The Orphan Master’s Son 양장 (A Novel of North Korea)
Johnson, Adam | Random House
55,050원 | 20120110 | 9780812992793
Adam Johnsonteaches creative writing at Stanford University. His fiction has appeared in Esquire, The Paris Review, Harper's, Tin House, Granta,and Playboy,as well as The Best American Short Stories. His other works include Emporium,a short-story collection, and the novel Parasites Like Us. He lives in San Francisco.
Here's a chance to visit sealed-off North Korea. Johnson's protagonist is an orphan who starts out as a tunnel soldier and rises through the military ranks until he's set to challenge Kim Jong-Il himself. Along the way, we encounter what one character calls "the greatest North Korean love story ever told." Evidently a blend of personal story and political revelation, with thriller overtones thrown in for fun, this work is being positioned as a breakout for Johnson. The first two serials go to Granta in August 2011 and Playboy in January 2012, which certainly suggests broad appeal.
An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, "The Orphan Master's Son" follows a young man's journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world's most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea.
An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master's Sonfollows a young man's journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world's most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea. Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother-a singer "stolen" to Pyongyang-and an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows, a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor. Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return. Considering himself "a humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world," Jun Do becomes a professional kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of his Korean overlords in order to stay alive. Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves, Sun Moon, a legendary actress "so pure, she didn't know what starving people looked like." Part breathless thriller, part story of innocence lost, part story of romantic love, The Orphan Master's Sonis also a riveting portrait of a world heretofore hidden from view: a North Korea rife with hunger, corruption, and casual cruelty but also camaraderie, stolen moments of beauty, and love. A towering literary achievement, The Orphan Master's Sonushers Adam Johnson into the small group of today's greatest writers. From the Hardcover edition.
An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master?? Sonfollows a young man?? journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world?? most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea. Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother-a singer ??tolen??to Pyongyang-and an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows, a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor. Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return. Considering himself ?? humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world,??Jun Do becomes a professional kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of his Korean overlords in order to stay alive. Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves, Sun Moon, a legendary actress ??o pure, she didn?? know what starving people looked like.??Part breathless thriller, part story of innocence lost, part story of romantic love, The Orphan Master?? Sonis also a riveting portrait of a world heretofore hidden from view: a North Korea rife with hunger, corruption, and casual cruelty but also camaraderie, stolen moments of beauty, and love. A towering literary achievement, The Orphan Master?? Sonushers Adam Johnson into the small group of today?? greatest writers. From the Hardcover edition.
"Mr. Johnson has written a daring and remarkable novel, a novel that not only opens a frightening window on the mysterious kingdom of North Korea, but one that also excavates the very meaning of love and sacrifice." - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "RIch with a sense of discovery...The year is young, but The Orphan Master's Sonhas an early lead on novel of 2012." - The Daily Beast "This is a novel worth getting excited about." - The Washington Post "[A] ripping piece of fiction that is also an astute commentary on the nature of freedom, sacrifice, and glory." - Elle An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master's Sonfollows a young man's journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world's most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea. Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother-a singer "stolen" to Pyongyang-and an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows, a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor. Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return. Considering himself "a humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world," Jun Do becomes a professional kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of his Korean overlords in order to stay alive. Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves, Sun Moon, a legendary actress "so pure, she didn't know what starving people looked like." Part breathless thriller, part story of innocence lost, part story of romantic love, The Orphan Master's Sonis also a riveting portrait of a world heretofore hidden from view: a North Korea rife with hunger, corruption, and casual cruelty but also camaraderie, stolen moments of beauty, and love. A towering literary achievement, The Orphan Master's Sonushers Adam Johnson into the small group of today's greatest writers.
" Adam Johnson has pulled off literary alchemy, first by setting his novel in North Korea, a country that few of us can imagine, then by producing such compelling characters whose lives unfold at breakneck speed. I was engrossed right to the amazing conclusion. The result is pure gold, a terrific novel." --Abraham Verghese " An addictive novel of daring ingenuity; a study of sacrifice and freedom in a citizen-eating dynasty; and a timely reminder that anonymous victims of oppression are also human beings who love. A brave and impressivebook." -- David Mitchell "I've never read anything like it. This is truly an amazing reading experience, a tremendous accomplishment. I could spend days talking about how much I love this book. It sounds like overstatement, but no. The Orphan Master's Sonis a masterpiece." -- Charles Bock PRAISE FOR ADAM JOHNSON Emporium "Impossible to forget . . . Adam Johnson unleashes a big, thrilling, and fully realized talent."-Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad "Remarkable . . . Johnson's heroes are isolated and alienated, but are capable of feeling just the right emotion at just the right time." -The New Yorker "Exhibits a fierce talent, showcasing Johnson's quirky humor and slicing insight." -Publishers Weekly Parasites Like Us "[Johnson's] characters are wonderfully weird and charming, and he is so witty a storyteller that this strange novel manages to captivate." -The Washington Post "Teeming with clever conceits, superb turns of phrase, observations as precise as Updike's, and tonal echoes of Vonnegut, Boyle, and George Sanders . . . The author is wise, weird and worth watching." -Seattle Weekly "Brilliance to burn." -The New York Times Book Review From the Hardcover edition.
"Adam Johnson has pulled off literary alchemy, first by setting his novel in North Korea, a country that few of us can imagine, then by producing such compelling characters whose lives unfold at breakneck speed. I was engrossed right to the amazing conclusion. The result is pure gold, a terrific novel." --Abraham Verghese "An addictive novel of daring ingenuity; a study of sacrifice and freedom in a citizen-eating dynasty; and a timely reminder that anonymous victims of oppression are also human beings who love. A brave and impressive book." -- David Mitchell "I've never read anything like it. This is truly an amazing reading experience, a tremendous accomplishment. I could spend days talking about how much I love this book. It sounds like overstatement, but no. The Orphan Master's Sonis a masterpiece." -- Charles Bock PRAISE FOR ADAM JOHNSON Emporium ??mpossible to forget . . . Adam Johnson unleashes a big, thrilling, and fully realized talent.??Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize??inning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad ??emarkable . . . Johnson?? heroes are isolated and alienated, but are capable of feeling just the right emotion at just the right time.??-The New Yorker ??xhibits a fierce talent, showcasing Johnson?? quirky humor and slicing insight.??-Publishers Weekly Parasites Like Us ??Johnson??] characters are wonderfully weird and charming, and he is so witty a storyteller that this strange novel manages to captivate.??-The Washington Post ??eeming with clever conceits, superb turns of phrase, observations as precise as Updike??, and tonal echoes of Vonnegut, Boyle, and George Sanders . . . The author is wise, weird and worth watching.??-Seattle Weekly ??rilliance to burn.??-The New York Times Book Review From the Hardcover edition.
" Adam Johnson has pulled off literary alchemy, first by setting his novel in North Korea, a country that few of us can imagine, then by producing such compelling characters, whose lives unfold at breakneck speed. I was engrossed right to the amazing conclusion. The result is pure gold, a terrific novel."-Abraham Verghese " An addictive novel of daring ingenuity, a study of sacrifice and freedom in a citizen-eating dynasty, and a timely reminder that anonymous victims of oppression are also human beings who love- The Orphan Master's Sonis a brave and impressive book."-David Mitchell "I've never read anything like it. This is truly an amazing reading experience, a tremendous accomplishment. I could spend days talking about how much I love this book. It sounds like overstatement, but no. The Orphan Master's Son is a masterpiece."-Charles Bock PRAISE FOR ADAM JOHNSON Emporium "Impossible to forget . . . Adam Johnson unleashes a big, thrilling, and fully realized talent."-Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad "Remarkable . . . Johnson's heroes are isolated and alienated, but are capable of feeling just the right emotion at just the right time." -The New Yorker "Exhibits a fierce talent, showcasing Johnson's quirky humor and slicing insight." -Publishers Weekly Parasites Like Us "[Johnson's] characters are wonderfully weird and charming, and he is so witty a storyteller that this strange novel manages to captivate." -The Washington Post "Teeming with clever conceits, superb turns of phrase, observations as precise as Updike's, and tonal echoes of Vonnegut, Boyle, and George Sanders . . . The author is wise, weird and worth watching." -Seattle Weekly "Brilliance to burn." -The New York Times Book Review From the Hardcover edition.
" Adam Johnson has pulled off literary alchemy, first by setting his novel in North Korea, a country that few of us can imagine, then by producing such compelling characters, whose lives unfold at breakneck speed. I was engrossed right to the amazing conclusion. The result is pure gold, a terrific novel."-Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone " An addictive novel of daring ingenuity, a study of sacrifice and freedom in a citizen-eating dynasty, and a timely reminder that anonymous victims of oppression are also human beings who love- The Orphan Master's Sonis a brave and impressive book."-David Mitchell, author of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet "I've never read anything like it. This is truly an amazing reading experience, a tremendous accomplishment. I could spend days talking about how much I love this book. It sounds like overstatement, but no. The Orphan Master's Son is a masterpiece."-Charles Bock, author of Beautiful Children " Johnson's novel accomplishes the seemingly impossible: an American writer has masterfully renderedthe mysterious world of North Korea with the soul and savvy of a native . . . juxtapos[ing] the vicious atrocities of the regime with the tenderness of beauty, love, and hope."- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "The Orphan Master's Son is a triumph on every level."- Booklist(starred review) From the Hardcover edition.
"A great novel can take implausible fact and turn it into entirely believable fiction. That's the genius of The Orphan Master's Son. Adam Johnson has taken the papier-m'ch챕 creation that is North Korea and turned it into a real and riveting place that readers will find unforgettable. This is a novel worth getting excited about, one which more than delivers on its pre-publication buzz??I haven't liked a new novel this much in years, and I want to share the simple pleasure of reading the book. But I also think it's an instructive lesson in how to paint a fictional world against a background of fact: The secret is research??t's this process of re-imagination that makes the fictional locale so real and gives the novel an impact you could never achieve with a thousand newspaper stories. Johnson has painted in indelible colors the nightmare of Kim's North Korea. When English readers want to understand what it was about - how people lived and died inside a cult of personality that committed unspeakable crimes against its citizens - I hope they will turn to this carefully documented story. The happy surprise is that they will find it such a page turner." - The Washington Post "Adam Johnson''s remarkable novel " The Orphan Master's Son" is set in North Korea, an entire nation that has conformed to the fictions spun by a dictator and his inner circle??r. Johnson is a wonderfully flexible writer who can pivot in a matter of lines from absurdity to atrocity??e don''t know what''s really going on in that strange place, but a disquieting glimpse suggesting what it must be like can be found in this brilliant and timely novel." Wall Street Journal "Magnificently accomplished??art thriller, part coming-of-age novel, part romance, The Orphan Master's Sonis made sturdy by research??ut what makes it so absorbing isn't its documentary realism but the dark flight of the author's imagination??ich with a sense of discovery??he year is young, but The Orphan Master's Sonhas an early lead on novel of 2012" The Daily Beast "Providing a rare glimpse into one of the world's least known countries, Adam Johnson weaves a tale of hardship, romance, and redemption in North Korea in The Orphan Master's Son." -- National Geographic Traveler "An incredibly vivid page-turner of a novel??omance, coming-of-age tale, adventure and thriller all in one, this book is singular and not to be missed." The Huffington Post, 10 Best January Must-Reads "The death of Kim Jong Il couldn''t have come at a better time for novelist Adam Johnson. " The Orphan Master's Son" is a richly textured political thriller about the hidden world of North Korea with all of its misery, violence and defiant acts of love under impossible circumstances. Stunning and evocative imagery abounds on every page." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Startling??ohnson''s carefully layered story feels authentic...[He] writes light-footed prose, barely allowing harrowing glimpses of atrocity to register before accelerating onward. He resists the temptation to turn his subject matter into comic fodder, but never ignores the absurdity, provoking laughter with jagged edges that tends to die in your throat." Newsday "Johnson's novel accomplishes the seemingly impossible: an American writer has masterfully rendered the mysterious world of North Korea with the soul and savvy of a native, from its orphanages and its fishing boats to the kitchens of its high-ranking commanders. While oppressive propaganda echoes throughout, the tone never slides into caricature; if anything, the story unfolds with astounding empathy for those living in constant fear of imprisonment-or worse-but who manage to maintain their humanity against all odds. The book traces the journey of Jun Do, who for years lives according to the violent dictates of the state, as a tunnel expert who can fight in the dark, a kidnapper, radio operator, tenuous hero, and foreign dignitary before eventually taking his fate into his own hands. In one of the book's most poignant moments, a government interrogator, who tortures innocent citizens on a daily basis, remembers his own childhood and the way in which his father explained the inexplicable: '...we must act alone on the outside, while on the inside, we would be holding hands.' In this moment and a thousand others like it, Johnson juxtaposes the vicious atrocities of the regime with the tenderness of beauty, love, and hope." - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY,(STARRED REVIEW ) "[A] fantastical, careening tale??nformed by extensive research and travel to perhaps the most secretive nation on earth, Johnson has created a remarkable novel that encourages the willing suspension of disbelief.??ohnson winningly employs different voices, with the propagandizing national radio station serving as a mad Greek chorus. Part adventure, part coming-of-age tale, and part romance, The Orphan Master''s Sonis a triumph on every level." - BOOKLIST,(STARRED REVIEW ) "Readers who enjoy a fast-paced political thriller will welcome this wild ride through the amazingly conflicted world that exists within the heavily guarded confines of North Korea. Highly recommended." - LIBRARY JOURNAL,(STARRED REVIEW) "[A] vivid, violent portrait of a nation??a] macabrely realistic, politically savvy, satirically spot-on saga. Johnson's metathriller, spiked with gory intrigues and romantic subplots, is a ripping piece of fiction that is also an astute commentary on the nature of freedom, sacrifice, and glory in a world where everyone's "a survivor who has nothing to live for." - ELLE "Ambitious, violent, audacious-and stunningly good." - O MAGAZINE "Adam Johnson has pulled off literary alchemy, first by setting his novel in North Korea, a country that few of us can imagine, then by producing such compelling characters whose lives unfold at breakneck speed. I was engrossed right to the amazing conclusion. The result is pure gold, a terrific novel." -ABRAHAM VERGHESE "An addictive novel of daring ingenuity; a study of sacrifice and freedom in a citizen-eating dynasty; and a timely reminder that anonymous victims of oppression are also human beings who love. A brave and impressive book." -DAVID MITCHELL "I''ve never read anything like it. This is truly an amazing reading experience, a tremendous accomplishment. I could spend days talking about how much I love this book. It sounds like overstatement, but no. The Orphan Master''s Sonis a masterpiece." -CHARLES BOCK "The Kim Jong Il that we meet in Adam Johnson's second novel, set in North Korea, is no cartoon villain, no Team Americamarionette. He's a three-dimensional character짯-a hairsprayed, jump-suited, hopping-mad monomaniac, sure, but a man in whom we can recognize some of our own jealousies and desires. And although he is offstage more often than not in The Orphan Master''s Son, Dear Leader, as he's usually referred to, is omnipresent in every conversation, every moment of intimacy, every sorrow that takes place somewhere in this fictional DPRK??ohnson is a lunatic story teller ??9780812992793
"Johnson's novel accomplishes the seemingly impossible: an American writer has masterfully rendered the mysterious world of North Korea with the soul and savvy of a native, from its orphanages and its fishing boats to the kitchens of its high-ranking commanders. While oppressive propaganda echoes throughout, the tone never slides into caricature; if anything, the story unfolds with astounding empathy for those living in constant fear of imprisonment-or worse-but who manage to maintain their humanity against all odds. The book traces the journey of Jun Do, who for years lives according to the violent dictates of the state, as a tunnel expert who can fight in the dark, a kidnapper, radio operator, tenuous hero, and foreign dignitary before eventually taking his fate into his own hands. In one of the book's most poignant moments, a government interrogator, who tortures innocent citizens on a daily basis, remembers his own childhood and the way in which his father explained the inexplicable: '...we must act alone on the outside, while on the inside, we would be holding hands.' In this moment and a thousand others like it, Johnson juxtaposes the vicious atrocities of the regime with the tenderness of beauty, love, and hope." - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY,(STARRED REVIEW ) "[A] fantastical, careening tale??nformed by extensive research and travel to perhaps the most secretive nation on earth, Johnson has created a remarkable novel that encourages the willing suspension of disbelief.??ohnson winningly employs different voices, with the propagandizing national radio station serving as a mad Greek chorus. Part adventure, part coming-of-age tale, and part romance, The Orphan Master''s Sonis a triumph on every level." - BOOKLIST,(STARRED REVIEW ) "Readers who enjoy a fast-paced political thriller will welcome this wild ride through the amazingly conflicted world that exists within the heavily guarded confines of North Korea. Highly recommended." - LIBRARY JOURNAL,(STARRED REVIEW) "[A] vivid, violent portrait of a nation??a] macabrely realistic, politically savvy, satirically spot-on saga. Johnson's metathriller, spiked with gory intrigues and romantic subplots, is a ripping piece of fiction that is also an astute commentary on the nature of freedom, sacrifice, and glory in a world where everyone's "a survivor who has nothing to live for." - ELLE "Ambitious, violent, audacious-and stunningly good." - O MAGAZINE "Adam Johnson has pulled off literary alchemy, first by setting his novel in North Korea, a country that few of us can imagine, then by producing such compelling characters whose lives unfold at breakneck speed. I was engrossed right to the amazing conclusion. The result is pure gold, a terrific novel." -ABRAHAM VERGHESE "An addictive novel of daring ingenuity; a study of sacrifice and freedom in a citizen-eating dynasty; and a timely reminder that anonymous victims of oppression are also human beings who love. A brave and impressive book." -DAVID MITCHELL "I''ve never read anything like it. This is truly an amazing reading experience, a tremendous accomplishment. I could spend days talking about how much I love this book. It sounds like overstatement, but no. The Orphan Master''s Sonis a masterpiece." -CHARLES BOCK "The Kim Jong Il that we meet in Adam Johnson's second novel, set in North Korea, is no cartoon villain, no Team Americamarionette. He's a three-dimensional character짯-a hairsprayed, jump-suited, hopping-mad monomaniac, sure, but a man in whom we can recognize some of our own jealousies and desires. And although he is offstage more often than not in The Orphan Master''s Son, Dear Leader, as he's usually referred to, is omnipresent in every conversation, every moment of intimacy, every sorrow that takes place somewhere in this fictional DPRK??ohnson is a lunatic story teller ??Johnson's seriocomic method of piling farces upon tragedies upon atrocities doesn't distance us from the violence so much as make it bearable: His scenes of torture display an unflinching, bone-crunching directness. And yet some of the most affecting scenes are the quieter, scenes of domesticity. Nothing in the book is more poignant than the interrogator's love for, and fear of, his blind frail parents, whom he suspects of spying on him??eering into one of the world's most closed societies, the author has located the similarities between us and them, offering the possibility that we in the United States might be able to relate to the cognitive dissonance North Koreans experience on a daily basis. The idea that we can clearly recognize the people behind that iron curtain-that we can identify with their psychological disconnects-ought to console us, just as it ought to trouble us." - BOOKFORUM, DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 ISSUE "Blending personal story, political history, and what one character calls 'the greatest North Korean love story ever told,' Johnson follows an orphan who starts out as a tunnel soldier and rises through the military ranks until he's set to challenge Kim Jong-Il himself. Nothing but raves, everywhere I look." - LIBRARY JOURNALSeasonal Fiction Round-Up
PRAISE FOR ADAM JOHNSON Emporium ??mpossible to forget . . . Adam Johnson unleashes a big, thrilling, and fully realized talent.??Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize??inning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad ??emarkable . . . Johnson?? heroes are isolated and alienated, but are capable of feeling just the right emotion at just the right time.??-The New Yorker ??xhibits a fierce talent, showcasing Johnson?? quirky humor and slicing insight.??-Publishers Weekly Parasites Like Us ??Johnson??] characters are wonderfully weird and charming, and he is so witty a storyteller that this strange novel manages to captivate.??-The Washington Post ??eeming with clever conceits, superb turns of phrase, observations as precise as Updike??, and tonal echoes of Vonnegut, Boyle, and George Sanders . . . The author is wise, weird and worth watching.??-Seattle Weekly ??rilliance to burn.??-The New York Times Book Review From the Hardcover edition.
