A Novel from North Korea

I think it's fair to say that I have put a fair effort into trying to read more Asian fiction than the average American. But I have never read a North Korean novel. And, as I see from today's Times, I have a chance with a newly published novel:

It may be surprising, though it shouldn’t be, to learn that North Korea has novelists and literary critics, fiction prizes and best sellers. Some books have been republished in South Korea, but English translations remain scarce and geared largely toward dissident memoirs. “The Accusation,” an absorbing story collection by a man writing under the name Bandi (or “Firefly”), was published in English in 2017, but it never had a life inside North Korea: The stories were critical of the regime and had to be smuggled out of the country to be read.

What is North Korean literature, as read by North Koreans? One of the few English translations of a novel from Pyongyang — “Friend,” by Paek Nam-nyong, originally published in 1988 — offers a beguiling introduction to the everyday, with none of the rockets and military parades that the words “North Korea” often bring to mind. As recent coverage of the health and whereabouts of the nation’s leader, Kim Jong-un, reminds us, fiction may offer more durable truths than speculative news.

The “friend” of the title is Jeong Jin-wu, a small-town judge unlike any magistrate in the West. As a trusted organ of the state, he isn’t limited to courtroom protocol; he assumes the intimate duties of social worker, counselor, wingman and private eye, reaching ever further into his litigants’ affairs.

Nichaolas Kristof offered a few suggestions of what to read if you are curious about the country in 2018. I find his inspector 0 suggestion interesting.  

Inspector O Novels

James Church introduces readers to one of the most unique detectives to appear on page in years—the elusive Inspector O. This mystery series brings readers into the enigmatic world of North Korea, as Inspector O finds himself tangled in conspiracies and cover-ups. The series includes the novels A Corpse in the Koryo, Hidden Moon, Bamboo and Blood, and The Man with the Baltic Stare.