Translator Deborah Smith in conversation with South Korean writer Bae Suah about her novel, "A Greater Music." “A compact, personal account of anomie and withdrawal in a time of rapid social and economic change…an easily digested short book that nevertheless feels much very substantial—a very full story. Impressive, and well worthwhile.” —The Complete Review on Nowhere to be Found
About A Greater Music:
Near the beginning of "A Greater Music," the narrator, a young Korean writer, falls into an icy river in the Berlin suburbs, where she's been housesitting for her on-off boyfriend Joachim. This sets into motion a series of memories that move between the hazily defined present and the period three years ago when she first lived in Berlin. Throughout, the narrator's relationship with Joachim, a rough-and-ready metalworker, is contrasted with her friendship with a woman called M, an ultra-refined music-loving German teacher who was once her lover.
A novel of memories and wandering, "A Greater Music" "blends riffs on music, language, and literature with a gut-punch of an emotional ending, establishing Bae Suah as one of the most exciting novelists working today.
About Bae Suah:
Bae Suah, one of the most highly acclaimed contemporary Korean authors, has published more than a dozen works and won several prestigious awards. She has also translated several books from the German, including works by W. G. Sebald, Franz Kafka, and Jenny Erpenbeck. Her first book to appear in English, "Nowhere to be Found," was longlisted for a PEN Translation Prize.
About Deborah Smith:
Deborah Smith's literary translations from the Korean include two novels by the Man Booker International Prize winner Han Kang ("The Vegetarian "and "Human Acts"), and two by Bae Suah, ("A Greater Music "and "Recitation").
show less
About A Greater Music:
Near the beginning of "A Greater Music," the narrator, a young Korean writer, falls into an icy river in the Berlin suburbs, where she's been housesitting for her on-off boyfriend Joachim. This sets into motion a series of memories that move between the hazily defined present and the period three years ago when she first lived in Berlin. Throughout, the narrator's relationship with Joachim, a rough-and-ready metalworker, is contrasted with her friendship with a woman called M, an ultra-refined music-loving German teacher who was once her lover.
A novel of memories and wandering, "A Greater Music" "blends riffs on music, language, and literature with a gut-punch of an emotional ending, establishing Bae Suah as one of the most exciting novelists working today.
About Bae Suah:
Bae Suah, one of the most highly acclaimed contemporary Korean authors, has published more than a dozen works and won several prestigious awards. She has also translated several books from the German, including works by W. G. Sebald, Franz Kafka, and Jenny Erpenbeck. Her first book to appear in English, "Nowhere to be Found," was longlisted for a PEN Translation Prize.
About Deborah Smith:
Deborah Smith's literary translations from the Korean include two novels by the Man Booker International Prize winner Han Kang ("The Vegetarian "and "Human Acts"), and two by Bae Suah, ("A Greater Music "and "Recitation").
Translator Deborah Smith in conversation with South Korean writer Bae Suah about her novel, "A Greater Music." “A compact, personal account of anomie and withdrawal in a time of rapid social and economic change…an easily digested short book that nevertheless feels much very substantial—a very full story. Impressive, and well worthwhile.” —The Complete Review on Nowhere to be Found
About A Greater Music:
Near the beginning of "A Greater Music," the narrator, a young Korean writer, falls into an icy river in the Berlin suburbs, where she's been housesitting for her on-off boyfriend Joachim. This sets into motion a series of memories that move between the hazily defined present and the period three years ago when she first lived in Berlin. Throughout, the narrator's relationship with Joachim, a rough-and-ready metalworker, is contrasted with her friendship with a woman called M, an ultra-refined music-loving German teacher who was once her lover.
A novel of memories and wandering, "A Greater Music" "blends riffs on music, language, and literature with a gut-punch of an emotional ending, establishing Bae Suah as one of the most exciting novelists working today.
About Bae Suah:
Bae Suah, one of the most highly acclaimed contemporary Korean authors, has published more than a dozen works and won several prestigious awards. She has also translated several books from the German, including works by W. G. Sebald, Franz Kafka, and Jenny Erpenbeck. Her first book to appear in English, "Nowhere to be Found," was longlisted for a PEN Translation Prize.
About Deborah Smith:
Deborah Smith's literary translations from the Korean include two novels by the Man Booker International Prize winner Han Kang ("The Vegetarian "and "Human Acts"), and two by Bae Suah, ("A Greater Music "and "Recitation").
read more
About A Greater Music:
Near the beginning of "A Greater Music," the narrator, a young Korean writer, falls into an icy river in the Berlin suburbs, where she's been housesitting for her on-off boyfriend Joachim. This sets into motion a series of memories that move between the hazily defined present and the period three years ago when she first lived in Berlin. Throughout, the narrator's relationship with Joachim, a rough-and-ready metalworker, is contrasted with her friendship with a woman called M, an ultra-refined music-loving German teacher who was once her lover.
A novel of memories and wandering, "A Greater Music" "blends riffs on music, language, and literature with a gut-punch of an emotional ending, establishing Bae Suah as one of the most exciting novelists working today.
About Bae Suah:
Bae Suah, one of the most highly acclaimed contemporary Korean authors, has published more than a dozen works and won several prestigious awards. She has also translated several books from the German, including works by W. G. Sebald, Franz Kafka, and Jenny Erpenbeck. Her first book to appear in English, "Nowhere to be Found," was longlisted for a PEN Translation Prize.
About Deborah Smith:
Deborah Smith's literary translations from the Korean include two novels by the Man Booker International Prize winner Han Kang ("The Vegetarian "and "Human Acts"), and two by Bae Suah, ("A Greater Music "and "Recitation").
show less
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