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Keith Mosman: A Long(ish) List of Recent Short Story Collections (0 comment)
May is Short Story Month, so I’ll keep this brief: here is a list of the some of the collections that I’ve read in recent months (even though most of them weren’t officially dedicated to the form)...
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  • Kelsey Ford: Celebrate Short Story Month: 7 Recommendations Based on 7 Collections We Love (0 comment)

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Human Acts

by Han Kang
Human Acts

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ISBN13: 9781101906729
ISBN10: 1101906723



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What Han Kang does so well is translate violence. Human Acts studies the impact of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising in South Korea. Told in interconnecting chapters, the novel follows the story of two murdered boys, an editor, a prisoner, a factory worker, and the mother of one of the boys. Human Acts is a beautiful, painful, and resounding book. Recommended By Moses M., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

From the internationally bestselling author of The Vegetarian a rare and astonishing (The Observer) portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice.

In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.

The story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial, and the echoing agony of the massacre. From Dong-ho s best friend who meets his own fateful end; to an editor struggling against censorship; to a prisoner and a factory worker, each suffering from traumatic memories; and to Dong-ho's own grief-stricken mother; and through their collective heartbreak and acts of hope is the tale of a brutalized people in search of a voice.

An award-winning, controversial bestseller, Human Acts is a timeless, pointillist portrait of an historic event with reverberations still being felt today, by turns tracing the harsh reality of oppression and the resounding, extraordinary poetry of humanity.

Review

"With exquisitely controlled eloquence, the novel chronicles the tragedy of ordinariness violated…In the echo chambers of Han’s haunting prose, precisely and poetically rendered by Smith, the sound of that heartbeat resonates with defiant humanity." New Statesman

Review

"Harrowing…Han’s novel is an attempt to verbalize something unspeakable…. But she humanizes the terrible violence by focusing on the more mundane aspects: tending and transporting bodies, or attempting to work an ordinary job years later. And by placing the reader in the wake of Dong-ho’s memory, preserved by his family and friends, Han has given a voice to those who were lost." Publishers Weekly

Review

"This is a book that could easily founder under the weight of its subject matter. Neither inviting nor shying away from modern-day parallels, Han neatly unpacks the social and political catalysts behind the massacre and maps its lengthy, toxic fallout. But what is remarkable is how she accomplishes this while still making it a novel of blood and bone. The characters frequently address themselves to an unnamed "You"…. This sense of dislocation is most obvious when a dead boy’s soul converses with his own rotting flesh – and it’s here that the language comes closest to the gothic lyricism of Han’s previous book, The Vegetarian…. By choosing the novel as her form, then allowing it to do what it does best – take readers to the very centre of a life that is not their own – Han prepares us for one of the most important questions of our times: "What is humanity? What do we have to do to keep humanity as one thing and not another?" She never answers, but this act of unflinching witness seems as good a place to start as any." Eimear McBride, The Guardian

Review

"Human Acts is elegantly written, unflinchingly brutal and absolutely real. It is not so much a novel as it is a profound act of connection; it is beyond powerful. Han Kang is what most writers spend their lives trying to be: a fearless, unsentimental teller of human truths." Lisa McInerney, Baileys Women’s Prize-winning author of The Glorious Heresies

About the Author

Han Kang was born in 1970 in South Korea. In 1993 she made her literary debut as a poet, and was first published as a novelist in 1994. A participant in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, Han has won the Man Booker International Prize, the Yi Sang Literary Prize, the Today’s Young Artist Award, and the Manhae Prize for Literature. She currently works as a professor in the department of creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts.

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Average customer rating 4.7 (4 comments)

`
deadheaddaisy , April 06, 2017 (view all comments by deadheaddaisy)
My rating is strictly based on the synopsis, it is intriguing and sounds like something that could be a headline on our new channels today. I would definitely be interested in reading Human Acts.

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techeditor , March 24, 2017 (view all comments by techeditor)
HUMAN ACTS is translated from Korean. That is my problem with it, not that the translation is bad but that good writing and good writing style differ in different languages. So when I read a translation that is good at capturing the writer’s intended voice, I’m hearing a voice not intended for the English language. At least I think that’s the reason I found this book so off-putting. I could say the writing is bad, but it’s more likely the problem is unique to me. HUMAN ACTS has received many favorable reviews by English speakers. I won HUMAN ACTS through librarything.com. I could not finish it and, therefore, do not rate it.

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EYJ , March 08, 2017 (view all comments by EYJ)
Han Kang's unforgettable portrait of South Korea during the turbulent 1980s will arrest readers, exposing the dark truth about the Gwangju uprisings and the militant government's brutal treatment of subversives and innocent citizens alike. Her relatable characters struggle to find meaning and closure during these terrible times, just as the country strives to repair the damage wrought upon it by violence and rapid industrialization. Her powerful voice and the truth will not be denied.

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Sheryl McLean-Houle , January 24, 2017 (view all comments by Sheryl McLean-Houle)
Powerful but painful to read. I spaced the reading out because the imagery of death, of violence, of sorry, almost too perfectly rendered, stuck in my head long after I put the book down. Han Kang writes of the Gwangju uprisings in Korea. Few in the US are familiar with this episode in South Korean modern, post-Korean War history. The work, despite taking on such a historical moment, is solely in the hands of the characters, not an outside narrator describing war and violence from afar. This allows the reader to experience the horror and intensity from multiple perspectives. The narrative is not straightforward nor linear, and each is chapter is narrowly focused, yet all connection. Only through the finished novel does a larger picture of the impact and the 'history' begin to emerge. The intensely personal aspect provides a powerful lens to examine the issues of such rebellions and the horrors inflicted on those who dare challenge the powerful. Note: I received an ARC from the publisher but with no obligation to review. This review is my honest opinion of the work.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9781101906729
Binding:
Hardcover
Publication date:
01/17/2017
Publisher:
HOGARTH PRESS (ENGLAND)
Pages:
224
Height:
.80IN
Width:
5.90IN
Author:
Han Kang
Media Run Time:
B

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