[Power K-Women] "Continuing to Study Makes Me Younger and My Choices Clearer"

'Grandmother Studying at a Cafe' Author Shim Hyekyung
27 Years as a Librarian
Read Over 20,000 Books... 500 Books Annually
Master's in Counseling Education & Level 2 Certification, A Life of Learning

Translator Shim Hye-kyung instantly became a celebrity with her first solo essay, “The Grandmother Studying at a Cafe.” Anyone meeting her for the first time cannot help but be quite surprised by her appearance, which seems to have bypassed the passage of time. Especially for those who have the conventional image associated with the term “grandmother” in their minds. At 65 years old, her youthful and vibrant face is hard to believe, and even her eyes sparkle like a girl visiting Seoul from an island.

“People keep asking me about my skincare secrets, maybe out of politeness (laughs). I really don’t use skin lotion or anything; I only apply sunscreen. At first, it was because I found makeup and grooming time wasteful and bothersome, but since it caused no problems, I just kept it up. If I had to say I have a secret, it would be that I enjoy learning. And I have been able to satisfy my curiosity by reading books every day, again and again.”

After graduating from university, Shim Hye-kyung worked as a librarian for 27 years at Seoul’s public libraries such as Jeongdok Library and Namsan Library. Naturally disliking stereotypes, she was able to endure faithfully commuting every day because of the library space surrounded by hundreds of thousands of books. Every day after work, she borrowed books, read them through the night, and returned them the next day at work.

According to her borrowing records, there was a year when she read 500 books (including those she gave up on), so the total number of books she has handled easily exceeds 20,000. She emphasizes, “I could really read books like water, as the saying goes. My childhood was a time when books were truly precious.” Who is the author she likes the most, having read countless books?

“I like the French author Pierre Bayard. Among the 13 volumes of his translated and published series in Korea, the first volume, How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read, is famous. The gist of that book is, ‘If you read a lot of books, you can easily talk for an hour about books you haven’t read. But that doesn’t mean you can pretend to have read them; rather, if you have read many books and built up experience, you can understand a lot just by the title and author.’ Quite a few people bought the book because they were fooled by the title (laughs).”

K-Women Interview_Sim Hyekyung./Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

He loved reading books from a young age. Living in a three-generation household with his father as the eldest son, he had college student uncles, and thanks to them, he had already mastered college-level Korean literature textbooks by elementary school. Not satisfied with that, he sought out friends who had many books at home and became close to them, then went around borrowing books. Listening to stories of his childhood, when he was obsessed with books due to a lack of other entertainment, one might think that a bookworm was born as a human being by accumulating merit through reading many books. His favorite poem is Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken.

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; And then took the other, as just as fair, (omitted) I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I? I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” _(Translated by Pi Cheon-deuk)

Shim realized the importance of choices in life after reading this poem during adolescence. So throughout his youth, he believed that decisions at any moment were tremendously important and that once chosen, they could not be undone. But after his mid-50s, he realized that was also an illusion. He said, “After reading many books, choices became clearer and simpler at some point. Looking back, many things were not a big deal. When things are hard or seem wrong, giving up quickly can also be a good choice.”

“That’s one of the good things about getting older. My words carry weight. Of course, if I had retired and spent my time idly, people around me wouldn’t have paid attention. But because I kept reading and studying, people listen carefully to what I say and take it meaningfully.”

Fifteen years ago, on the day he turned 50, Shim was surprised by the fact that he was still healthy and full of energy. Naturally, he thought he should study to plan for the long life ahead. When he was assigned to a new reading guidance program at the library, he first went to the Graduate School of Education at Sungkyunkwan University to major in counseling education. He thought that to guide reading, he basically needed to understand counseling psychology. After earning his master’s degree and obtaining a Level 2 professional counselor certificate, his journey of lifelong learning began.

K-Women Interview_Sim Hye-kyung./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Shim registered for a famous cultural center’s translation course because he wanted to read original texts directly. Later, he formally transferred to Korea National Open University, majoring in English Language and Literature, Chinese Language and Literature, Japanese Studies, and French Language and Culture. So far, he has translated about 20 books in English, Chinese, and Japanese.

“The charm of translation lies in adding various seasonings (sauce) to the source and refining it to create a new work. Above all, I enjoy immersing myself in language. Insight into words helps to see things properly. In life, the language someone uses reveals their character.”

He retired in 2016 and moved to Seochon, about a year and a half before the mandatory retirement age of 60. Shim thought, “Work wasn’t uninteresting, but if I retired a year and a half earlier, a younger person who works better than me could be hired, so it’s good in many ways.” He laughs, saying, “Work for the public is a path for myself as well. This perspective came from reading many books.” Of course, he also had the desire to retire early to read as many books as he wanted and study as much as he wished. It was a gift he gave to himself.

In Seochon, he goes to a nearby cafe to meet different people and read books. He emphasizes, “Reading every day itself is an incredible brain exercise.” But difficult books are hard to read alone, especially original texts. Moreover, even if you major in a foreign language, if you don’t read and write, you tend to forget. At first, to remember what he studied, he created a weekly original book reading group. Being sociable and good at gathering people, he currently participates in 10 weekly reading groups.

The evening group is called “Brick Book Breaking,” where they finish thick books, and the morning or lunchtime groups mainly read foreign language originals. Shim emphasizes, “It may sound like a lot, but we meet, chat about recent news for about five minutes while drinking tea, and then immediately read. You just need to bring the book you want to read.” The secret to sustaining the groups is simple: no serious discussion or presentations. If it’s bothersome and hard, you can’t keep it up.

Shim says, “I want to read my favorite works until there isn’t a single unknown word in the original text.” He has read Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea seven times but still finds unknown words and is determined. His favorite sentence is, “A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.”

“To us, that old man seems clearly defeated. He came back dragging a marlin with no flesh left, only bones. But in the battle with the sea, he was not defeated. He didn’t lose to the sea. Unless it’s a sports game with a clear win or loss, there is no defeat in life. Even if I fail or quit halfway, if I gained something in the process, I am not defeated. Maybe that’s what Hemingway wanted to say.”

He is currently translating a Chinese book. He thinks he can now translate French books he hadn’t been able to before, at least children’s books. He is also planning a new essay. Since Korea National Open University doesn’t have a German department, he couldn’t major in it, but this year he is eager to learn German at the Goethe-Institut Korea in Namsan.

“I think I can enjoy studying for another 10 years. Sometimes I wonder about myself, how long this passion will last. My heart still feels like I’m in my 30s.”

Shim shows the world with blazing energy how enriching studying can be in life and that it is never too late. His intellectual curiosity does not cease even at the moment of parting.

“If I get the chance, I want to read Wittgenstein’s books repeatedly. Reading with the eyes and listening with the ears has more than double the effect. Would you like to join my book reading group?”

Writer Chu Myeong-hee

▶About Shim Hye-kyung

Born in 1958. Graduated from Sungkyunkwan University with a degree in Korean Language and Literature. Worked as a librarian for 27 years at Seoul public libraries such as Jeongdok Library and Namsan Library. Transferred to Korea National Open University, majoring in English Language and Literature, Chinese Language and Literature, Japanese Studies, and French Language and Culture. Has translated about 20 books over 13 years. Author of The Self-Study Scholar’s Library (co-author), The Sisters’ Way of Traveling (co-author), and The Grandmother Studying at a Cafe, among others.