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Chunhui never quite understood what that meant, but that first day she was back, those riddles popped into her head as she walked toward the remnants of the house. A carnivalesque fairy tale that celebrates independence and enterprise, a picaresque quest through Korea’s landscapes and history, Whale is a riot of a book. What is the significance of the whale in Cheon’s novel and how do you think it relates to - or differ from - iterations of whale symbols in other artworks? If you are interested in Korean literature or fiction in general, this is a perfect opportunity to enjoy a discussion about this essential book with the author Cheon and his translator Chi-Young Kim.
The 2023 International Booker prize shortlist – review
GauZ’ has penned a razor-like examination of consumerism from the standpoint of a security guard in the Champs-Elysées branch of a famous chain of perfume retailers.Brimming with surprises and wicked humor, Whale is an adventure-satire of epic proportions by one of the most original voices in international literature. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. It won the 10th Munhakdongne Novel Award and has become one of the most loved novels in South Korea, where it is regarded as a modern classic. Replete with unexpected surprises and a wicked sense of humor,Whaleis a riveting, rollicking, combination of adventure and satire of epic saga proportions by arguably one of the most original literary talents in international literature. If Geumbok is not taken up by John Wayne at first, there are others like the cigar-chomping Godfather, who inhabit the text in different guises.
Whale by Cheon Myeong-kwan — sins of the mother
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. She touched her foot on the hot tracks; the searing pain that shot from the tip of her foot through her whole body felt refreshing. Life is sweeping away the dust that keeps piling up, as she mopped the floor with a rag, and sometimes she would add, Death is nothing more than dust piling up. The whale is a symbol that appears throughout the book, representing Geumbok's desire for something greater and the unfulfilled dreams of the characters.
Condé and Philcox are the first wife-and-husband author-translator team to be longlisted for the award. The story begins before Chunhui was born, first with her mother Geumbok’s travels, business acumen, and beauty, and even before that, an old crone living in a rundown house in the village Pyeongdae. Normally I don't enjoy a satirical novel, especially if it satiric is subtle, and difficult to discern whether it is being serious or not but Myeong-Kwan is so bold and confident with his satiric writing that I think this is the first time I have ever enjoyed a novel of this sort. Slimani said the list was a “celebration of the power of language and of authors who wanted to push formal inquiry as far as possible”. In a totalitarian state, Kwan would have been reviled as an enemy of the people and thrown into jail as many of his characters tend to find themselves in Part Three in the novel.
Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan | Goodreads
Vigdis Hjorth’s Norwegian novel about a mother and child Is Mother Dead is translated by Charlotte Barslund.Blending betrayals worthy of film noir with harrowing stories of corruption and abuses of power, Whale shifts wildly in tone but is never less than compelling. With larger than life characters, this novel mixes violence with black humour for an unsettling, yet engrossing read. It’s a perspective that gets increasingly complicated through pregnancy, birth, loss, a growing intimacy with the troubled son of a neighbour, unexpected resilience, the “birthing” process of writing a thesis and gradual drifting apart with a mother.
Whale by Cheon Myeong-kwan, Chi-Young Kim | Waterstones
Her ambition and gradual acquisition of material luxury are indicative of Korea’s shift towards capitalism. Standing Heavy by GauZ’, translated from Ivoirian by Frank Wynne, is about two generations of Ivoirians trying to make their way as undocumented workers in Paris. Standing Heavy offers a refreshing and often caustic take on the cultural and economic consequences of an encounter between western consumerism and capitalism and the acute African sense of observation and derision. What did you make of the depiction of the two women’s bond and of the novel’s examination of womanhood in South Korean society more broadly?Set in a remote Korean village, Whale follows three mythical characters with interlinked lives: Geumbok, who has been chasing an indescribable thrill ever since she first saw a whale crest in the ocean; her mute daughter, Chunhui, who communicates with elephants; and a one-eyed woman who controls honeybees with a whistle. I was reminded of my grandmother, who told me all kinds of folk tales and stories when I was young, as well as the Korean books I loved growing up. Amanda Svensson, who is the Swedish translator of Ali Smith’s novels, is longlisted for A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding, a family saga about triplets, translated by Nichola Smalley from Swedish. The novel, translated from French to English by Condé’s husband Richard Philcox, is full of wit, humour and allusion.
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