‘The towering figure of Korean literature has returned with his first full-length novel since Mater 2-10. His latest book extends his long engagement with history into a meditation that stretches beyond humanity to the life that precedes and outlasts it.’ Korea Herald
The long-awaited new novel by Hwang Sok-yong packs a big punch. It is a HUGE event in Korea because Hwang Sok-yong hasn’t had a novel out there in 4 years.
The story begins with the majestic cycle of life, where the death of a small bird from the far north gives birth to a 600-year-old giant tree, ‘Grandma’. Through the tree’s deep, silent gaze, the tragedy of the Great Famine, the enlightenment of a monk, the history of Catholic martyrdom, the cries of the Donghak Peasant Army that perished at Ugeumchi, the last gasp of the Saemangeum tidal flats, and the anti-US military base movement unfold in a grand manner. This is an epic tale that shows how nature and humans deeply engage with each other’s lives, dealing with the dignity of all living things.
‘GRANDMA showcases the vast story a single, tiny seed can hold, unfolding in a dazzlingly beautiful and magnificent poetic narrative.’ Baek Ji-yeon , literary critic
Sales
- Changbi Korea (December 2025)
- Editions Zulma France
- Scribe World English
Material: Finsihed copies and PDF of the Korean edition (224pp)