Near the book’s conclusion, Kim inserts himself via a meta-addendum explaining how Jae’s story became his latest fiction.Įlegantly rendered into English by Krys Lee, author of How I Became a North Korean (she is also translating Kim’s next novel), this is a wrenching examination of discarded youth, abuses of power, and the irreparable disintegration of societal structures. His ascent among the city’s motorcycle gangs is revealed through multiple perspectives, including a once-mute childhood friend, a girlfriend of sorts, and a police officer-sexual predator. Jae eventually escapes a remote orphanage to return to Seoul’s streets, reemerging as an ascetic surviving on handfuls of uncooked rice. The baby, Jae, is initially well cared for by a stranger, until drugs rob him of any semblance of family connections. Since then, he has gained a reputation as the most talented and prolific Korean writer of his generation, publishing five novels and three collections of short stories. Kim ( Black Flower, 2012), one of Korea’s most lauded writers, takes readers into Seoul’s grittiest corners, beginning in a bus terminal bathroom stall where a teenager gives birth alone. Born in 1968, Kim Young-ha kicked off his writing career with his first novel I have the right to destroy myself, which won him the much-coveted Munhak-dongne prize in 1995. Author : Kim Young-ha Published Year : 2012 English Title : I Hear Your Voice. Less well known is an underbelly class of street youth, battling abandonment, brutality, and worse. Romanization of Original: Neoui moksoriga deullyeo ISBN: 9780544324473. In the West, K-pop, K-drama, and “ Gangnam Style” are synonymous with contemporary South Korea.

I Hear Your Voice by Kim Young-ha