queen_unicorn_reject (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
queen_unicorn_reject) wrote2025-05-28 06:28 pm
queen_unicorn_reject) wrote2025-05-28 06:28 pm
Entry tags:
5/28/25
Han Kang and Human Acts
I finished my second book here. Human Acts by Han Kang (known as A Boy Comes in Korean). It's a book about the Gwangju Uprising on May 18, 1980 in Korea.
I do have to say that I almost cried reading this book. It's already become one of my favourites ever.
I think it's interesting that some people point out how this book doesn't "politicise" the event, and only shows the "human casualties" of it. I think this book is plenty political, and a scathing criticism of fascism and how it compels humans to commit atrocities that they normally wouldn't. I think the very acts depicted in this book is the "politicisation of violence" - the inherent political nature of violence. I'd like to write an essay about this someday.
It also reminded me of Please Look After Mom, another Korean novel that's my favourite. The second person usage and the epilogue being from the perpective of the authour herself are both reminiscent. Please Look After Mom came first, though.
I'm reading a bit of the e-book of the English translation and I see some issues with it. I looked it up and the translator, Deborah Smith, has been previously criticised for her loose, "adaptational" translation style. I'm all for translation as creative adaptation, but it's a bit egregious that she's made blatant, objectively wrong interpretations of the text because she didn't know about a word. I'd also like to write about the translation in more depth when I'm done reading the English edition of the book.
The highlight of today was that we got to go inside an actual prison. We've only been inside the training facility a half a block away. But the prison is where we'll actually be working for the next 3 years. The prisoner's rooms were very tiny and a bit scary. They even had television, though.
Tomorrow I see my mom again. It's not like I harbour ill will for my mother, and I do like her, so I am looking forward to that and eating something nice finally. Apparently I'll be able to go home every 5 weeks. That's 1 week longer than the timing I was aware of, but it's still nothing too bad. I'll be able to go home 10 times every year. Damn, now that I put it that way, it doesn't seem like alot lol.
I got to call Serena a bit today. I would like to do that as much as I can. I'm very grateful to her because she's always staying up to talk to me. I couldn't ask for a better, loving girlfriend. I'm really blessed to have her.
I finished my second book here. Human Acts by Han Kang (known as A Boy Comes in Korean). It's a book about the Gwangju Uprising on May 18, 1980 in Korea.
I do have to say that I almost cried reading this book. It's already become one of my favourites ever.
I think it's interesting that some people point out how this book doesn't "politicise" the event, and only shows the "human casualties" of it. I think this book is plenty political, and a scathing criticism of fascism and how it compels humans to commit atrocities that they normally wouldn't. I think the very acts depicted in this book is the "politicisation of violence" - the inherent political nature of violence. I'd like to write an essay about this someday.
It also reminded me of Please Look After Mom, another Korean novel that's my favourite. The second person usage and the epilogue being from the perpective of the authour herself are both reminiscent. Please Look After Mom came first, though.
I'm reading a bit of the e-book of the English translation and I see some issues with it. I looked it up and the translator, Deborah Smith, has been previously criticised for her loose, "adaptational" translation style. I'm all for translation as creative adaptation, but it's a bit egregious that she's made blatant, objectively wrong interpretations of the text because she didn't know about a word. I'd also like to write about the translation in more depth when I'm done reading the English edition of the book.
The highlight of today was that we got to go inside an actual prison. We've only been inside the training facility a half a block away. But the prison is where we'll actually be working for the next 3 years. The prisoner's rooms were very tiny and a bit scary. They even had television, though.
Tomorrow I see my mom again. It's not like I harbour ill will for my mother, and I do like her, so I am looking forward to that and eating something nice finally. Apparently I'll be able to go home every 5 weeks. That's 1 week longer than the timing I was aware of, but it's still nothing too bad. I'll be able to go home 10 times every year. Damn, now that I put it that way, it doesn't seem like alot lol.
I got to call Serena a bit today. I would like to do that as much as I can. I'm very grateful to her because she's always staying up to talk to me. I couldn't ask for a better, loving girlfriend. I'm really blessed to have her.