A Distant and Beautiful PlaceSomewhere on the periphery of Seoul, between the modern metropolis and the traditional farming communities, lies a "distant and beautiful place," the neighborhood of Wonmi-dong. Here, a young couple from the city struggles to make a home for themselves; a hapless "salary man" is forced into door-to-door sales after losing his job; a precocious seven-year-old questions the meaning of friendship and community. Everyone seems to be chasing the intangible dream of a better life. Set against the backdrop of South Korea's breakneck drive for industrialization and economic development in the 1980s, these compassionate and often humorous stories capture the essence of modern South Korean life-including the ubiquitous atmosphere of violence and fear that clouded the country prior to democratization in 1987. They also depict the Korean people's unfailing optimism and love of life. |
Contents
The Spark | 26 |
The Last Land | 47 |
The Wonmidong Poet | 69 |
A Vagabond Mouse | 86 |
On Rainy Days I Have to Go to Karibongdong | 106 |
Bellfinch | 132 |
The Tearoom Woman | 151 |
Our Daily Bread | 178 |
The Underground Man | 196 |
Cold Water Pass | 220 |