‘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.
Sales
- Changbi Korea (December 2025)
- Editions Zulma France
Material: PDF of the Korean edition (224pp)