Our Twisted Hero

by Yi Mun-Yol, Kevin O'Rourke (Translator)

When the twelve-year-old narrator of Our Twisted Hero moves from Seoul to a small provincial town and enrolls in the local school, he's confident that his big-city sophistication will establish him as a natural leader. But he immediately falls victim to a charismatic and corrupt class monitor, who uses fear and violence to keep the other students under his mysterious spell and to assure his own supremacy in the school's social hierarchy. The teacher, grateful to have such a well-behaved class, turns a blind eye to the monitor's abuse of power. As the narrator attempts first to seek justice and then to inspire his fellow students to revolt, he finds himself in a fierce battle not just for his rights, but for his soul. Soon he has set in motion an unexpected and unstoppable chain of events.

This riveting allegory, in the tradition of Lord of the Flies, starts as a simple power play within a children's classroom, but turns into a chilling tale about the lust for power and desperate need for acceptance that reside within us all.

Our Twisted Hero is Yi Munyol's first book ever to be published in North America. With its classically unadorned style and disturbing insights, it will astound readers unfamiliar with this extraordinary writer of world standing.

Yi Munyol, one of Korea's most acclaimed writers, is the author of sixteen novels(many of which have sold into the millions), fifty-two novellas, and two collection of political and social commentary. His work has been translated into fifteen language, and he has received numerous literary awards. He lives in South Korea.

Genres: Fiction, Literature, Asian Literature, Asia, Contemporary, Classics, Young Adult

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 1987

About the author

Yi Mun-yol (born May 18, 1948) is a South Korean writer.

Yi Mun-yol was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1948, but the outbreak of the Korean War and his father's defection to North Korea forced his family to move about until they settled in Yeongyang, Gyeongsangbuk-do, the ancestral seat of his family. The fact that his father defected dramatically affected his life, as he was seen and treated as "the son of a political offender," and was "passed around among relatives[.] After dropping out of the College of Education of Seoul National University in 1970, Yi Mun-yol made his literary debut through the annual literary contests of the Daegu Maeil Newspaper in 1977, and the Dong-A Ilbo in 1979. On being awarded the prestigious "Today's Writer Award" for The Son of Man in 1979, Yi emerged as the most noteworthy writer of the time. The Son of Man explores the theme of the complex relationship between God and humanity in light of the finite nature of human existence inadvertently cast in infinite universe, through the eyes of the protagonist who is doubtful of the Christian Weltanschauung. From 1994 to 1997, he taught Korean language and literature at Sejong University. Since 1999, he has also served as the head of Buak Literary Center, a residential program for budding writers. He is currently a chair professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

(from Wikipedia)

Associated Names:
* Yi Mun-Yol
* 이문열 (Korean Profile)

Reviews

[Deniz Balcı · Rating 5 out of 5]

Çok güzeldi. Hatta süperdi diyebilirim.

Japon Edebiyatına dair hissettiğim doymak bilmez açlık, yeni eserler çevrilmesini beklerken, diğer Uzakdoğu ülkelerinin edebiyatlarına yöneltti beni. Çok fazla bir şey beklemiyordum bu kısa romandan açıkçası. Ama yanılmışım. Kısacık ve çok sade olan bu anlatı, aslında çok büyük şeylerden, makro sistemlerden bahsediyor. Ne desem boş şimdi, çok beğendim. Kesinlikle okumanızı tavsiye ederim.

9/10

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would not have read this book except that I am judging a national essay contest, with essays by teens based on this novel by a prominent (South) Korean author. I thought the translation (I don't know Korean) clunked in places... meaning that there was some awkwardness in the English that I suspect may have been less awkward in the original... so I don't know for sure, but if the author is acclaimed as they say, mistakes would not have been made like this. I see after having written the first draft of this review that others acclaim the translator as being one of the finest in the world translating Korean into English, but that puzzles me. I can say I was completely taken by the story of one boy's struggle, so you have to give some credit to the translator for that, of course.

I am revising my review of this book having read some seventy student essays about it, comparing it to actual historical events in Korea in the sixties and seventies (of course), other political dictatorships/situations (Hitler, Batista, Arab Spring, Vietnam, etc) or literary political allegories (Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, Hunger Games, 1984, etc ). As any teacher would, I learned from these various student writers, and changed my views of the book. For instance, is the main character a fighter for democracy and social justice against a ruthless dictator or a ruthlessly competitive social climber who just wants a level playing field on which he can achieve his "just" rewards, or a little of both? After reading the essays, it's clear there is an argument to be made for all three positions, and I, reasonably, choose the second. What is clear is that the story can be read on one level as a school boy story of bullying and power struggles and unfairness and deep sorrow and alienation, and on the other as a political/human allegory such as Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm. Human frailty and despotism seen through the experience of elementary school kids.

The story of the "twisted hero" who moves from sophisticated Seoul and some success to a small rural school and encounters a fascistic bully is compelling. We care about him as he faces the class monitor who has the whole class and even the teacher in his iron fist, and who in fact with his communistic? fascistic? approach helps the class create the highest marks, best garden, etc. (as they said about Stalin, the trains DID run on time), even as he gets them to take his tests for him in exchange for favors. The kids all cave to the tyrant, as Germany did to Hitler, etc.

As things get resolved in the school setting and a second teacher comes in to "enforce" a more democratic order, but it is sloppy, chaotic, disappointing, and the students demonstrate that while totalitarianism is reprehensible, brutal, unacceptable, democracy is also problematic, difficult, messy, and isn't ideal in every context. The years after for the main character reveal some implications for his moral and ethical "twistedness." I liked that surprise. I expected a kind of simple trumping of democracy over fascism with the main character, our "hero" succeeding in his triumph over right, but it turns out to not be so simple. Literature, not a parable. Very worth reading.

[Olga Kowalska (WielkiBuk) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple yet very powerful story of tyranny, rebellion against it and revolution. Also, about what is left when the freedom comes and democracy begins.

[Made by Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on the recommendation of a student, and later of a colleague who talked about how many students in South Korea read this book as part of their education. It's an brief, unique look from an outsider's perspective at how one boy manages to manipulate an entire elementary school class behind the scenes, getting them to do his bidding, including stealing their things and cheating. The narrator--who comes from Seoul and has a good educational and family background--assumes that he will do well socially in this country school until he confronts this class bully and suddenly sees all of his assumed advantages come to naught in the face of the absolute and masterful control exerted by the other boy. How this escalates and finally comes to a head I won't spoil, but this was interesting in the sense that the moral of the story seems to be that one has to consent to be controlled, and that consenting to that control is an immoral act if one knows that the person in control is corrupt. It's especially interesting knowing that the author wrote this story as an allegory for South Korea's relationship with the US, and it makes me wonder what (if any) historical or political events correspond to the events that the narrator describes in the book, or if it is rather an overall depiction of the coercive relationship.

The student that recommended this book to me was very disturbed by how one boy could exert so much control over all the other students; I think the dilemma of what he would do in the narrator's position was a very real and pressing one for him. As I watch the dynamics between my students (and now know that many of them may have read this book), it makes me wonder if some of the same scenarios aren't replaying themselves, with students who are higher in the social order using others to do their bidding without ever getting their own hands dirty. It's a disturbing possibility, especially as a teacher... and I think disturbing is the author's intended effect overall: we shouldn't finish this story and feel comfortable, but rather newly cognizant and curious/critical of who is in power and why.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

ACUM AM VAZUT VA I AM DAT DIN GRESEALA O STEA RBDBDB HAI CA MACAR 3 MERITA

[Daria Popa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In the end, I shed a few tears, but whether they were for me or for him, whether from relief of the world, or from a new pessimism, I still really don't know."

[Matteo Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro interessante che dal particolare vuole inerire al contesto più generale - m'è parso - della società sudcoreana durante la fine degli anni Cinquanta e l'inizio degli anni Sessanta. La Postfazione di Maurizio Riotto (che è anche traduttore dell'opera) è davvero illuminante poiché fornisce dati storici fondamentali per comprendere questi rimandi, appunto, tra il particolare e il generale a cui Yi Munyŏl allude, mettendo in evidenza come al centro della sua poetica vi sia il tema della libertà, declinato poi nelle varie forme in cui tale concetto può essere espresso. Come Yi dirà nell'intervista condotta dallo stesso Riotto: «[...] una libertà intesa in termini molto più vasti. Ciò che si contrappone alla libertà, ossia la repressione, non è necessariamente legato a una struttura sociale o a un sistema politico: anche una ideologia può essere repressiva, o una corrente intellettuale, e anche Dio, il tempo e lo spazio possono rappresentare la repressione. Mi interessa molto la ricerca del modo di liberarsi da tutte queste forme di repressione e, naturalmente, queste mie convinzioni mi hanno portato a stare in guardia contro qualunque atteggiamento repressivo».
"Il nostro eroe decaduto" (o "Un piccolo eroe sbeffeggiato") è dunque un romanzo solo all'apparenza semplice - uno studente che da una scuola prestigiosa di Seoul si trasferisce in una scuola di campagna decisamente diversa dalla precedente -, che nasconde, in realtà, livelli di analisi più stratificati e profondi che mettono al centro simboli, ideologie, nonché convinzioni radicate e cultura coreane in un "gioco" di rimandi tra la storia coreana moderna e l'individuo - in questo caso Pyongt'ae, il protagonista -, schiacciato da una società che difficilmente sembra realizzare davvero gli ideali di «ragione» e «libertà» (e di "giustizia") a cui lo stesso Pyongt'ae, per esempio, più volte fa riferimento nel testo, favorendo nella massa - insieme di individui - un atteggiamento di secondamento verso quei soggetti, come l'Om Soktae del testo, "nemesi" del protagonista, che, in modo non democratico, sembrano invece concretarli: è anche verso di loro che il libro di Yi Munyŏl muove una decisa critica. Come scriverà Riotto nella Postfazione: «Infine è l'atteggiamento della massa a essere evidenziato e criticato. È vero infatti che un despota regna solo finché il suo popolo gli permette di farlo, e quest'opera di Yi Munyŏl suona come un aspro rimprovero per tutti quei coreani, egli compreso, capaci come il protagonista di adeguarsi a ogni situazione e di cambiar colore, come camaleonti, a seconda dell'ambiente in cui si trovano».

[LaCitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libro breve, ma dalle tematiche importanti che vede un ragazzo di undici anni trasferirsi in una nuova scuola e dover affrontare un bullo che lo cessa e gli rende la permanenza a scuola un inferno. Detta così, sembrerebbe una storia sul bullismo, in realtà il tema principale è la libertà, come difenderla, come impedire i soprusi dei potenti. Complessivamente non male, ma il finale mi è sembrato un po' debole rispetto al resto della storia.

[Canan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okul sistemi içindeki zorbalığın oluşumu ve devamını anlatan kitabın alt metninde politik sistemlere dair ironiyi de bulabilirsiniz.

[Araceli.libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. El dilema de la democracia y la dictadura resumida en el microcosmos de un curso de colegio secundario, a la manera de “Rebelión en la granja” de Orwell. Ciertamente no esperaba la forma en la que se desarrollaron los acontecimientos y quién es, al final, este “héroe” mencionado en el título.

Leí varias reseñas que se quedan con la parte del libro que obviamente critica lo que sería un régimen dictatorial, o el culto a un “líder”, pero parecen no ver que, cuando al final llega la libertad en forma de democracia, esta no es para nada perfecta ni salvadora, sobre todo después de esta dictadura a la que todos se habían acostumbrado. Hay un precio a pagar por ambas formas de gobierno.

El libro puede leerse como relato autobiográfico sobre un curso de secundaria, y/o en clave alegórica sobre la situación política de Corea del Sur durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX. Me gustó mucho.

Me parece muy interesante ver cómo reacciona el narrador de este libro a los cambios que van ocurriendo en su curso. Tiene que ver más que nada con la costumbre. Acostumbrado al sistema democrático de su anterior colegio, la dictadura de Sokdae en el nuevo colegio le produce un choque en su conciencia y, al principio, se resiste. Cuando entiende que es más fácil y cómodo olvidarse de los valores que defendía anteriormente, pasa a ser casi la mano derecha del dictador. Pero, cuando este es derrotado, nuevamente le cuesta abandonar las costumbres del antiguo régimen por otro. En cambio, los compañeros de su curso en seguida se vuelven contra Sokdae cuando el profesor prueba ser más fuerte e implacable que él. Entonces vemos que, según esta novela, la regla general es que siempre la gente va a terminar apoyando al más fuerte, a quien pueda detentar el poder (en el caso político real, se trataría de una derrota militar, siempre violenta), aunque este mismo luego les diga que el poder está en sus propias manos, en la forma de elecciones democráticas para determinar el jefe del curso.


“Todo lo que Sokdae esperaba de mí era que me sometiera a sus órdenes y que no intentara atacar más el reino que él había construido. Si se piensa que tal sumisión significaba sumisión a un orden injusto, se comprende que éste era el mayor tributo que yo tenía que pagar. Sin embargo, como había renunciado a mi libertad y hasta el recuerdo mismo de la racionalidad, no era en absoluto así como sentía las cosas.”

“Confusión y desorientación fueron el precio a pagar por la deformación de nuestras conciencias. Envalentonados por el maestro y por un sentimiento de triunfo sin fundamento, una parte de nosotros se mostró excesivamente progresista, en tanto que aquellos que aún no se habían liberado por entero del peso del orden de Sokdae no sabían qué hacer.”

“Oculto en algún sitio, debía controlar clandestinamente el sector del mundo en el cual yo evolucionaba, presto a recibirme en cuanto abandonase mi preocupación por la libertad y la justicia. Si yo ponía en su disposición una parte de mis capacidades, no había duda de que, como antes, me ofrecería casi todo.”

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want a sequel or a OM point of view. That boy crazy. That teacher useless, those bums bruised. Crazy story. I like this book. This is like Star Wars but without the Star Wars stuff and it’s school and actually it’s not like Star Wars. It’s like lion king but the opposite, wait no it’s like lion king when scar took over. Ya. Good book. Wowie. I love you cervina

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The only thing pain can wring from a soul that has abandoned resistance and from a mind that has lost its hate is sorrow.”

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because it was on a list of books you should read about demagogues, which were ubiquitous after the 2016 election. That, and it is about students in South Korea, a country where I taught English for three years. It is a charming novella by Yi Mun-Yol. It is a semi-autobiographical story about transferring as a student from a modern, top-notch Seoul school to a more traditional, not-so-polished countryside schoolhouse. At the rural school the author (in the story a kid named Byeong-tae) confronts a completely new set of rules and values that are enforced by a school bully/cult-of-personality. Instead of the fair system of grades and equal opportunity where the protagonist thrived as a top student in Seoul, he is thrown into a culture where one class bully-cum-class-president holds all the power--over sharing lunches, over everyone's test scores, over everyone's behavior, even over the teacher. He is an ultimate antagonist, like a child-Mussolini or Nicolas Maduro.

This "twisted hero," a class leader who takes and manipulates all social forces to come under his influence, elevates the class performance over all others in the school and earns adoration through his selfish get-it-done attitude. All the Byeong-tae's attempts to thwart the twisted hero's unimpeachable authority are impotent and make him more disliked by his classmates. In this climate, the twisted leader is always able to turn everyone against him with his influence and manipulation of the culture. Byeong-tae is an outsider trying to break an already airtight dominance structure, and even the teacher is blind to his appeals for fairness because, who is this new city-kid to question everyone's so-thoroughly "adored" class leader? Byeong-tae's grades plummet and not even his parents will listen to his complaints about the new school. Byeong-tae's insistence in fighting against the bully-leader wins him some respect of the twisted hero, but only out of fear and only under the umbrella of dictatorial authority. (Semi-spoiler:) "Normalcy" doesn't return until, at the very end, a new outsider enters the picture and readjusts the environment with his authority over the kids, capping the novella as a detailed social explication of entrenched authoritarian rule coming face to face with an organized and socially just democratic system.

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un jeune élève coréen de primaire se voit contraint d'intégrer une nouvelle école lorsque son père, fonctionnaire, est rétrogradé de Séoul en province. Il découvre avec stupéfaction cette nouvelle classe, où tout libre-arbitre des collégiens semble avoir disparu. Ce qu'il connaît de l'organisation démocratique de la vie en groupe vole en éclats devant la domination du chef de classe : jeune garçon dépassant tout le monde d'une tête, Om Sokdae règne sans partage. Il a la confiance aveugle du maître, et fait la pluie et le beau temps sur les 32 élèves de la classe, qui lui offrent les meilleurs morceaux de leurs déjeuners, mais aussi leurs copies pour qu'il reste le premier de la classe, etc. Et gare à l'exclusion, pour celui qui tente de remettre en cause cette suprématie : le jeune narrateur en fait les frais.
Métaphore de la dictature, on lit le récit d'un trait. La finesse du livre est d'arriver à nous convaincre par petites touches comment une telle soumission à un seul homme, comme à l'autorité du régime, est possible. S'il fallait lui adresser une critique, il manque peut-être d'un peu d'épaisseur aux personnages, ou d'histoires parallèles, secondaires, pour que le roman soit tout à fait nourrissant.

[S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Koreans can actually write a novel!

Japan has a population of 110 million and 500 authors who are known to Westerners. Korea has a population of 75 million, but less than 10 authors who are read in the West. is this cultural difference, a result of poverty, a flaw of the West itself, an artifact of Japan's status as a military-occupied country, or something else?

presumably if China becomes the dominant nation, Korea will suddenly become a literary powerhouse. but until then, this is about as good as it comes out of the 75 million koreans of the world.

*cough

anyway, about the book; thinly disguised historical allegory taking place as a hero deals with a bully at school. Yi's great strength was to avoid the cheesy redemptive ending...

[Tabs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. In class, we did an interpretive dance project incorporating four different scenes from the book. It was so fun! It was also interesting to notice all the types of oppression in the story. If you like to learn about North Korea, read this book.

[Rick Pfleeger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's an extremely quick, short read, and is a very interesting allegory of mass-despotism. The characters are very interesting, and it's fun to follow their development in this short novel. However, keeping track of some of the characters' names can be tricky for people who are not Korean.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting metaphor of the different powers influencing Korea during that time period. It might be because it is translated from Korean, the writing is not particularly good and doesn't flow as well. But the story is pretty interesting since I have been a class monitor myself when I was in middle school, and I can absolutely picture someone abusing his or her power.

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story takes place in the last days of the Syngman Rhee administration. It is an allegory of Korean political life shown through the microcosm of an elementary school, and as such does a great job reflecting the emotional experience of life under authoritarian rule. Great book if you like Korean history.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

En esta corta novela de Yi Munyol vemos cómo nos cuesta la libertad, y como por costumbre terminamos aceptando el autoritarismo como una forma de vivir correcta porque consideramos que es más fácil seguir a estas personas que nos humillan y al mismo tiempo tiempo gobiernan nuestras vidas.

[Carolina Álvarez Valencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia infantil que devela las estructuras coercitivas de regímenes opresores, hasta tal punto que la Libertad y la Justicia adquieren otro significado. De alguna manera, esta historia es una apología a los sistemas sociopolíticos que imperan tanto en oriente como en occidente.

[Shannon Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking, easy to read parable about government and cultural control from a Korean perspective.

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.25 stars

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but excellent. I need to read more by this dude.

[norie moto · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Classroom politics. Really interesting. The author was a little annoying but it’s ok. Didn’t know schools in Korea put so much emphasis on class monitors. Also glad we don’t get beat up by our teachers now.

[°•☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ☆

[Wiktoria Krasny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75?

[Jesse Ward-Bond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a feeling that this book would have hit harder and been if I had grown up in the Korean school system. As it stands it was a pretty vanilla portrayal of the high-school bullying that is so ubiquitous in schools in the K-dramas I watch.

[gałganzbagien · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,7 ⭐

Całościowo dosyć płaska.
Szczerze powiedziawszy to właśnie taki „Władca Much”, ale okrojony i azjatycki. Co prawda książka fajnie ukazała swego rodzaju totalitaryzm, rewolucje i to jak jeden człowiek może uzależnić się od drugiego, nie widząc przy tym jednocześnie własnej krzywdy, ale pomimo to nie jestem nią wyjątkowo zachwycona.

Taka ot, krótka książeczka na jedno posiedzenie.