A collection of searing and heart-wrenching stories by an anonymous North Korean writer who is still living in the country, The Accusation was secretly brought to South Korea in order to be published there and abroad. Seventeen publishers around the world are now preparing editions. This deeply moving and eye-opening literary work paints a powerful portrait of life under the North Korean regime. Set during the period of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il's leadership, the seven stories that make up The Accusation give voice to the people living under this most bizarre and horrifying of dictatorships. The characters of these mesmerizing stories come from a wide variety of backgrounds, from a young mother living among the elite in Pyongyang whose son misbehaves during a political rally, to a former Communist war hero who is deeply disillusioned with the intrusion of the Party into everything he holds dear, to a husband …
A collection of searing and heart-wrenching stories by an anonymous North Korean writer who is still living in the country, The Accusation was secretly brought to South Korea in order to be published there and abroad. Seventeen publishers around the world are now preparing editions. This deeply moving and eye-opening literary work paints a powerful portrait of life under the North Korean regime. Set during the period of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il's leadership, the seven stories that make up The Accusation give voice to the people living under this most bizarre and horrifying of dictatorships. The characters of these mesmerizing stories come from a wide variety of backgrounds, from a young mother living among the elite in Pyongyang whose son misbehaves during a political rally, to a former Communist war hero who is deeply disillusioned with the intrusion of the Party into everything he holds dear, to a husband and father who is denied a travel permit and sneaks onto a train in order to visit his critically ill mother. In one story a mother attempts to feed her husband during the worst years of North Korea's famine, and in another, a woman in a perilous situation meets the Dear Leader himself. As a whole, the stories offer a testimony of the horrors of the police state, the insidious power of the Party, and the broken ideology that underpins the crimes of the regime. The Accusation is a vivid depiction of life in a dictatorship, and also a hopeful testament to the humanity and rich internal life that persists even in such inhumane conditions.
I consider this an important book. The reader gets a taste of what life is like for the population of North Korea... and it's not great. Here the party rules everything, everyone is suspicious of each other, deportation of citizens from the city to the harsh countryside can happen within the hour, and lies are constantly recycled to prop up the infallibility and wisdom of the great leader. The author gives the impression that much of the general population is aware of the facade but fear for their lives and the lives of their relatives should they speak up. These things alone make the book worth reading and remind us to keep an eye on the activities of our own governments.
Bitter story collection presenting a view into North Korea
5 stars
The book contains multiple stories written in the '90s in North Korea. Everyone of them details how a small problem can lead to life threatening dangers in the most isolated dictatorship on the world.
I highly recommend reading this without knowing too much about this.
