Three Days in That Autumn

by Park Wan-Suh, Ryu Sukhee (Translator), Pak Wanseo

Three Days in That Autumn is a novella that delves into the grim irony of women's life-giving capacity. A gynecologist facing retirement must reckon with the legacy of her traumatic past. Herself a victim of a rape during the Korean War who had to undergo an abortion, the doctor devotes her career to freeing women from the agony of carrying an unwanted baby. Paradoxically, her obsessive devotion to aborting unplanned pregnancies actually functions as a tool for perpetuating sex as a trade, and her own emotional dysfunction even allows her to find the sardonic pleasure of retaliation in the decrepitude of the women she services. In her final three days of work, however, she comes to recognize her sublimated longing for self-healing and redemption in her sudden inexplicable need to deliver a living life to be loved and cared for.

Genres: Fiction, Asia, Novella, Feminism

90 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

See 박완서

Park Wan Suh (also Park Wan-seo, Park Wan-so, Park Wansuh, Park Kee-pah and Pak Wan-so, Pak Wanso) was born in 1931 in Gaepung-gun in what is now Hwanghaebuk-do in North Korea.Park entered Seoul National University, the most prestigious in Korea, but dropped out almost immediately after attending classes due to the outbreak of the Korean War and the death of her brother. During the war, Park was separated from her mother and elder brother by the North Korea army, which moved them to North Korea. She lived in the village of Achui, in Guri, outside Seoul until her death. Park died on the morning of January 22, 2011, suffering from cancer.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heartbreaking. Covering the story of an abortionist for comfort women, we get history and insight not much touched upon.

Stories like this matter. It’s written with a sense of realness akin to pure documentation. It disregards the embellishments of fiction to aim for the heart of truth.
Important for its time.
Important for history.

[Barry Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch my review on YouTube here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVOCQ...

Read my review on Substack here - https://barrywelsh1.substack.com/p/th...

[Electra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mon deuxième roman (ou plutôt novella) coréen de l’année. Une lecture parfois troublante car on suit le parcours d’une femme qui décide de pratiquer les avortements dans une société conservatrice. Elle accomplira son métier sans sourciller pendant plus de trente ans. Un métier né d’un viol subi à l’adolescence et d’une grossesse non désiré. Je me laisse le temps de digérer cette lecture.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“…and he sees only the shadows in the hearts that drives our lives.”

[Audrey RZR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deuxième livre lu dans le cadre du club de lecture d'Antastesia pour le mois de juin, Trois jours en automne a été une très belle découverte.

Premier livre coréen lu et grosse claque littéraire pour ce court roman, dérangeant, intimiste, dépaysant, intelligent.

Nous y suivons la narratrice, une jeune médecin qui décide d'ouvrir une clinique d'obstétrique à Séoul au sortir de la guerre, en 1953.
Cette femme au passé tragique décide de se spécialiser dans les avortements. Le livre relate toute la carrière de cette femme et son évolution personnelle et psychologique.

J'ai adoré l'écriture épurée de Pak Wan-seo, la construction narrative du roman, la profondeur de notre "héroîne" et le développement passionnant autour de son traumatisme, le dépaysement par la découverte de l'évolution de la société coréenne de 1953 jusqu'au années 80.

Une histoire pleine de sensibilité, glauque par moment, féministe, qui offre de belles réflexions sur le choc post-traumatique, la filiation, l'avortement, entre autres.

J'ai maintenant très envie de découvrir d'autres oeuvres de l'auteure et je remercie @Antastesialit pour cette belle rencontre littéraire.

[Jo' · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un texte court mais poignant et profondément perturbant. La haine et le dégoût avec lesquels la narratrice considère ses patientes et leurs fœtus se mêle à une fragilité et une tendresse presque désespérée. L'écriture, au début froide, gagne en émotion au fur et à mesure du récit, de la découverte du personnage et de ses motivations. On referme le livre en silence, un peu désorientée, le cœur serré.

[eva]

this made me a bit nauseous which i guess is a sign that it's well written

[J Thayre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a slightly upsetting yet beautiful and insightful read with a positive ending.

Three Days in That Autumn is a 87 page novella that I raced through.

Read more of this review here: https://aroundtheworldonefemalenoveli...

[Phi_Phi · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’ai adoré l’histoire, l’écriture, l’ambiance, le contexte social et historique ! L’idée est bonne. La psychologie du personnage principal est bien développée malgré la courte longueur du roman/nouvelle. Je suis très contente d’avoir lu ce livre qui doit être mon deuxième coréen. J’ai hâte de découvrir plus de littérature coréenne.

[Chinook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this before! Not sure when though. It's an interesting book about an abortionist in South Korea, starting just after the war. I'm not sure I entirely relate to the perspective, but it's interesting.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original and beautifully written.

[Valeria ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written story about a woman's career as an abortionist in post-war South Korea. I would suggest it to anyone, very poignant and touching reading.

[Nyssnisacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A work of art

[Lassányi Tamás Péter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nagyon tudni és érteni akarom Koreát, és ebben ezek a történetek, ezen a nyelven, ebből a (kizárólag) női nézőpontból biztosan segítenek.

[Daniel Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Park Wan-suh’s Three Days in That Autumn is an introspective novella that explores the emotional aftermath of trauma through the voice of a gynecologist who has spent decades performing abortions. Her writing is stripped down and unsentimental, yet it carries immense psychological weight. The protagonist’s voice is detached, shaped by a past marked by sexual violence during the Korean War. Park’s minimalist style mirrors the character’s emotional repression, allowing the reader to feel the tension between what is said and what remains buried. The novella is well-written and powerful.

[anakoluty · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5

[Ahk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chilling and sad

[Angélique (MapleBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant novella about trauma and resentment.