dragon Raja in the United States in 2006, to which Lee's response was "I don't want to disgrace our country."[20]
Lee's publisher Golden Bough has run an online community from 2000[21]where the publisher and Lee's fans discuss and actively participate in publication of Lee's current and upcoming works. There the publisher ran limited edition campaigns for Polaris Rhapsody in 2000 and for Dragon Raja 's 10-year anniversary in 2008. In 2011, a campaign for the new hardback edition for Future Walker has been announced.[22] In 2015, a new hardback edition for Polaris Rhapsody was released.[23]
Officially, not much is known about Lee's life outside writing, other than that he helps out at his parents' persimmon farm in his spare time.[14]
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Writing (or Typing)
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Since his debut with Dragon Raja Lee became known for his prolific writing, publishing 40 books including 6 novels in 7 years. When asked about his speed in writing, Lee said "it just gets written, and once started I can't contain it and sometimes write as much as [29 pages] a day"[9] but that "each line after line is hard still" nevertheless.[14]
He enjoys intellectual play in his works, constantly twisting words and philosophical concepts. Lee says "the way I like is, even if it becomes difficult, separating what can be separated."[13]
Korean fantasy genre
Lee is credited as one of the pioneers for fantasy literature in Korea and its growing acceptance by the literary world, due to the political and philosophical discourse and the huge scale of the created world in his works.[13][24] His own response to this tends to stay non-opinionated.[13]
Lee is quoted to say that "fantasy is better when read as fantasy." He explains this in a Naver interview that "treating The Lord of the Rings as a shoddy allegory to reality and reading it as an example of Orientalism literature where Gandalf the 'White' crowns the returned king of the 'West', would leave a lot of the novels to be missed. (If you admit such, almost outrageous logic, because humanity becomes extincts many times Kurt Vonnegut would be anti-humanism, sadly.)" He explained "fantasy is fantasy, and not the reality's narrow allegories or scary simulacra; it is neither reality in disguise nor does it expel the reality and take its place." Lee described reading fantasy as "going into fantasy to gain something, or to give something, and we simply return to the reality" giving Michael Ende's The Neverending Story as a great example for this. Lee also says being "fantastic" has little to do with the quality of a fantasy work.[13]
Style and major themes
Lee heavily uses defamiliarization, often involving metaphysical conversations among characters. Philosophical discourse plays a major part in the plot of his novels.[25]
Lee examines and questions human nature, which affects the destiny of human race in his stories. In Dragon Raja series the human race is defined by its power and will to cause change. While other races like elves, dwarves and dragons are defined by their characteristics and strength, they are described to lack the ability to change as humans do.[T 1] Thus human race is empowered to change the world (in human-centered ways) and to cause its time to go on. This power the humanity has over the world is explored in Future Walker.[T 2] In Polaris Rhapsody Lee incorporates the humanity's desire for revenge and for freedom in feudal conflicts and pirate wars.[26] This conflict of revenge and freedom also involves Highmasters of Pandamonium, similar to Seven princes of Hell, who cast a vote to decide the human race's destiny.[T 3]
Lee's novels also investigate religion and politics. In Polaris Rhapsody a Church that is similar to Catholic Church in the Middle Ages coexists with the Highmasters who are heavily involved in the human warfare and politics.[26] Gods play an essential part in the people's life in The Bird That Drinks Tears. The novel's title means someone who would drink the tears of others; the ideal ruler who would take away the sorrows of the people.[27] The concept of an ideal ruler, referred to as "the king(왕), commonly appears in Lee's works. In The Bird That Drinks Tears the human race is characterized by its search for the king,[28] and the sequel The Bird That Drinks Blood is about an empire that one such king has given the birth to. The empire accomplishes peace and order, ruled over by a grand flying capital. The story is told by various characters in different groups, who have different purposes in relation to the empire and its absolute power over people.[29]
Wordplay involving Korean language appears frequently in Lee's character and creature names. For example, in Dragon Raja and Future Walker the name "Karl" reflect his sharp intellect, as "kal(칼)" means "knife" in Korean, while "Sanson" alludes to his strong hands in battle, or "ssen son(센 손)" in Korean. In Polaris Rhapsody, the brothers Sopala and Sosara bear names that translate to “Sellcow” and “Buycow,” while in The Bird That Drinks Blood, the brothers Saramal and Paramal mean “Buyhorse” and “Sellhorse.” The same novel features two haneulchi (“skyfish”) from opposing factions named Sori and Mali, each with double meanings in Korean: “sounds” or “cow-ry” for Sori, and “jasmine flower” or “horse-ry” for Mali.
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Bibliography
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Dragon Raja series
Dragon Raja series consists of 2 multi-volume and 1 single-volume novels, 3 short stories and a children's story. The stories take place in a fictional world on an unnamed continent which draws upon the works of J.R.R. Tolkien in its presence of dragons, elves, orcs, dwarves and halfings, and also upon Dungeons & Dragons in its system of magic.
Each novel's stories differ greatly from one to another, the last novel Marks of Shadow taking place a thousands years after Dragon Raja and Future Walker.
Novels
- Dragon Raja (드래곤 라자) (1998)
- Future Walker (퓨처 워커) (1999)
- Marks of Shadow (그림자 자국 Geurimja Jaguk) (2008)
Short stories
Collected as A Scene from a Laboratory, these are prequel to Dragon Raja and Future Walker.
- Golem (골렘) (1998)
- Chimera (키메라) (2001)
- The Source of Happiness (행복의 근원, Hængbog-ui Geun-won) (2004)
Children's story
- Wisdom of the Desert (사막의 지혜, Samag-ui Jihye) (2008) An illustrated book published as a part of Dragon Raja 's 10-year anniversary limited edition.
The Bird series
The Bird series is set in a world of four deities and their four races of chosen people – Nhaga, Rekon, Tokebi and humans. The series has been acclaimed for its use of old Korean language and allusion to Korean medieval history and mythology in the world's creation.[24][27][28] As of 2025, the series consists of 2 multi-volume novels, 7 short stories by Lee.
Novels
- The Bird That Drinks Tears (눈물을 마시는 새, Nunmureul masineun sae) (2003)
- The Bird That Drinks Blood (피를 마시는 새, Pireul masineun sae) (2005)
Short Stories
- You Are My: A Special Short Story for The Bird That Drinks Tears 20th Anniversary (너는 나의: '눈물을 마시는 새' 출판 20주년 기념 특별 단편) (2023)
- Sketches: The Bird That Drinks Tears 20th Anniversary Illustrated Edition - Short Story Collection (소묘들: '눈물을 마시는 새' 출판 20주년 일러스트 특별판 단편선) (2023)
Spin-offs
With Lee's permission, the Korean publisher Golden Bough published a collection of six short stories in 2023 titled Elegy of the Forest (숲의 애가), by Korean writers chosen through a 2020 competition by BridG, the publisher Golden Bough's web novel platform.[30] The stories are set in the world and feature characters of The Bird That Drinks Tears and The Bird That Drinks Blood and included Lee's own short comments.[31][32]
Over series
The Over Series (오버 더 시리즈) is set in a small frontier town of an empire where diverse races live together in relative peace. The series follows Deputy Sheriff Tir Strike and his superior, Sheriff Ifari, as they face various strange incidents.
- Over the Choice (오버 더 초이스, 2018) the novel begins when a child's accidental death. Her grieving parents deliver a promise from the King of Plants, Rulers of the Surface and the Below, offering to end all unnatural deaths by granting resurrection—but only if humanity agrees to abandon the use of fire, sparking a deep dilemma for humankind.[33][34]
Below short stories preceded the novel with the same characters and settings:
- Over the Horizon (오버 더 호라이즌, 2001) The town descends into chaos when Horizon, the “instrument killer” who destroys the soul of instruments, announces plans to play a rare violin owned by the town's professor.
- Over the Nebula (오버 더 네뷸러, 2001) Desparate gray elf Shen Gwen decides to end his life after losing his lover, but villagers try to dissuade him. His despair deepens when he finds his ex-lover dead, and a mysterious wizard soon arrives in town.
- Over the Mist (오버 더 미스트, 2004) When the village's cat "Reaper" and dog "Angel" have hybrid offspring, the town panics. Elders argue over their nature, and the priest's letter unexpectedly brings two knight orders into the town.[T 4]
Other novels
- Polaris Rhapsody (폴라리스 랩소디) (2001) tells the story of Polaris, a kingdom found by a band of pirates, against the backdrop of medieval empires and the church.[35]
- Chapter of Shiha and Kanta - A Story of the Mart (시하와 칸타의 장 - 마트 이야기) (2020) is set in a post-apocalyptic world where 19-year-old humans Shiha and Kanta live in a zoo run by a dragon who trades only when ancient songs and poems are perfectly recited.[36]
- Sir Urstam's Last Words(어스탐 경의 임사전언) (To be published in 2025)[37] Two short stories preceded the novel with the same characters and settings:
- Esoril's Dragon (에소릴의 드래곤) (2009)
- Shangpi's Miners (샹파이의 광부들) (2009)
Short stories cycles
Speculative fiction stories
Below stories are collected under Regarding Starknitting (별뜨기에 관하여) and published in October 2020.[38][39]
- Mysterious Stories (SINBIROUN 이야기) (2000)
- Spring Is Here (봄이 왔다) (2005)
- Regarding the Translation of KAIWAPANDOM (카이와판돔의 번역에 관하여) (2005) – English translation available.
- Regarding the Robot that Became A Savior (구세주가 된 로봇에 대하여) (2006)
- Regarding the Meaning of Teleportation (순간이동의 의미에 대하여) (2007)
- The Eye Looking at Me (나를 보는 눈) (2008)
- Regarding Starknitting (별뜨기에 관하여) (2008)
- Regarding the Mother of Vengeance (복수의 어머니에 관하여) (2012)
Other collected works
- Lee Youngdo's Stories of Fantasy (이영도 판타지 단편집) (2001)
- Over the Horizon: A Collection of Lee Youngdo's Fantastic Stories (오버 더 호라이즌 – 이영도 환상단편 소설선) (2004)
- Over the Horizon: Short & Novella by Lee Youngdo (오버 더 호라이즌 – 이영도 중단편소설집) (2018)
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Adaptations
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Video games
Dragon Raja & Future Walker
The world and characters of Dragon Raja and Future Walker have been used as the basis for many games, including a PC MMORPG Dragon Raja Online (2000) serviced in 10 countries including Taiwan and China as 龍族.[40] where the novel of the same title was published and marketed along with the game. Several mobile game adaptations of Dragon Raja have been released with varying degrees of success, including the action RPG Draogn Raja M (2016)[41] and Dragon Raja Origin (2021).[42]
The Bird That Drinks Tears
In August 2022, the game company Krafton launched "Project Windless," unveiling concept art and trailers for a video game adaptation of The Bird That Drinks Tears[43][44] and released an art book Crossing the Limit (Korean: 한계선을 넘다) with details of the development process and artworks by 17 artists including renowned film designer Iain McCaig.[45] The project is under development by Krafton Montreal, led by former Ubisoft developers.[46]
Illustrated novels
The Japanese edition of Dragon Raja and Future Walker are illustrated by Eiji Kaneda who is known for his works for the anime series Genesis of Aquarion.
The online versions of Lee's short stories Regarding the Translation of KAIWAPANDOM[47] and Regarding Starknitting[48] include a few illustrations.
The 20th anniversary editions of The Bird That Drinks Tears and The Bird That Drinks Blood both feature artworks by Seongmin Baek known for his Korean painting style graphic novels.[49][50][51]
Audiobooks
- Over The Choice (2018) audio drama
- The Bird That Drinks Tears (2020) full-cast unabridged audiobook
- Marks of Shadow (2020) full-cast unabridged audiobook
- Esoril's Dragon (2020) audio drama
- Over The Horizon/Nebula/Mist (2021) audio drama
- A Scene from a Laboratory (2021) audio drama
- Regarding Starknitting/the Translation of KAIWAPANDOM (2021) audio drama
- Dragon Raja (2021–2022) full-cast unabridged audiobook, released on Naver Audio Clip only.
- The Bird That Drinks Blood full-cast unabridged audiobook in production, announced by Golden Bough in 2024[52]
Radio
Dragon Raja was adopted as a part of KBS Radio 2's Fantasy Express program, and the total of 83 episodes ran in 2001.[53]
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References
External links
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