Youths Reading the Classics: A Compass for Uncertain Times
Whenever the world felt daunting, he turned to the timeless words of great thinkers. In this introspective journey through 15 classical works, Korean writer Rhyu Si-min reexamines the books that shaped him as a young man. This is not just a reading journal—it's a dialogue between past and present, and a message for young people everywhere.
1. Rereading the Old Questions
This special edition of Youth on Reading (original title: 『청춘의 독서』) by Rhyu Si-min explores 15 classic books that deeply influenced him during his youth. Now, revisiting them decades later, he offers renewed interpretations that speak to a broader, even global, generation of young adults navigating uncertain futures. The book opens with Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and closes with Mill's On Liberty, newly added for this expanded edition—a timely inclusion, given recent political turbulence.
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Rhyu Si-min <Youth Reading the Classics> |
2. Rediscovering the Classics through a Modern Lens
Each chapter is a meeting point between classic literature and modern dilemmas. In Dostoevsky's work, Rhyu doesn’t highlight the tormented protagonist, but rather the strength of everyday characters like Dunya. With The Communist Manifesto, he reflects on youthful revolutionary passions tempered by the complexities of adulthood. His reading of Darwin’s Origin of Species becomes a meditation on ignorance, humility, and the coexistence of altruism and survival in human nature.
3. Reading Reality through Literature
Books like The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum and E.H. Carr’s What Is History? allow Rhyu to explore contemporary issues: media distortion, historical memory, and ideological conflict. These texts become mirrors through which young readers can critically engage with truth, politics, and social values in the digital age. His interpretations serve not only Korean youth but any reader confronting similar uncertainties in their part of the world.
4. Revisiting Liberty in the 21st Century
The most recent addition to the book—John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty—is perhaps the most urgent. Following the “Night of Martial Law” in South Korea, Rhyu turned again to Mill’s defense of freedom of speech, assembly, and individuality. He sees in Mill a voice that comforts, provokes, and validates the struggle for democracy. It is a philosophical reaffirmation that freedom must be earned, guarded, and, most importantly, understood.
5. To the Youths of the World
Youth on Reading is more than a personal essay collection. It is a bridge between generations, between solitude and solidarity, between knowing and becoming. Rhyu encourages young people not only to read but to rethink what they read. He reminds us, “Just as authors have the freedom to write, readers must claim the freedom to interpret.”
💬 Reflective Questions for Every Youth
Where does our desire for wealth originate?
Is the world truly progressing?
Are our thoughts truly our own?
Can we endure failure and scars without losing our way?
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Rhyu Si-min (류시민) |
| Early Years | Student activist resisting the Yushin dictatorship under President Park Chung-hee in the 1970s. |
| Political Career | Served as Minister of Health and Welfare under President Roh Moo-hyun's administration (2006–2007). |
| Current Role | Renowned writer and public intellectual; actively engaged in writing and social commentary. |
| Notable Works |
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