| Vendor | |
|---|---|
|
Liepman Literary Agency
Marc Koralnik |
| Original language | |
| Korean | |
KIM JIYOUNG, BORN IN 1982
Written in the format of psychiatric report with simple and clinical prose, this is the life story of an "everywoman" in modern Korea. Kim Jiyoung is the most common name for Korean women born in the 80s, and the title character is indeed representative of her generation. She's an ordinary 30-something, married a couple years ago and quit her job to take care of her baby full time.
One day, Jiyoung begin to speak in other people's voices: first her mother, then her husband's college classmate. The impersonation is so perfect it's almost as if she's been possessed. At first the husband dismisses the incidents as jokes, but Jiyoung's situation deteriorates and soon it becomes clear that she's suffering from some sort of mental disorder.
Jiyoung's husband arranges therapy sessions for her with a psychiatrist, who begins to record her life story: at home, the grandmother favors her brother and keeps all the best food for him; in primary school, she suffers bullying from boys, who are not punished but only mildly scolded; as a high student, she is sexually harassed by a man on the bus, then blamed by her own father for wearing "skirts that are too short"; when looking for a job, her college professor would only recommend male students; in the office, she has to do more work than her male colleagues, but is paid significantly less.
The list goes on and on, culminating in her morning stroll with her baby daughter. It being a beautiful day, Jiyoung buys a cup of coffee (on sale) and sits down in the park to enjoy a rare moment of peace. Only to be accused by a group of men passing by as "parasite mom" - a derogatory term which means a woman who don't work and lives as "parasite" on her husband.
Kim Jiyoung never recovers from her strange symptoms. She still "turns" into other women - always and only, women - from time to time, the impersonation always pitch perfect.
The novel offers an honest and chillingly realistic look at the situation of women in Korean society: the gender discrimination, the ever-present misogyny, and the shocking gender pay gap (as big as 40%). It ends with the psychiatrist murmuring to himself that his colleague is pregnant and about to quite her job. It's "such a nuisance" to find a replacement, and he vows never to hire another married woman again - only young and single. Kim Jiyoung's story, however tragic, does not mean a thing for the male psychiatrist.
THE PHENOMENON
As the story of KIM JIYOUNG, BORN IN 1982 rings so true, it's been enthusiastically embraced by female readers since publication. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it has also been identified as a feminist, men-hating manual by certain groups of men. A female K-Pop star said publicly that she's reading the novel, and her photos were burned by male fans. But a male celebrity has no such trouble when expressing an admiration for the book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaZkSRq7phc
Here's a selection of English press on the novel and the cultural phenomenon:
http://www.dramasrok.com/2017/11/korean-book-review-born-1982-kim-ji-young/
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3038016
https://qz.com/1240411/in-the-age-of-metoo-korean-men-are-revolting-against-the-feminist-novel-kim-ji-young-born-1982/
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180327000799
https://www.koreaexpose.com/parasite-moms-meat-shields-gender-online/
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/culture/2017/04/142_227167.html
The latest news is that the film will star shooting in 2019, with Jung Yu-mi cast as the lead. She has starred in major films such as The Crucible (based on the Gong Ji-young novel) and Train to Busan (2016's box office hit) and is recently seen in the TV drama, Live, as a young feminist policewoman.
And are you surprised that there's now a petition to stop the film by male supporters who feel that it's "anti-men"?
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2018/09/689_255556.html
Cho Nam-joo was born in 1978 in Seoul. She graduated from the Department of Sociology of Ehwa Women's University. She had worked for 10 years as a screenwriter for TV programs. Her novel WHEN YOU CAREFULLY HEAR (2011) won Munhakdongne Novel Award and FOR COMANECI (2016) won Hwangsanbeol Award for Young Adult Literature.
Publisher: Minumsa
Pub Date: Octoberm 2016
Length: 192 pages (appx 37,000 words in English)
ISBN: 9788937473135
Foreign sales: Azoth (Taiwan), Women's Publishing House (Vietnam), Earnest (Thailand), Chikuma Shobo (Japan), Xiron (China)
One day, Jiyoung begin to speak in other people's voices: first her mother, then her husband's college classmate. The impersonation is so perfect it's almost as if she's been possessed. At first the husband dismisses the incidents as jokes, but Jiyoung's situation deteriorates and soon it becomes clear that she's suffering from some sort of mental disorder.
Jiyoung's husband arranges therapy sessions for her with a psychiatrist, who begins to record her life story: at home, the grandmother favors her brother and keeps all the best food for him; in primary school, she suffers bullying from boys, who are not punished but only mildly scolded; as a high student, she is sexually harassed by a man on the bus, then blamed by her own father for wearing "skirts that are too short"; when looking for a job, her college professor would only recommend male students; in the office, she has to do more work than her male colleagues, but is paid significantly less.
The list goes on and on, culminating in her morning stroll with her baby daughter. It being a beautiful day, Jiyoung buys a cup of coffee (on sale) and sits down in the park to enjoy a rare moment of peace. Only to be accused by a group of men passing by as "parasite mom" - a derogatory term which means a woman who don't work and lives as "parasite" on her husband.
Kim Jiyoung never recovers from her strange symptoms. She still "turns" into other women - always and only, women - from time to time, the impersonation always pitch perfect.
The novel offers an honest and chillingly realistic look at the situation of women in Korean society: the gender discrimination, the ever-present misogyny, and the shocking gender pay gap (as big as 40%). It ends with the psychiatrist murmuring to himself that his colleague is pregnant and about to quite her job. It's "such a nuisance" to find a replacement, and he vows never to hire another married woman again - only young and single. Kim Jiyoung's story, however tragic, does not mean a thing for the male psychiatrist.
THE PHENOMENON
As the story of KIM JIYOUNG, BORN IN 1982 rings so true, it's been enthusiastically embraced by female readers since publication. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it has also been identified as a feminist, men-hating manual by certain groups of men. A female K-Pop star said publicly that she's reading the novel, and her photos were burned by male fans. But a male celebrity has no such trouble when expressing an admiration for the book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaZkSRq7phc
Here's a selection of English press on the novel and the cultural phenomenon:
http://www.dramasrok.com/2017/11/korean-book-review-born-1982-kim-ji-young/
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3038016
https://qz.com/1240411/in-the-age-of-metoo-korean-men-are-revolting-against-the-feminist-novel-kim-ji-young-born-1982/
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180327000799
https://www.koreaexpose.com/parasite-moms-meat-shields-gender-online/
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/culture/2017/04/142_227167.html
The latest news is that the film will star shooting in 2019, with Jung Yu-mi cast as the lead. She has starred in major films such as The Crucible (based on the Gong Ji-young novel) and Train to Busan (2016's box office hit) and is recently seen in the TV drama, Live, as a young feminist policewoman.
And are you surprised that there's now a petition to stop the film by male supporters who feel that it's "anti-men"?
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2018/09/689_255556.html
Cho Nam-joo was born in 1978 in Seoul. She graduated from the Department of Sociology of Ehwa Women's University. She had worked for 10 years as a screenwriter for TV programs. Her novel WHEN YOU CAREFULLY HEAR (2011) won Munhakdongne Novel Award and FOR COMANECI (2016) won Hwangsanbeol Award for Young Adult Literature.
Publisher: Minumsa
Pub Date: Octoberm 2016
Length: 192 pages (appx 37,000 words in English)
ISBN: 9788937473135
Foreign sales: Azoth (Taiwan), Women's Publishing House (Vietnam), Earnest (Thailand), Chikuma Shobo (Japan), Xiron (China)
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Book
Published 2016-10-01 by Minumsa |