[2] Lee Ze-ha was born in 1938 in Milyang, Keishōnan-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan[3] Lee studied fine art and sculpture at Hongik University, and immersed himself in the works of William Faulkner and Camus, while exploring expressionism and surrealism.

[4] The Literature Translation Institute of Korea summarizes Lee's work: Lee Jeha’s literary method has been described as “fantastic realism”: rather than abiding by the principle of coherence or consistency, as realist novels are wont to do, Lee Jeha’s works of fiction create complex composites by piecing together conflicting strands of thought.

This method is predicated on the author’s belief that traditional modes of storytelling express certain realities but suppress others from emerging to the surface.

For Lee Jeha, the blending of fantasy and reality not only reflects the confused state of the world and contradictions inherent in human nature, but offers a way out of this impasse.

[2]“A Traveler Does Not Rest Even on the Road” (Nageune neun gil eseodo swiji anneunda) earned Lee the Yi-Sang Literature Prize in 1985.