Miss Kim Is aware of [2021/23] by Cho Nam-Joo – ★★★★
On this brief story assortment, Cho Nam-Joo (Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982) focuses on the lives of eight Korean ladies, showcasing points in modern Korea. Within the titular story, even earlier than beginning her first day at her new job in a hospital commercial company, a younger lady will get greater than an eyeful of that firm at an organised workshop for workers hosted over a weekend. Her predecessor, mysterious Miss Kim, a lowly worker, appears to have run the company nearly single-handedly, however the place is she now and what occurred to her? Cho Nam-Joo’s story thought and its starting are positively a lot stronger than the considerably underwhelming finale, however that is nonetheless one memorable “an individual in opposition to the system” story that gives an incisive, humorous perception into the workings of a Korean firm full of nepotism and incompetence. I learn this brief story in Miss Kim Is aware of and Different Tales by Cho Nam-Joo [translated by Jamie Chang, Scribner UK, 2023].
The Glass Defend [2006/23] by Kim Jung-hyuk – ★★★★
Translated by Kevin O’Rourke, this can be a story of two inseparable younger males (our narrator and M) who go to a collection of job interviews collectively as a result of they can’t bear the considered not working for a similar firm. They fight very unconventional methods to impress their interviewers (together with untangling a yarn), however due to their togetherness and distinctive interviewing fashion, they’ve had no luck thus far touchdown something. That’s, till the 2 friends-pranksters grow to be an web sensation, and at last have an opportunity to shine within the crowded job market. This story brims with comedian originality, and is about attempting to triumph by one’s eccentricity and individualism in an enormous metropolis ruled by monotony and predictability. It ends on the reconsideration of 1’s life goal. The story is a part of The Penguin E-book of Korean Brief Tales [edited by Bruce Fulton, Penguin Classics, 2023].
Waxen Wings [1999] by Ha Seong-nan – ★★★★
“Trainer, I wish to fly, however the floor retains pulling me down”. This a shifting brief story a few ten-year-old lady, nicknamed Birdie, in love with flying and being airborne. At first, she is a member of her college gymnastics workforce, however then she grows too tall, and has to desert her sporting ambitions. Future retains dealing her a foul hand. Later in life, Birdie’s relationship with a mysterious man who claimed to be a toddler actor additionally involves nothing, and her pursuit of thrills of hold gliding ends in a catastrophic accident. The second-person current tense narration works surprisingly nicely on this story of misplaced desires, loneliness, and want to attach. “Folks are supposed to have each toes planted on strong floor”, Birdie is instructed, however the very last thing to die in an individual is at all times hope. I learn this story in Waxen Wings: The Acta Korean Anthology of Brief Fiction from Korea [edited by Bruce Fulton, Koryo Press, 2011].
Wayfarer [1997] by O Chong-hui – ★★★★★
“Different individuals don’t have as a lot curiosity in us as we predict they do…They usually don’t keep in mind us for so long as we predict they need to“. Translated by Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton, this can be a story from assortment The Way forward for Silence: Fiction by Korean Girls [Zephyr Press, 2015], that includes 9 tales from ladies writers of latest Korea. Wayfarer begins on a snowy day. A girl is attempting to reconnect with society, largely along with her previous associates, after a sure “incident”, divorce from her husband and the go away of her kids. She has an aspiration to be a puppet-maker once more, and, then, made an appointment to see associates at an area bar. However, the world is completely different, already marching ahead with out her. It is a very spectacular brief story about abandonment, loneliness, prejudice, and misplaced time, and it blends fantastically melancholic features with a way of a thriller. It has the emotional depth of a fully-fledged novel.
The Beating [1975] by Yun Heung-gil – ★★★★
Yun Heung-gil‘s tales usually portrayed odd individuals struggling to seek out their toes within the Korean society obsessive about cash and outward indicators of success, whereas nonetheless being traumatised by the conflict and political upheavals of the Nineteen Fifties. The Beating tells of the Sanho Teahouse that’s frequented by societal “underdogs”, individuals fallen on exhausting instances and varied wannabes with no future. Someday, a sudden change comes into the institution: a brand new prepare dinner is employed, and, surprisingly, that mysterious man makes slightly scrumptious espresso. The hearsay has it that he’s a prison on the run, however it’s unclear how many individuals take it severely – till the police raid the premises. It is a thought-provoking story about oppression, the vicious cycle of crime and abuse, and our widespread accountability. I learn this brief story in The Home of Twilight [Readers International, 1989/2022].
