Lovely post Jin! I love the way you framed this post around the questions about the relationship between the living and the past. Need to reread Human Acts again!
Thank you so much for reading, aeri! I was just thinking I needed to give it a reread as well, after writing this post.. I'd love to hear what you've been reading as well!! :)
I remember reading Human Acts right after the latest martial law incident and I thought to myself “I see why the Parliament acted so fast”. They remember. I also read somewhere in Human Acts that South Koreans can recognize a dictator when they see one. Or something to that effect. i forgot the exact words. That’s why literature is so important. So that people will remember. I love this book so much!
Oh, what a very timely read to have read it after the latest martial law incident (what a terrible phrase...)! I agree — literature does play such a huge role in crafting and maintaining our public/shared memory of past events. I'm so happy to hear that you love this book as well!!
This is my first novel by Kang and as you say in this piece, it needs to be read slowly to fully absorb her words. I do feel like I’m bearing witness to history as I read, and shouldn’t look away even when humans commit terrible acts.
Thank you for reading, Simi. Bearing witness to history as we read, yes! I'm comforted to know that Han Kang also took the writing process so carefully and was deeply emotionally invested.. I think that conscientiousness really comes through to the reader, as well.
Lovely post Jin! I love the way you framed this post around the questions about the relationship between the living and the past. Need to reread Human Acts again!
Thank you so much for reading, aeri! I was just thinking I needed to give it a reread as well, after writing this post.. I'd love to hear what you've been reading as well!! :)
I remember reading Human Acts right after the latest martial law incident and I thought to myself “I see why the Parliament acted so fast”. They remember. I also read somewhere in Human Acts that South Koreans can recognize a dictator when they see one. Or something to that effect. i forgot the exact words. That’s why literature is so important. So that people will remember. I love this book so much!
Oh, what a very timely read to have read it after the latest martial law incident (what a terrible phrase...)! I agree — literature does play such a huge role in crafting and maintaining our public/shared memory of past events. I'm so happy to hear that you love this book as well!!
This is my first novel by Kang and as you say in this piece, it needs to be read slowly to fully absorb her words. I do feel like I’m bearing witness to history as I read, and shouldn’t look away even when humans commit terrible acts.
Thank you for reading, Simi. Bearing witness to history as we read, yes! I'm comforted to know that Han Kang also took the writing process so carefully and was deeply emotionally invested.. I think that conscientiousness really comes through to the reader, as well.
Yes it does - which means we trust her account.