The Healing Power of Korean Letter Writing by Juhee Mun

A charming ode to the lost art of connecting through the handwritten letter, from the owner of the beloved Seoul stationery shop Geulwoll

"That which takes longer to arrive stays longer in the heart."

Juhee Mun once doubted whether handwritten letters had a place in our ultra-fast-paced world, but the runaway success of her Seoul stationery shop Geulwoll changed her mind. Established in 2019, the shop quickly became known as a tranquil place where people can write and send letters, buy gorgeous pens and letter paper, and sign up for a distinctive pen pal service: Customers can pick up a letter written by an anonymous pen pal—but only if they write one in return. Every day Mun witnessed customers enjoying the rare pleasure of sitting down and putting pen to paper, and in The Healing Power of Korean Letter Writing, she shares the joy with others who crave the unique type of connection and careful consideration that comes from handwritten letters.

Through eighteen short chapters, from practical subjects like The Best Time to Write a Letter and Choosing Letter Paper and Envelopes to more sentimental ones like What Only Letters Can Do, Mun gently reveals the healing, nostalgic power of the written note. Personal stories and wisdom from famous letter-writers provide the encouragement for readers to craft touching, humorous, loving, and healing notes for everyone in their life—maybe even themselves, or a stranger.

The Healing Power of Korean Letter Writing is the ultimate love letter to an age-old practice that fosters connection to yourself and others, and a potent antidote to the fast-paced, online world of today.

                                                                                                                                   from Amazon

 

 

'수요일의 편지' '반짝반짝 공화국' '츠바키 문구점' 'Seven Letters from Paris' 'A tale for the time being' 'When You Reach Me' 등과 같은 '편지'가 중요한 소재가 되는 작품들을 읽었는데 다들 기억에 남는 이야기들이었다. 아마 공통점이라면 "사람과의 연결'이라는 것이 아닐까 싶다. 다양한 메신저들과 앱들을 사용하는 사람이 능력 있고 합리적인 사람이라고 생각하는 이 세상에 이 책은 소위 '느리고 비경제적'이라는 단어와 동의어처럼 보이는 '편지'에 대한 또는 '편지 쓰기'에 대하여 '반전'의 모습을 보여주는 즐거운 이야기를 다루고 있는 작품이다. 학창 시절을 생각나게 해주는 시간이었고 괴로우나 즐거우나 나의 삶의 한 부분을 차지했던 과거 시절을 회상하는 시간이었다. 옛날에 받았던 편지들을 모아둔 플라스틱 박스가 지금도 있다. 지금 다시 읽는다면 어떤 생각이 들까? 후회, 그리움, 사랑스러움... 이 원서는 어렵지 않은 영어 문장과 표현들이라 읽기에 무난한 편이고 따뜻한 삽화들 때문에 기분이 좋아지는 책이었다.

 

본문 중에서

 

- A letter is a kind of monologue - though it shares similarities with the act of talking to oneself, with letters there is a clear target whom we are addressing, so this monologue is closer to a converstion...

- ..... around 150 people exchange pen pal letters with us ..... people write a letter simply so they can read someone's, but there are lots who feel a thrill in writing to someone they don't know....

- According to Garfield, the reason he bacame interested in letters was to do with the sound they made as they dropped onto his dront dormat.....

- The reasob Franz Kafka wrote a letter the length of an entire book to his father was to seek his permission to marry.....

- Letters can't help but hold a mirrior up to ourselves. The person writing, the person reading, and the person within the letter; all of them are "me."

- I've discovered that the letter still acts as a means for checking up on people, for sharing what's on our minds......

- As much as the digital world is only getting faster, there's a parallel pursuit of the slow pace of human life....

- What exactly is the "power" that letters hold for the modern generation? ......It's within those seeking "genuine connection" that I find my answers ....