TEHRAN – “Human Acts”, Korean writer Han Kang’s novel that draws upon the democratization uprising that occurred on May 18, 1980 in Kwangju, has been published in Persian by Chatrang.

Ali Qane’ is the translator of the book initially published in 2014.

The book is a rare and astonishing portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice from the internationally bestselling author of “The Vegetarian”.

In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.

The story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial and the echoing agony of the massacre. 

From Dong-ho’s best friend who meets his own fateful end; to an editor struggling against censorship; to a prisoner and a factory worker, each suffering from traumatic memories; and to Dong-ho’s own grief-stricken mother; and through their collective heartbreak and acts of hope is the tale of a brutalized people in search of a voice.

An award-winning, controversial bestseller, “Human Acts” is a timeless, pointillist portrait of a historic event with reverberations still being felt today, by turns tracing the harsh reality of oppression and the resounding, extraordinary poetry of humanity.

Kang is the daughter of novelist Han Seung-won. She was born in Kwangju and at the age of 10, moved to Suyuri, which she speaks of affectionately in her work “Greek Lessons”.

Photo: Front cover of the Persian edition of Korean writer Han Kang’s novel “Human Acts”.

MMS/YAW