Les Piquets de ma mère

Modern Korean Literature #4

by Park Wan-suh, Pak Wanso, Patrick Maurus (Translator)

Si l'oeuvre et le nom de Pak Wansô sont si célèbres en Corée-du-Sud, cela tient en bonne partie au succès des «Piquets de ma mère», roman "populaire", au meilleur sens du terme et du genre. En trois épisodes qui, d'une génération à l'autre, lui suffisent à mesurer tout un siècle, Pak Wansô met en scène des moments clefs de l'histoire de son pays. Son héroïne n'est encore qu'une enfant lorsque sa mère, cédant à l'exode rural, fait le pari de planter les piquets d'une nouvelle vie à Séoul. Devenue adolescente, la narratrice subit tous les aléas de l'occupation et de la guerre. Et c'est en adulte que, dans la troisième partie du livre, il lui faut assumer les conflits entre changement et tradition, et porter le deuil de cette mère qui voulait faire de sa fille une "femme moderne". Or ce qui fascine ici, c'est la concision narrative, l'économie descriptive, l'absence de commentaire, et la densité psychologique des portraits de femmes. Là où bien des écrivains coréens eussent convoqué les puissantes ressources d'un roman fleuve, Pak Wansô nous captive par une efficacité toute de justesse et de discrétion.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Asian Literature

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

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

[Karine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mais quelle traduction atroce...c'est illisible et réellement bien dommage quand on connaît le génie littéraire de Pak Wanseo.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating perspective on the frequently examined, frequently contentious mother-daughter relationship in the context of colonial modernity. Mother's stake examines how two women from different generations experience and react to modernity.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mother's Stake I is described as semi-autobiographical, the mother of the title being the author's parent and the girl in the story the author. The story portrays a country family with long-held land and sense of place, whose widowed daughter spurns the duties to in-laws to become 'A New Woman' in the big city of Seoul.

Life in a crowded place of streetcars, steep hills, and many inhabitants is difficult in staying safe from others, dirt, and bill collectors. It's also the location where her son attends school, as he is the family member whose traditional obligation is to provide for the household. Eventually, the young girl comes to discover exciting surroundings, new restrictions about playmates, and awareness of making ends meet. Those hardships do not stop the mother, a seamstress, from seeing her son's educational accomplishments or holding herself better than the neighbors, and eventually buying a house inside the city wall. At the same time, the arrival and its subsequent difficulties would not be forgotten but would remain as thread unraveling from the stake of her first days there.

[영윤 김 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generation after generation, the emotional scar doesnt just go away but it becomes us. As a country that has so many wars in history, how people reacted to these terrible experiences became who we are now. Why we are so emotional, competitive, enthusiastic about education. This wasnt just a novel for me. It was like reading my mothers childhood diary. Forgiveness is something similar to understanding in depth, I suppose. I now understand them and forgive them and love them better. At the end of the day, we are all humans. Not mothers, not koreans, not daughters or sons. Just humans.

[Faïza · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Maman utilisait ses enfants pour arriver à supporter l'abîme qu'il y avait entre sa situation actuelle et l'Utopie à laquelle elle n'avait pas encore pu parvenir, mais elle ne savait rien des problèmes qu'ils affrontaient."

Un récit réaliste aux allures d’une autobiographie. L’évolution du point de vue de la narratrice est intéressant à suivre au sein des différents contextes socio-politiques qui ont marqué la Corée du XXe siècle. Pour cette raison, l’ouvrage m’a vaguement rappelé Pachinko, mais il n’a su me captiver réellement durant ma lecture.

[Omar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't fathom why some of these translations are undertaken by non-English native speakers.
I am wholly against the idea of people translating into their L2 unless the translator grew up bilingual. As often happens when Korean translators decide to translate into English, there are several instances of grammatically correct yet awkward sentences. These passages take you out of the story, as you have to do a double take to ensure you know what's going on.

[Liwia || moonbookish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Historia o chęci poprawienia swojego życia, przedostaniu się do wyższych klas społecznych. Jednocześnie opowieść o trudnej relacji matki i córki osadzona w realiach Korei z początku XXw. Niestety czegoś mi w tej opowieści zabrakło. Raziło też przedstawienie z perspektywy dziecka, jednak pisane po latach, z doświadczeniami i spostrzeżeniami dorosłej osoby.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was pretty interesting to see life in korea just after the war through the eyes of a child.

[Barry Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Supriya · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Read the 1st part in English translation for my Korean lit class. Mother's Stake 1.

[Hemiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

#pracalicencjacka

[Koral Intens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obraz relacji córki z matką oraz problemów związanych z biedą i aklimatyzacją w nowym miejscu.
Piękna historia dorastania i wędrówki jaką jest życie !

[Salomé :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intéressant pour découvrir le contexte historique et social

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️

[matylda · Rating 3 out of 5]

historia o dorastaniu w korei w okresie okupacji japońskiej. jedyne co mi się nie podobało to polskie wydanie, kto to projektował, czemu to tak wygląda, jak mogliście zrobić coś takiego

[🐈‍⬛Olcia 🐈‍⬛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fajna, przyjemna. Refleksje dotyczące życia na wsi, urbanizacji, pogoni za nowoczesnością. Zaprzeczanie własnej tożsamości, ucieczka w to co nowe

[Elisatlfsse · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai adoré chaque page de ce livre. <3