Encouragement Award for Humanities and Social Sciences
Winner
Seo Hyo-in
(Poet, CEO of Anon Books)
Achievement
Seo Hyo-in is a highly regarded young poet who has received multiple prestigious literary honors, including the Kim Soo-young Literary Award (2011), the Daesan Literary Award (2017), and the Cheon Sang-byeong Poetry Award (2018). Since debuting as a poet at the age of 25, he has published five poetry collections and six essay collections, while also contributing to over ten collaborative writing projects—maintaining an active and diverse literary career.
Seo’s works reflect not only anger and resistance toward a reality in which the dignity of life is often oppressed, but also a profound commitment to love rooted in the value of existence and the sanctity of life. In particular, after the birth of his daughter with Down syndrome in 2013, he published the essay collection Welcome, My Daughter (2014), conveying a powerful message about the beauty and significance of life’s arrival through the lens of a father’s personal experience.
Beyond his literary work, Seo has been active in public discourse, appearing on platforms such as the EBS Parenting School and podcasts hosted by the Korea Disabled People's Development Institute, advocating for a society where people with and without disabilities live together in harmony.
Currently serving as the CEO of the independent publishing house Anon Books, Seo continues to promote the values of literature and life through various publishing endeavors. For these contributions, he has been selected as the recipient of the Encouragement Award for Humanities and Social Sciences at the 19th Mystery of Life Awards.
