A Mark of Red Honor

A Mark of Red Honor

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Vendor: 물망초 - 장영진 지음, John H. Cha 옮김
Type: 한국문학
SKU: 9791187726258
Categories: ALL BOOKS
Tags: AMarkofRedHonor 한국소개도서_한국문학
Description
Book Description

This autobiographical novel narrated by the author’s eponymous character candidly shares the story of his birth, childhood as a sensitive boy, school years marked by infatuations with a male friend and teacher, military service as superiors’ favorite, agony as a newlywed realizing that he is unfit for marriage, roving through China as a North Korean defector, and tumultuous experience as a sexual minority settled in South Korea-episodes too multifarious and eclectic to have happened to one person.
저자

장영진지음,JohnH.Cha옮김

JangYoung-jinwasbornin1959inGyeongseong,Hamgyeongbuk-do,NorthKorea,andwasraisedinCheongjin.Aftergraduatingpeople’sschoolandmiddleschool,hewascalledtoservehismilitarydutymidwaythroughhisstudyattheKimHyongJikUniversityofEducation.Afterdischarge,heworkedasacommonlaboreruntilMarch20,1996,whenhecrossedtheDumangangRiveranddefectedtoChina.WhenhisattemptstocrossovertoSouthKoreafailedafterayearandamonth,hereturnedtoNorthKorea,advancedsouthonfoot,andfinallysucceededincrossingtheeastendoftheMilitaryDemarcationLineatthedawnofApril27,1997.SincehissettlementinSouthKorea,Janghasrekindledhispassionforliteratureanddevotedhimselftowritingnovels.

목차

HOPEFORREDHONOR
LIMPIETHESHEEP
FATHER
SONGOFLIFE
EARLYMEMORIES
HUNGER
MYTHREEFRIENDS
SERVINGTHEGREATLEADER
BROKENWING
FAREWELL
DOORDIE
PIANO

Epilogue

출판사 서평

Publisher’sReview

“Theauthor,asaNorthKoreandiasporaandsexualminorityinSouthKorea,
finallyopensuptotheworld.”

“Anautobiographicalfull-lengthnovelbyatrueliberalistwhochosetodeclareunity
betweenhisidentityandbodythantodeclaimtheexistingpoliticalsystemsandideology.”

Howcouldallofthishavehappenedtoasingleperson?
Thebookfollowsthetrajectoryofalifetooeventfultobethatofoneman.

Thisautobiographicalnovelnarratedbytheauthor’seponymouscharactercandidlysharesthestoryofhisbirth,childhoodasasensitiveboy,schoolyearsmarkedbyinfatuationswithamalefriendandteacher,militaryserviceassuperiors’favorite,agonyasanewlywedrealizingthatheisunfitformarriage,rovingthroughChinaasaNorthKoreandefector,andtumultuousexperienceasasexualminoritysettledinSouthKorea-episodestoomultifariousandeclectictohavehappenedtooneperson.
PerhapstheonlynovelbyaNorthKoreandefectorthatdoesnotexpatiateonthepoliticalsystemsandideology-anintimateandharrowingstorythatfreelynavigatesthroughsorrow,laughter,wit,andtwists.
Markedbyapurelyliteraryperspectiveandsensitivity,AMarkofRedHonordistinctlydrawsalinefrommostbooksbyNorthKoreandefectorsthattakenon-fictionapproachestothepoliticalsystemsandideology.
TheNorthKoreansocietyasportrayedbythisnaturalstorytellerfeelsalmostfamiliar-somewhatsimilartoSouthKoreansocietyinthe1970s.Thenitty-grittydetailsoftheutterlyordinarylifeinwhichexasperatingantagonismandjealousyunderlyneighborlywarmthandpassionandenvyintersectwiththesweetestanddearestformoffriendshiparelargelyreminiscentoftheSouthKoreancommunityofcommonpeopleatthetime.
Thestrongandweak,theshrewdandnaïveallmakeupacommunity.Graspingtheauthor’smessagethat“Humanitybloomsinanytoughsocietyriddenwithtearsandanimosityforpeopletoeventuallysmileandembraceeachother,”readerswillfindtheireyestearingupandheartsstuffedfull.