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We’ve never stopped moving
We’ve moved for our survival, to make a better life, in search of the unknown
Sometimes we’ve been forced to move by the pain of war, by invasions of other groups, or by decisions at the level of the city or the state
The many appearances and emotions that have blossomed through those countless migrations have become the steps that embroider the history of humanity,
and through those steps, various stories are unfolding at this very moment
"Humans have both a longing for wandering and a longing for home"
In the words of German philosopher Georg Simmel,
diaspora scatters people to foreign places where they bloom again and put down roots
Perhaps that resembles our diverse kinds of longing
The world is still divided between the identities of various groups
who look at each other with hostile eyes
But there are stories that lead not to hatred and discrimination,
but to hospitality and harmony
This event today marks the beginning of the long journey of people
who believe in the power of literature to transform our lives
Ladies and gentlemen, we are all diaspora
(Shin Yeong-il, emcee)
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#2021Winner
#A_Free_Life
#Author #Ha_Jin
#Translator #Wang_Eun_chull
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