Han Yujoo / 한유주 / 2017 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 21st century

A chilling, wildly original novel from a major new voice from South Korea   The Impossible Fairy Tale is the story of two unexceptional grade-school girls. Mia is “lucky”―she is spoiled by her mother and, as she explains, her two fathers. She gloats over her exotic imported color pencils and won’t be denied a coveted sweater. Then there is the Child who, by contrast, is neither lucky nor unlucky. She makes so little impression that she seems not even to merit a name. At school, their fellow students, whether lucky or luckless or unlucky, seem consumed by an almost murderous rage. Adults are nearly invisible, and the society the children create on their own is marked by cruelty and soul-crushing hierarchies. Then, one day, the Child sneaks into the classroom after hours and adds ominous sentences to her classmates’ notebooks. This sinister but initially inconsequential act unlocks a series of events that end in horrible violence. But that is not the end of this eerie, unpredictable novel. A teacher, who is also this book’s author, wakes from an intense dream. When she arrives at her next class, she recognizes a student: the Child, who knows about the events of the novel’s first half, which took place years earlier. Han Yujoo’s The Impossible Fairy Tale is a fresh and terrifying exploration of the ethics of art making and of the stinging consequences of neglect.   Source: Amazon.com

Han Yujoo / 한유주 / 2017 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 21st century

Mia et La môme se côtoient sans se connaître. Elles sont camarades de classe. Mia possède tout ce qu'un enfant peut désirer dans la vie, sauf l'essentiel. Quant à La môme, elle n'a pas cette chance. Autant dire que les deux écolières n'ont en apparence aucun point commun. Pourtant, ce soir-là, un jeu innocent et cruel débute. C'est ce que La môme attendait... Ce roman est un tour de force. En mettant en scène une gamine et son ombre, Han Yujoo rappelle, à nous adultes, combien l'enfance nous poursuit, sous une forme ou une autre, toute notre vie. Cet impossible conte de fées, une fois ouvert, ne peut plus être lâché. Il convoque tous nos sens : la vue, l'ouïe, la parole, le toucher sont remis en cause dans leur efficacité à approcher la vraie vie. Et si la narratrice et l'auteure ne font qu'une, c'est pour mieux nous rappeler que notre vie est une éternelle enfance.   source: decitre.fr    

Han Yujoo / 한유주 / 2017 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 21st century

Han Yujoo / 한유주 / 2018 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 21st century

A chilling, wildly original novel from a major new voice from South Korea The Impossible Fairy Tale is the story of two unexceptional grade-school girls. Mia is “lucky”―she is spoiled by her mother and, as she explains, her two fathers. She gloats over her exotic imported color pencils and won’t be denied a coveted sweater. Then there is the Child who, by contrast, is neither lucky nor unlucky. She makes so little impression that she seems not even to merit a name. At school, their fellow students, whether lucky or luckless or unlucky, seem consumed by an almost murderous rage. Adults are nearly invisible, and the society the children create on their own is marked by cruelty and soul-crushing hierarchies. Then, one day, the Child sneaks into the classroom after hours and adds ominous sentences to her classmates’ notebooks. This sinister but initially inconsequential act unlocks a series of events that end in horrible violence. But that is not the end of this eerie, unpredictable novel. A teacher, who is also this book’s author, wakes from an intense dream. When she arrives at her next class, she recognizes a student: the Child, who knows about the events of the novel’s first half, which took place years earlier. Han Yujoo’s The Impossible Fairy Tale is a fresh and terrifying exploration of the ethics of art making and of the stinging consequences of neglect. Source : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41565697-the-impossible-fairytale

Han Yujoo / 한유주 / 2018 / KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 21st century

Mia is ‘lucky’—she is spoiled by her mother and her two fathers. She gloats over her exotic imported color pencils and won’t be denied a coveted sweater. Then there is the Child who, by contrast, is neither lucky nor unlucky. She makes so little impression that she seems not even to merit a name. At school, their fellow students, whether lucky or luckless or unlucky, seem consumed by a murderous rage. Adults are nearly invisible, and the society the children create on their own is marked by cruelty and soul-crushing hierarchies. Then, one day, the Child sneaks into the classroom after hours and adds ominous sentences to her classmates’ notebooks. This sinister act unlocks a series of events that end in horrible violence. In this dreamy, hypnotic and deeply unsettling novel, Han casts an uncanny glow over the innocence of childhood, and the ethics of art-making. Brilliantly rendered in Janet Hong’s translation, Han’s prose makes us question where life ends and the book begins. Source : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40871603-the-impossible-fairy-tale