Bandi

The Accusation

Now sold in 15 countries to: Jogabje/Korea, Grove / US, Serpent’s Tail /UK, Piper/Germany, Rizzoli/Italy, Czarne owka /Poland, Crown/Taiwan, Cappelen Damm/Norway, Kustantano/ Finland, Papdopoulus/Greece, Konyukiado/ Hungary, Alfaguara /Catalan, Asteroide del Periscopi/World Spanish, Ambo Anthos/Holland, Philippe Picquier/France, Chogabje/Korea published, Grove / US - March 17, Serpent’s Tail /UK – March 17, Piper/Germany, Rizzoli/Italy, Czarne owka/Poland, Crown/Taiwan, Cappelen, Damm/Norway, Kustantano/ Finland, Papdopoulus/Greece, Konyukiado/ Hungary, Alfaguara /Catalan, Asteroide del Periscopi/World Spanish, Ambo Anthos/Holland, Philippe Picquier/France, Koridor Yayıncılık – Turkey, Anasi Press/Canada, Israel, Croatia. --published

The Accusation is a deeply moving and eye-opening piece of fiction that exposes the truth of the North Korean regime. Set during the period of Kim Jong-Il’s leadership, the seven stories that make up The Accusation throw light on different aspects of life in this most bizarre and horrifying of dictatorships. One story, “Life of a Swift Seed,” tells the tale of a war hero and former ardent Communist who plants an elm tree in his back garden to commemo- rate one of his brothers-in-arms. A family friend who works at a nearby factory must decide whether he will intercede on this man’s behalf when the tree is to be cut down to make way for a new power line and the war hero is prepared to defend it with his life. In another story, “City of Specters,” a Pyongyang mother’s young son misbehaves during a party rally, crying out when he sees a portrait of Karl Marx, whom he thinks is a monster of Korean myth known as the Eobi. In one other story, a mother attempts to feed her husband during the worst years of North Korea’s famine, and in another, a woman in a peril- ous situation meets the Dear Leader himself. As a whole, The Accusation is a vivid and frightening portrait of what it means to live in a completely closed-off society, and a heartbreaking yet hope- ful portrayal of the humanity that persists even in such dire circumstances.

Praise for The Accusation

“Plunges us into the daily life of families in North Korea.  These stories are the cry of a man suffocated by totalitarianism.  These are also the cry of an entire people...The writing is simple, humble, which gives it its beauty. The seven stories shine with humanity and tenderness.”—Aleteia

“Of incredible value . . . e classic construction reminds us of Gogol and Chekhov, and for their taste for absurdist satire, Ionesco and Bulgakov.”—Books Magazine

“The appearance of this collection of seven stories is a true publishing event.”—Livres Hebdo

“Describes in very impressionistic, subtle, almost veiled tones the daily life of a dictatorship . . . I was almost groggy by the time I finished reading, reminding myself of just how lucky I am to live in a democracy . . . I thought of Orwell and Kafka but realized that the country described here really exists and that there are people who are living there, perhaps not even knowing that a different kind of life is possible.”—L’Express

“The force of this collection of novellas evokes the classics of world literature about totalitarianism.” —L’ours

“A message in a bottle that is so precious that we should all reach out to grab it and thus better understand the tragedy of the last Marxist regime in the world.”—Le Revenu

“A book to burst the silence.” —La Vie

Various covers for The Accusation

The Red Years

Translation by Heinz Insu Fenkl – ZED BOOKS – World English language

Though North Korea holds the attention of the world, it is still rare for us to hear North Korean voices, beyond those few who have escaped. Known only by his pen name, the poet and author ‘Bandi’ stands as one of the most distinctive and original dissident writers to emerge from the country, and his work is all the more striking for the fact that he continues to reside in North Korea, writing in secret, with his work smuggled out of the country by supporters and relatives. Read more at ZedBooks.net