An event called life that began without my consent—unpredictable, unfair, and full of disorder. A profound reflection on what it means to live a real, unrepeatable life. “Sometimes, a writer receives a certain premonition: Ah, this is something they can only write once in their lifetime. For me, this book is just that.”
Six years after The Reason for Travel, Kim Young-ha returns with his most personal collection of essays yet, A Life Once Lived. Drawn from a 2024 serialized email newsletter and extensively revised, these fourteen essays form an intimate meditation on existence—not as the author Kim Young-ha, but as a fellow human navigating a one-time-only life. Life Pattern Korea. More private and contemplative than any of his past writings, the essays explore raw personal history and unforgettable life moments. They ask us to pause and consider: how little we know of others—and of ourselves. The central question lingers: How should I live the life I’ve been given? This is not a book of easy comfort or tidy advice. Rather, it gently guides the reader toward honest introspection through lived experience and earnest questioning. A Life Once Lived invites you to revisit the scenes of your own life and to write—if only for yourself—what it means to live once and only once. Life Pattern Korea.
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Author: 김영하 Publisher: 복복서가 Bokbokseoga (2025)
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