"No One Read It, So It Went Out of Print"... Cha In-pyo's Oxford Essential Book Afterstory

Cha In-pyo's Novel Selected as Essential Reading for Oxford Korean Studies
"A Perspective to Empathize with Issues of Countries Worldwide is Needed"

Recently, actor Cha In-pyo revealed that a novel he wrote, which was designated as a required reading at the prestigious University of Oxford in the UK, was actually a work that did not sell well and had gone out of print.

Cha In-pyo Shares Surprising Backstory on Oxford Korean Studies Required Reading: "Why Use a Book No One Cares About?"

Actor Cha In-pyo. [Image source=CBS Radio 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' capture]

On the 12th, Cha In-pyo appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and shared behind-the-scenes stories about his novel Someday, If We Look at the Same Star, which was designated as required reading at the University of Oxford. The novel centers on Soon-i, who was born and raised in the Baekdu Mountain Tiger Village in the 1930s, and deals with the issue of Japanese military 'comfort women.' Cha explained that he wrote the book by imagining the lives these women might have lived before being taken away, including their hometowns and daily lives during the Japanese colonial era. The book was recently selected as required reading for the Korean Studies major in the Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Department at Oxford. Although it is not mandatory for all Oxford students, translation work into English, German, and French has begun, with plans to publish within one to two years.

When Cha In-pyo received the notice that Oxford intended to use his book as a textbook, he was stunned and asked, "I'm not a famous author, so why would anyone want to use a book that no one cares about?" In response, Professor Jo Ji-eun of Oxford's Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Department, who selected the book, said, "I believed it was necessary to have a perspective that empathizes with issues faced by refugees and people around the world," adding, "I wanted to introduce it to European youth."

After the book was selected, Cha In-pyo gave a special lecture at Oxford on June 28. Coincidentally, it was the same day that the Japanese Emperor and Empress visited Oxford to receive honorary doctorates. Cha said, "It was vacation time, so there weren't many students, but more than 30 Korean expatriates in the UK attended. Many Koreans were moved to tears." He also shared, "After the lecture, the director of Wycliffe Hall, one of Oxford's 43 colleges, said they wanted to expand the event and invite me again next semester."

Cover of Cha In-pyo's novel "If We Ever Look at the Same Star". [Image source= Publisher Solution]

It Took 10 Years to Complete the 250-Page Novel... Wife Shin Ae-ra Encouraged: "You Will Succeed More as a Writer than an Actor"

Actor and novelist Cha In-pyo (left) and actress Shin Ae-ra, a married couple. [Image source=Instagram capture]

Cha explained that this novel is a revised and reissued version of his 2009 book Goodbye Hill. He said, "After publishing Goodbye Hill, the book stopped selling and no one read it, so it went out of print in 2018." However, in 2021, someone who mainly produces reference books suggested that it would be good for teenagers to read, so it was reissued.

It took Cha In-pyo 10 years to complete the 250-page novel. Although he has published three novels, including Someday, If We Look at the Same Star, he was disappointed by their lack of success. However, his wife, actress Shin Ae-ra, always encouraged him by saying, "You will succeed more as a writer than as an actor." Cha recalled, "Even I didn't believe in myself, but my wife praised me and pushed me, saying, 'You will succeed someday. Hurry up and sit down to write.'" He added, "After the book was selected as required reading at Oxford, my wife was so happy, saying, 'See, I was right.'" When the host said, "Your strongest supporter is Shin Ae-ra," he proudly replied, "One person is enough."

Meanwhile, Cha In-pyo, who has been active as an actor, has also worked as a writer, publishing three full-length novels: Today's Forecast (2011), Someday, If We Look at the Same Star (2021), and Mermaid Hunting (2022).