fallight.com

학교 문예창작학과 초청으로 소설가 K가 왔다. 근래 어느 대학에 출강한다는 얘기와 함께 자기는 시를 쓰고 싶었지만 소설을 쓰게 됐다는 얘기를 하면서, 그래서인지 자신은 제목에 꽤 심혈을 기울인다고 했다. 지난번 국어국문학과 강연회의 소설가 P가 했던 말과 똑같았다. 그런데 실상 제목에 심혈을 기울이지 않는 작가가 얼마나 될까?

자신이 하는 문학을 '순수' 문학이라면서 고정독자 만오천명을 위해 소설을 쓴다고 했을 땐 헛웃음만 나왔다. 요즘 학생들이 책을 안 읽는다고 '쉬운 소설' 부터 친구들에게 권하라는 말에선 어처구니가 없었다. 소설가 J가 D신문에 '한국 소설이 재미없다고요?' 라고 쓴 칼럼을 읽고 느꼈던 그 어처구니 없음을 그대로 K에게서 느낄 줄이야!

이 땅의 소설가들은 일반 독자들이 언제나 그들의 지고지순한 문학적 성과를 받들어줘야하고, 그들의 소설을 이해하지 못하는 독자들은 수준이 낮은 천민 대중으로 밖엔 생각지 못한다. 문단이라는 좁아터진 테두리 안에서 비평가와 작가가 그들만의 세계에서 짝짝꿍하며 서로 띄워주는 이 비정상적인 나라에서 독자는 하위층으로 계급지어졌다.

현대의 고전이라 불리는 문학은 결코 그 시대의 독자들과 괴리되어있지 않았다. 그들이 읽힌 이유는 그만큼 쉬웠기 때문이고, 그만큼 감동적이었기 때문이고 그만큼 재밌었기 때문이다. 요즘 같이 현학적이고 알아먹지도 못할 평론이 없어도 문학은 충분히 평가 받았다.

수준 낮은 독자 핑계, 감각적인 영화 핑계, 퇴폐해가는 사회 핑계…. 도대체 변명거리는 어디서 그렇게들 갖고 오는지. 소설가 답다. '순수' 문학? 요즘은 '순수' 문학을 알아보는 사람이 없다고? 아주 웃기고 자빠졌네. 자신들이 쓴 소설이나 다시 읽어보고 똑바로 본인의 주제를 아는 게 선행될 일이 아닐까.

기본적으로, 삶은 슬프다. --갑자기 어떤 비평가의, 요즘 작가들(90년대)이 쉼표를 너무 남발해서 문장을 망가뜨린다는 요지의 글을 본 게 생각 난다.-- 그래도 나는, 삶은 슬프지 않다고, 죽을 때까지 주장하련다.

Wednesday, December 22, 1999
Man o'War voted best of 20th Century

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Man o'War and Secretariat, two mighty chestnut colts, ran 1-2 in the race for Horse of the Century.


Man o'War, owned by Samuel D. Riddle and trained by Louis Feustel, won nine of 10 starts as a 2-year-old, then was unbeaten in 11 starts in 1920 before being retired. His loss in 1919 was a second-place in the Sanford at Saratoga to a horse named Upset.


Man o'War was selected as the greatest horse of the century by a six-member panel of experts assembled by The Associated Press. He received four first-place votes to one for Secretariat.

Secretariat won 16 of 21 starts in two years of racing and won the Triple Crown in 1973.


"I'm really thrilled these people in racing who have seen so many good horses would rank Secretariat with Man o'War," said Penny Chenery, who raced Secretariat.


"He had the same electric presence as Man o'War. Going to see Man o'War in the first half of the century was something. Seeing Secretariat in the second half of the century was the same thing."


Citation and Native Dancer tied for third. Citation once won 16 straight races, while Native Dancer's only loss in 22 career starts was a second place in the 1953 Kentucky Derby.


The great gelding Kelso, Horse of the Year five times (1960-64), was fifth.


Rounding out the top 10 were: Tom Fool -- who received the other first-place vote -- Dr. Fager, Count Fleet, Spectacular Bid, and Forego and Seattle Slew, who tied for 10th.




Horses of both sexes were eligible for Horse of the Century, but the top 10 were all males.


As a 3-year-old, Man o'War did not start in the Kentucky Derby, but he won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. He had only one rival in the Belmont, and he beat him by 20 lengths. His margin of victory in the Lawrence Realization at Belmont Park in 1920 was 100 lengths.


Secretariat won 16 of 21 starts in two years of racing. Trained by Lucien Laurin, he was Horse of the Year in 1972 and again in 1973 when he became the first Triple Crown champion since Citation in 1948.


His Triple Crown was an amazing three-race performance. He became the first horse to break 2 minutes in the 1¼-mile Kentucky Derby (1:59 2-5), won the Preakness with an incredible last-to-first move on the first turn, then won the Belmont by 31 lengths in a world record of 2:24 for 1½-miles on the dirt.


In a separate vote for fillies and mares, Ruffian was picked No. 1, ahead of Twilight Tear. Ruffian was the only filly or mare to get a vote in the horses of both sexes category.


"That is terrific; I'm very pleased," said Stewart Janney III, whose parents owned the filly, trained by Frank Y. Whitely. "She provided us with excitement and unfortunately a moment of great tragedy."


Ruffian, champion 3-year-old filly of 1975, never lost to a filly in her first 10 career starts, but in a match race against Kentucky Derby-winning colt Foolish Pleasure in 1975, she broke down and was euthanized.


Twilight Tear, owned by Calumet Farm and trained by Ben Jones, was champion 3-year-old filly in 1944 when she won 14 of 17 starts and beat males.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------