A Distant and Beautiful Place

by Yang Gui-ja, Yang Kwija, So-young Kim (Translator)

Somewhere on the periphery of Seoul, between the modern metropolis and the traditional farming communities, lies a "distant and beautiful place," the neighborhood of Wonmi-dong. Here, a young couple from the city struggles to make a home for themselves; a hapless "salary man" is forced into door-to-door sales after losing his job; a precocious seven-year-old questions the meaning of friendship and community. Everyone seems to be chasing the intangible dream of a better life. Set against the backdrop of South Korea's breakneck drive for industrialization and economic development in the 1980s, these compassionate and often humorous stories capture the essence of modern South Korean life-including the ubiquitous atmosphere of violence and fear that clouded the country prior to democratization in 1987. They also depict the Korean people's unfailing optimism and love of life.

A Distant and Beautiful Place first appeared as a series of linked stories in literary journals between 1985 and 1987. It was published as the collection Wonmi-dong saramdul in 1987 and quickly became a best seller. Yang Kwija, one of South Korea's most respected and popular authors, has since published dozens of novels and shorter pieces.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

소설가 양귀자

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about the city in Korea where I lived for years. Perfectly describes the bleak lower-middle-class Korean lifestyle. I can smell the streets of Bucheon when I read these stories.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an somewhat interesting book. Kind of like Lake Wobegon, Summer 1956 but the Korean version. I didn't see any real deeper meanings in the stories but according to the forward there were a few in there. A few of the stories will stick with me, I am sure, but others just dragged on and then ended.

[Ryenne Wen · Rating 3 out of 5]

would love to try and read it in korean one day, i think the translation threw me off in some parts

[Sayeon ANSHIKA · Rating 4 out of 5]

a beautiful collection of stories, set on the backdrop of 1980s Korea, navigates life and problems of normal Koreans, and showcases the suffering of people behind the "DEVELOPED COURTY" - how it's so hard for the previous generations to keep up with the rapid growth, to be honest this time in Korean literature is very much similar to industrial revolution of west and literature produced at that time.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author depicts the small, developing neighborhood of Wonmi-dong in South Korea during 1987. She enlists many unnamed but quirky narrators: a white collar salaryman, an old farmer, the wife of an incarcerated man, an underground man, a tired, cheating photographer, and even the author herself. The narrative portrays the harsh realities of life, the fierce competitive nature of capitalism, and the emotional toll on men and women. It is a struggle to survive, let alone try to better your lot. Although I did like the book, I found the narration at times tedious to traverse. At times, each chapter seemed endless. There were a few that are my favorites, but at times, it difficult to keep reading.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

치열하고 억척스러운, 하지만 사람냄새나는 동네 이야기.

이 80년대의 서울 변두리 동네는 얼핏 보면 독재는 끝났고 민주주의 시대가 왔다고는 하지만 별 차이없는 제5공화국의 압재 아래, 사상의 발전이야 어떻든 경제적 성장과 그에 따른 내 삶의 발전에만 급급한 사람들의 전쟁같기만 한 삶을 담아내는 것처럼 보인다. 하지만 (80년대의 삶을 겪어보지 않은 내가 주제넘게 하는 얘기이지만), 좀 더 눈여겨보면, 좀 더 머리가 아닌, 가슴과 삶으로 보면 그 안에 누구나 겪는 삶에 대한 고민과 실망, 성공과 실패, 사랑과 이별, 고독과 행복이 있음을 그래서 이 또한 내 삶이 아닌가 하고 생각하게 한다.

이 모든 것이 그 누구도 못 알아볼 것이 없게 쓰였다. 이해나 공감의 정도에 차이가 있을 뿐이지. 어느 정도냐면, 중학교 국어교과서에까지 이 책의 일부가 실렸으니까. 그래서 뭣도 몰랐던 중학생이 언젠간 이 책을 이 부분만이 아닌, 전체를 꼭 다 읽어보겠다고 했었으니까.

[yujin · Rating 5 out of 5]

- Korean literature
- one of my favorite authors
- I'm always surprised how she describes petit bourgeois. Her novels remind me nostalgia for the late 20th century of Korea tho I was born in 2002😙

[Syd Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

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