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The Ma Rok Biographies
The Ma Rok Biographies is representative of Seo, Giwon's later historical fiction. Ma Rok, which stands for the various protagonists with the surname of Ma in this series of five short stories (of which only three are included here), actually means "the horse and the deer" in Chinese. This odd combination of the two animals refers to a classical Chinese anecdote in which the powerful can coerce others into seeing a horse as a deer. According to its connotations in Korea, the title also evokes the reality of humanity checkered by the vulgar and the noble, thus drawing the reader to recognize the moral ambiguity that operates in the human psyche during turbulent historical times. In this humorous satire, the author plays with the limits of space and time by dexterously intertwining the imaginary and the real in order to enhance the story's allegorical effect.
108 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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August 9, 2024
3 short stories, all featuring a person named Ma (3 different stories, 3 different people, seemingly unrelated to each other).
The first story was about a person who was among the last to escape the North Koreans in Seoul, by swimming across the Han river in broad daylight, and his subsequent career in the army.
The second story was about the descendant of a "conscientious official", and the issues between maintaining his family "honor" (against his father's wishes), or groveling to officials for a job.
The third story was my favorite. This concerned a man operating for the Japanese, during a time when everyone was "officially" operating for the Japanese in Korea, and how he ultimately helps an official handle his "subversive" son.
https://4201mass.blogspot.com/
The first story was about a person who was among the last to escape the North Koreans in Seoul, by swimming across the Han river in broad daylight, and his subsequent career in the army.
The second story was about the descendant of a "conscientious official", and the issues between maintaining his family "honor" (against his father's wishes), or groveling to officials for a job.
The third story was my favorite. This concerned a man operating for the Japanese, during a time when everyone was "officially" operating for the Japanese in Korea, and how he ultimately helps an official handle his "subversive" son.
https://4201mass.blogspot.com/
Displaying 1 of 1 review