The Prisoner: A Memoir
A sweeping account of imprisonment—in time, in language, and in a divided country—from Korea's most acclaimed novelist

In 1993, writer and democracy activist Hwang Sok-yong was sentenced to five years in the Seoul Detention Center upon his return to South Korea from North Korea, the country he had fled with his family as a child at the start of the Korean War. Already a dissident writer well-known for his part in the democracy movement of the 1980s, Hwang's imprisonment forced him to consider the many prisons to which he was subject—of thought, of writing, of Cold War nations, of the heart.

In this capacious memoir, Hwang moves between his imprisonment and his life—as a boy in Pyongyang, as a young activist protesting South Korea's military dictatorships, as a soldier in the Vietnam War, as a dissident writer first traveling abroad—and in so doing, narrates the dramatic revolutions and transformations of one life and of Korean society during the twentieth century.
1138018989
The Prisoner: A Memoir
A sweeping account of imprisonment—in time, in language, and in a divided country—from Korea's most acclaimed novelist

In 1993, writer and democracy activist Hwang Sok-yong was sentenced to five years in the Seoul Detention Center upon his return to South Korea from North Korea, the country he had fled with his family as a child at the start of the Korean War. Already a dissident writer well-known for his part in the democracy movement of the 1980s, Hwang's imprisonment forced him to consider the many prisons to which he was subject—of thought, of writing, of Cold War nations, of the heart.

In this capacious memoir, Hwang moves between his imprisonment and his life—as a boy in Pyongyang, as a young activist protesting South Korea's military dictatorships, as a soldier in the Vietnam War, as a dissident writer first traveling abroad—and in so doing, narrates the dramatic revolutions and transformations of one life and of Korean society during the twentieth century.
39.95 In Stock

Hardcover

$39.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 1-2 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

A sweeping account of imprisonment—in time, in language, and in a divided country—from Korea's most acclaimed novelist

In 1993, writer and democracy activist Hwang Sok-yong was sentenced to five years in the Seoul Detention Center upon his return to South Korea from North Korea, the country he had fled with his family as a child at the start of the Korean War. Already a dissident writer well-known for his part in the democracy movement of the 1980s, Hwang's imprisonment forced him to consider the many prisons to which he was subject—of thought, of writing, of Cold War nations, of the heart.

In this capacious memoir, Hwang moves between his imprisonment and his life—as a boy in Pyongyang, as a young activist protesting South Korea's military dictatorships, as a soldier in the Vietnam War, as a dissident writer first traveling abroad—and in so doing, narrates the dramatic revolutions and transformations of one life and of Korean society during the twentieth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781839760839
Publisher: Verso Books
Publication date: 08/03/2021
Pages: 624
Product dimensions: 6.24(w) x 9.41(h) x 1.46(d)

About the Author

Hwang Sok-yong is the recipient of the highest literary prizes in Korea and across Europe. His writing, exploring the troubled history of a violently divided Korea, has achieved international acclaim, and his status as as an imprisoned, exiled, and dissident author has been championed by World PEN. His many novels include At Dusk, Familiar Things, and The Guest.

Table of Contents

Editor's Note ix

Prologue 1

1 Leaving: 1985-86 14

2 Prison I 52

3 Visit to the North: 1986-89 89

4 Prison II 164

5 Exile: 1989-93 176

6 Prison III 242

7 Childhood: 1947-56 258

8 Prison IV 326

9 Lost: 1956-66 342

10 Prison V 432

11 Deployment: 1966-69 447

12 Dictatorship: 1969-76 484

13 Gwangju: 1976-85 528

14 Prison VI 584

Epilogue 601

About the Translators 611

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews