Europa

Yeoyu - new voices Korea #3

by Han Kang, Deborah Smith (Translator)

Inah has been having nightmares. Nightmares of fish bones, fractals, and a marriage that ended under some unnamed violence. Walking the night streets with a man she has known for years, whose feelings for her are bound up with his intense longing to live as a woman, the fragile bond of their relationship threatens to shatter. Internationally acclaimed author Han Kang directs her unflinching gaze on the painful complexities of damage and recovery, questioning what it is we want from ourselves and each other, and whether there are some things that are truly irreparable.

From the Yeoyu collection, a selection of eight short stories translated from Korean, in collaboration with publisher-activist and translation trailblazer, Deborah Smith, and featuring writers such as Han Kang and Bae Suah, among others less familiar to an English-speaking audience.

​여유, Yeoyu, means something like 'scope' and/or 'relaxed' in English; scope to be yourself, to follow your own interests. In some ways it means the opposite of being constrained by convention, more to be unbounded in such a way. In a sense, it means to be oneself but with enough 'left over' -- for others, maybe.

It is intended to capture the diverse range of themes and styles the series, and Korean literature far more widely, has to offer the curious reader and also to say something figurative and fun about the act and process of translation.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Asian Literature, Asia, Contemporary, Queer, Literature

35 pages, Paperback

Published June 16, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

소설가 한강

Han Kang was born in 1970 in South Korea. She is the author of The Vegetarian, winner of the International Booker Prize, as well as Human Acts, The White Book, Greek Lessons, and We Do Not Part. In 2024, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”

Reviews

[Henk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Named after the untouchable cold that governs one of the moons of Jupiter, this short work touches upon the distance between people and the violence society does to them
If you’d be born as you wanted, how do you think you would have lived?
If you were able to live as you desire, what would you do with your life?

Han Kang manages to do a lot in a small number of pages. In Europa we follow a narrator who cross-dresses and In-ah, a mysterious singer who deals with depression and the dissolution of an abusive marriage. Their relation in interesting and at times fraught: But it is not that I love you. I want to be like you
She is enigmatic as well:The only thing that made an impression was the look on her face, like a riddle, something that would need you to enter a password before you could decipher it.

Marital violence, depression, society enforcing norms of masculinity, protest being suppressed, there is a lot going on in a few pages. Still the core of the narrative is the inability of people to really know each other and truly help each other in the face of entropy.
This is a small gem, with all the hallmarks typical to the style of this great and deserving Nobel laureate.

Quotes:
It comes down to a fundamental lack of greatness. That’s just the kind of person I am.

I’ve gone as far as I can inside myself. Now there’s nowhere left to go except out.

Even after going through such a thing, we have to go on living.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the deserving winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life

Frozen Europa
You are Jupiter’s moon
Even if I live until the end of my life
Cold that can never be touched

에우로파 by 한강 (Han Kang) has been translated as Europa by Deborah Smith - the same author/translator combination that won the 2016 Man Booker International.

Part of the Yeoyu (여유) series from Strangers Press, eight chapbooks, each featuring a translated short story of around 30 pages, showcasing the best writing from the current generation of Korean authors. For my review of the overall series see: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Europa is a song performed by In-ha, a part time musician and close friend of narrator. He first met her after finishing military service, introduced by a mutual friend, and they became very close friends for two years, but drifted apart for several years after In-ha got married. They later renew their strong friendship after four years when In-ha breaks down in front of him; he later realises that her marriage is breaking down likely due mistreatment in her marriage. She says:

“There’s one thing I can’t understand. So far, you’ve never harmed me. Not once in the past six years.”

But he responds:

“You’ve always been special to me. You’re still as special to me as you were six years ago. But it’s not that I love you, I want to be like you ... I want a voice like yours, a body like yours. Some nights, it feels like the longing will send me mad. ... living day after day in fear is like living a long prison sentence.”

And together they help each other come to terms with their lives.

Judged by the standards of Han Kang’s magnificent novels (The White Book, Vegetarian and Human Acts) the shorter form doesn’t really do her justice, but that is setting a high bar and this is a fine work in its own right. 3.5 stars but I would recommend the novels first.

[Stacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm currently working my way through the eight-chapbook Yeoyu set, the new voices of Korea Series from Strangers Press.

I did not like Han Kang's The Vegetarian so I approached this story with low expectations. It was nice to have my expectations exploded out of the water. Quite a good & unexpected (?) story.

[Enya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a short story that can give me a good idea of someone's life in very little space

[Akylina · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you'd been born as you wanted, how do you think you would have lived? [...] If you were able to live as you desire, what would you do with your life?"

A short story about trauma, healing and the complicated nature of human relationships. Han Kang is a master of describing human emotion and this story is an excellent example of that. Although the protagonist, In-ah, goes through something that remains unnamed to the end, Han Kang manages to describe her emotional turmoil so eloquently and pose all those questions that make you pause and reflect on your own life and choices.

In-ah's friend and narrator of the story is a man who likes In-ah, yet also a man who wants to live as a woman, a part of his wanting to be like In-ah instead of with her. I loved how Han Kang treated these complicated emotions - life rarely is clear-cut anyway, and I love seeing this depicted in fiction as well.

"I don't trust people either, I think. At some point, she will wound me deeply, and I'll do the same to her. I know that our walks will not last forever."

[✨ Aaron Jeffery ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Eddo]

Intim kortnovell som spelade mig mer än ett spratt. Den är bra men tar slut så snabbt att man inte riktigt hinner komma underfund med Han Kangs stil

[Nicky Neko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even after going through such a thing, we have to go on living. Even after everything is achieved in some magical instant or destroyed in a single stroke, all that remains is to walk down the dark seabed of the street, hammering those nails in one step at a time.

[Jayme · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manages to pack a lot of emotion into such a brief snapshot of two lives. I'm looking forward to reading more from Han.

Strangers Press published three beautiful chapbook series in sets of eight with each series focused on a different country. They currently have Korea, Japan, and the Netherlands. Each series has a unique art style and they focus on highlighting new and unknown voices. I hope they continue with this project. https://www.strangers.press/

[Moira Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was lucky enough to find this randomly in display in a bookstore in Edinburgh, I'm not sure how readily findable it is here in the states.

It really feels like it would make a great film. As poignant as her other stories, where she builds on characters through their relation to each other and the changing nature of their meaning to each other. It also let her show off some of her poetry, which I'm never sure really works in translation.

[Freddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intimate quick read. The writing is solid but I feel largely unmoved, especially towards the parts related to the main character's gender expression which feel a little superficial.

[Andrea D. McCarthage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to form for Han Kang after the unimpressive 흰 (흰 came off as a very personal work, no doubt important and cathartic, but in the end nothing but alienating to the reader). Europa, like The Vegetarian, brings to mind the works of Hiromi Kawakami, although this time we're treated to less uncanny themes and instead two excellent character studies.

Recommended - A short and enjoyable read. Really loving the Yeoyu series.

[Elisatlfsse · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's the third translated short story from the Yeoyu collection and, well, that's by Han Kang. You're always happy to read some Han Kang and never disappointed. Having worked on The Vegetarian and her recurrent obsession for plants, I'm not surprised to see that once again, it is mentioned in EUROPA. Dreams, too, actually. Also, I really need to read the White Book because white pervades the whole narration. Anyway, I really liked it! I never thought I'd read about transgender in South Korea, especially from a South Korean author, but it is widely present in this one, even if not directly mentioned. I liked the strange relationship between In-Ha and the narrator, but I'm sure I missed the essence of it. That's the thing with Han Kang's books, you're never really sure of what you understand on your first reading. So you need to read it again. This time, though, there was something quite performative, almost provocative from In-Ha, and how she lives her life. She does it so well that she influences her friend and confuses him. She confuses us, too. I struggled to see the points she was making or even the aim she envisages in her life. But well, I like the weird and the unexpected, so I liked Europa. Plus, Deborah Smith's translation is again very beautiful!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not my favourite Han Kang novel, but I'm really happy that I've read this and that I own a copy of it.

It took me quite a while to actually read it. Hurrah to mental health issues for not making me read this as soon as possible.

Thank you, ABC, for making me aware of this book and buying it online for a better (but still expensive) price.

I liked it more than The Vegetarian, which I think is her worst novel. I'm also used to her novels having a female narrator or at least one female voice, so I found it interesting to read a story completely written from the perspective of a 'man' who might want to undergo transitions to become a woman. I loved the little LGBTQ+ aspect of this short little story.

I honestly can't wait to go through her bibliography one by one. Thankfully, I still have a couple of stories left. I already own one of them! Thanks to my wonderful friend since they know she's one of my favourite authors.

I might need to create an Asian literature shelf, lol.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Han Kang’s writing just gets me every time. This short story is beautiful.

[Elif · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read more; I didn’t want it to end so soon.
https://elifthereader.com/books/europ...

[Else]

En liten men ack så mystisk historia om två vänner som vandrar runt och pratar om livet. Fin och stillsam, men med våldsamma flashbacks om ett tidigare liv. Vad innebär det att vara människa och i vilka fack förväntas vi placera oss?

Han Kang påminner mig om igen varför hon är en av mina favoritförfattare, men just den här hamnar tyvärr inte bland mina favoritböcker. Dock en läsvärd liten historia, inte helt olik Murakamis After Dark i tonen.

[d · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’ve been reading a book about fractals. It’s fascinating how the lines all resemble each other — the blood vessels in our bodies, streams and their tributaries, trees and their branches. Even a crowd of people exiting a subway station will branch out in a similar fashion. So, might out lives do something similar? Not in space, but in time? Do our lives follow a kind of mathematical line... the kind of line that can be mapped geometrically?”

[Daan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really beautiful. Han Kang can do no wrong.

[Faras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Han Kang could write IKEA assembly instruction and I'd still read it

[brokebookmountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

As part of Women In Translation Challenge 2022, I want to read more books written by women around the world. I've read Han Kang's The Vegetarian and The White Book, and I enjoyed the former (4 ⭐️) and LOVED the latter (5 ⭐️). Her writing speaks to your soul, and it reminded me of Sally Rooney's writing.

Europa is a short 33-pages book, part of a chapbook project by up-and-coming authors called Yeoyu. It tells the story of In-ah, a female indie artist struggling with her own mental battles, and a male narrator who is in love with In-ah while also desires to be like In-ah.

Europa felt like a punch to the gut. In-ah's mental struggles was cleverly and beautifully described, and the narrator's dilemma of hiding or showing his love for In-ah was relatable. His apathetic, blasé attitude to life is his shield from the world, and confessing his love for In-ah makes him feel vulnerable. I love how both characters are clearly flawed, but their affection and care for each other were apparent. In a way, it made their friendship both wholesome and tragic at the same time.

I can't wait to read more of Han Kang's works, and more of Yeoyu's chapbooks too.

[Roxie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It didn't work for me sadly. It's a 1.5/5 rounded up.
I think, even though the premise was really interesting and i love to read about gender/sexuality/trauma/identity, that it felt not fully fleshed out. It was also too evasive for me. Maybe it was on purpose but then it wasn't just for me. This made me tiptoe at the edge of the story and never get into it. I felt like I was kept at a distance and I needed to feel something a bit more tangible. It wasn't engaging enough on my end.
Maybe it was on purpose or maybe it was because of the short form... i don't know.
Characters' study was interesting though.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Europa
Frozen Europa
You are Jupiter's moon
Even if I live until the end of my life
Cold that can never be touched

The Korean author Han Kang was recently crowned the winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Literature.

In the traditional Biobibliography that accompanies the announcement (nobelprize.org/uploads/2024/10/bio-bi...) – specific reference was made (alongside Kang’s International Booker Winning “The Vegetarian”) to a short story (also translated by Deborah Smith who translated ”The Vegetarian”)

In a novel such as The Vegetarian, no simple explanations are provided. Here, the deviant act occurs suddenly and explosively in the form of a blank refusal, with the protagonist remaining silent. The same can be said of the short story 에우로파 (2012; Europa, 2019), in which the male narrator, himself masked as a woman, is drawn to an enigmatic woman who has broken away from an impossible marriage. The narrative self remains silent when asked by his beloved: ‘If you were able to live as you desire, what would you do with your life?’ There is no room here for either fulfillment or atonement.

Rather delightfully, the story is published in a chap book by the Norwich based Strangers Press and who publish “the finest literature in translation in collaboration with the University of East Anglia, Norwich University of the Arts and The National Centre for Writing”.

The story itself is very simple, narrated by an unamed man about his long time friend In-ah, who he first met after completing national service and shortly before In-ah got married. Their rather distant friendship took a stronger turn when she unburdened herself about a recurring nightmare at a time he realises retrospectively preceded the breakdown of her marriage. At the same time he admits that it is less that he loves In-ha as he wants to be her (and what he has realised he always desired to be) – and from there the two grow closer as In-ha pursues a singing career including the titular song. Now In-ah recontacts him and the two walk the streets together – both wearing her clothes – as the narrator looks back across their relationship.

More than other work I did think there was a more Murakami-vibe to some of this story (perhaps due to the music club settings) – but as the Nobel Prize committee identify it does draw out some similar themes to her other work and is certainly one for her fans to read (given she currently only has four novels published).

Europa,
You are Jupiter's moon
Not of rock but of ice
White like the Eorth's but
Not scarred
Like the Earth's
However many times the meteorites strike
However shattering the impact
Your melted ice reforms anew

[Federico · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Europa - Han Kang → ☆☆☆.5]

Racconto facente parte di una raccolta di scritti brevi di autori coreani che sono molto curioso di continuare ad esplorare.

E' ormai il quarto libro di Han Kang che leggo e penso di aver trovato alcuni pattern che ritornano di opera in opera. Per quanto i temi non siano propriamente gli stessi, anche in 'Europa' vi è un tentativo di mostrare quell'incomunicabilità che permane anche nel vicino ambiente familiare e/o amicale come ne 'La Vegetariana'. La voce narrante è anche in questo caso quella di un narratore interno decisamente non onnisciente ma molto vicino a In Ha, la protagonista dell'opera.

Un racconto che nel complesso ho apprezzato ma che aveva decisamente un potenziale molto più ampio e poteva essere esteso ad una novella un po' più lunga. Apre una porta all'esplorazione di un rapporto intimo ma non troppo tra un narratore in conflitto tra la volontà di costruire una complicità più profonda con l'amica e quel sentimento di 'gender envy' che non riesce a reprimere nei confronti di In Ha. Considerando che 'La Vegetariana' è nato come estensione di un breve racconto ho speranze che anche questo prenda la stessa strada per creare uno scritto ancora più grandioso.

[Linda D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly potent little gem of a short story. Just 33 pages long.

I, like many people with an interest in Korean literature, have devoured Han Kang's works. And frankly, for me, I have never felt completely satisfied with her books. It's the endings. Always wrapped up poorly or with a weak conclusion. In the ending she tends to fade off in an ambiguous way which always left me with a bit of a "meh" afterwards. No matter how good the book actually had been up until then.

But Europa, that's another story. Effectively told, from an intimate perspective, that makes for a voyeuristic reading experience. It has nerve. It has chemistry. The characters are so clearly etched out that I can see them in front of me. Europa is charged with dialogue and contemplation.

It makes me wonder if Han Kang is a better writer in short format. It's briefness compresses her work into a sharp and piercing point.

[Nur Dini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Europa was my first book by Han Kang, and I was truly mesmerized by her gift for intimately capturing the many layers of emotion. The emotional turmoil, the exhaustion, the silences, the stares, the quiet despair.

Honestly, I wanted more. The story feels too short. This isn’t a negative thing per se, as it only shows how captivating the narrative is. A man is in love with a woman he shares intimacy with but also longs to be her, makes for a relationship that is both complicated and fascinating to read.

She also writes about the heaviness of depression that dying seems like the only visible choice. She also writes about the feeling of watching someone you love sink into despair. There’s helplessness in both sides, the pain of seeing someone you love slip further away, and the quiet devastation of not being able to fight depression. It is haunting, unsettling, and lingers long after you finish the book.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Han Kang as always has some of my favorite writing that I’ve probably ever read but what stops me from giving this a higher rating is that I just wanted the characters fleshed out a bit more, especially about In-ah as a character, though maybe Han Kang was being intentionally vague so the reader could draw their own conclusions. Additionally, the vignettes within the story made the timeline a little confusing :/
But In the end I highlighted so much and I LOVED the themes that it brought up of sexuality and gender and trauma and how people persevere through the hardships caused by those things in this very short story. I would LOVE to read this as a full novel and really delve deep into the lives of these characters.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

My first time reading a Han Kang story was pretty good. It wasn’t nearly as strange as I’d expected, and instead one of the more typically coherent stories I’ve read from this collection so far. The characters were definitely the focal point, rounded and at home yet at odds in their world. It’s made me want to read Han Kang’s novels, so I’d recommend it if you’re wondering if this kind of Korean literature might be something that interests you.

[Filipa Ribeiro Ferreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais um livro da biblioteca da Embaixada da Coreia. Este é um conto de uma das minhas escritoras preferidas, ou da escritora de um dos meus livros preferidos (Atos Humanos). São cerca de 30 páginas escritas de forma muito simples, mas de uma profundidade inesquecível. Conhecemos um par de amigos de longa data que já foram, brevemente, mais do que amigos, que se apoiam e compreendem tão bem que são quase como se fossem uma mesma pessoa. Deixa-nos a pensar como é possível escrever assim... quase sem esforço, num conto tão curto, tão perfeito, ficamos a conhecer tão bem as personagens.

[63_002 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0/5.0
Haunting and quick read. The mix of desire and dreams and loneliness… classic Han Kang. I pictured the scenes so clearly (thinking about the club in Seoul in which I met R). I think I recognize the type of existence the story describes—nighttime walks and queer sadness lolz… but even then, we still live (ish). Also. Always love Kang’s similes. They always hit for some reason… the dialogue felt sprawling at parts (which was the point, right) and some of the emotional descriptions entered a type of logic that felt beyond me. I guess, in other words, I wanted more precision.