Shim Bo-Seon was born in Seoul in 1970, studied sociology at Seoul National University, and received his PhD from Columbia University. He made his debut in the Chosun Ilbo Annual Spring Literary Contest in 1994 and published his first collection, Seulpeumi opneun sip o cho (Fifteen Seconds without Sorrow), in 2008. This was followed by Nunape opneun saram (Someone not in Sight) in 2011 and Geueurin yesul (Smoked Art) in 2013. He is currently a professor of culture and management at Kyung-Hee Cyber University. He is a member of the Twenty-first Century Prospect Writer’s Group.