From the internationally bestselling author of “The Vegetarian,” a rare and astonishing (The Observer) portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice.
In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.
The story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial, and the echoing agony of the massacre. From Dong-ho's best friend who meets his own fateful end; to an editor struggling against censorship; …
From the internationally bestselling author of “The Vegetarian,” a rare and astonishing (The Observer) portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice.
In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.
The story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial, and the echoing agony of the massacre. From Dong-ho's best friend who meets his own fateful end; to an editor struggling against censorship; to a prisoner and a factory worker, each suffering from traumatic memories; and to Dong-ho's own grief-stricken mother; and through their collective heartbreak and acts of hope is the tale of a brutalized people in search of a voice.
An award-winning, controversial bestseller, Human Acts is a timeless, pointillist portrait of an historic event with reverberations still being felt today, by turns tracing the harsh reality of oppression and the resounding, extraordinary poetry of humanity.
Hardcover, 218 Seiten
Sprache: English
Am 17. Januar 2017 von Hogarth Press veröffentlicht.
Incredible use of fiction and multiple perspectives to make trauma of a repressive mass killing palpable and personal. Must read if possible, but I think it's fair to warn: the tragic and traumatic and content warnings do not let up in any way from the first chapter, and every chapter's character is disassociated and isolated and intimately connected to the center of the story.
When we say that fiction can speak the truth more deeply, and that the best books leave you deeply changed, this novel is what we mean. It’s a hard read - not a word is out of place and Han Kang’s writing is among the most skilled I’ve ever read - but because of what her words bring to life. But, please, read it.
Jedes Kapitel tat auf seine ganz eigene Weise weh, dennoch habe ich alle von ihnen regelrecht verschlungen. Han Kangs Umgang mit den realen Personen, um die es geht, ist so liebevoll poetisch im Kontrast zu dem, was ihnen widerfahren ist. Große Leseempfehlung, wenn man mit dem Thema umgehen kann und gerade dann, wenn man (wie ich vorher) nur wenig über diese Zeit in der koreanischen Geschichte weiß.
