Mater 2-10

Fabriksarbejderen Yi Jino kravler op i en femogfyrre meter høj fabriksskorsten i Seoul og slår sig ned. Han er blevet afskediget som led i en massefyring, og i protest sætter han sig der – og bliver siddende. I 410 dage holder han stand i kulde og ensomhed, mens kollegerne nede på jorden støtter hans kamp. I de kolde og mørke nætter bliver Yi Jino hjemsøgt af sin slægts historier, som forbinder sig til hans eget liv. Han stammer fra en familie af jernbanearbejdere og fabriksarbejdere, der har kæmpet sig gennem et århundrede præget af japansk kolonistyre, brutale diktaturer og politisk forfølgelse. Grandonklen var kommunistisk aktivist og blev tortureret af japanerne. Bedstefaren organiserede strejker og måtte flygte til Nordkorea. Faren var tæt på at miste livet under Koreakrigen. Kun bedstemoren, den synske Geumi, holdt sammen på familien. Mater 2-10 er en episk og dybt menneskelig roman, der spænder over hundrede års koreansk historie. Den er et portræt af arbejderklassens vilkår og politiske opgør og en bevægende familiesaga om modstand, tab og triumfer – og om de stærke bånd, der binder mennesker sammen i en splittet nation.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE International Booker–nominated virtuoso Hwang Sok-yong is back with another powerful story — an epic, multi-generational tale that threads together a century of Korean history. Centred on three generations of a family of rail workers and a laid-off factory worker staging a high-altitude sit-in, Mater 2-10 vividly portrays the lives of ordinary Koreans, starting from the Japanese colonial era, continuing through Liberation, and right up to the twenty-first century. It is at once a gripping account that captures a nation’s longing to be free from oppression, a lyrical folktale that manages to reflect the realities of modern industrial work, and a culmination of Hwang’s career — a masterpiece thirty years in the making. A true voice of a generation, Hwang shows again why he is unmatched when it comes to depicting the struggles of a divided nation and bringing to life the trials and tribulations of the Korean people.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE International Booker–nominated virtuoso Hwang Sok-yong is back with another powerful story — an epic, multi-generational tale that threads together a century of Korean history. Centred on three generations of a family of rail workers and a laid-off factory worker staging a high-altitude sit-in, Mater 2-10 vividly portrays the lives of ordinary Koreans, starting from the Japanese colonial era, continuing through Liberation, and right up to the twenty-first century. It is at once a gripping account that captures a nation’s longing to be free from oppression, a lyrical folktale that manages to reflect the realities of modern industrial work, and a culmination of Hwang’s career — a masterpiece thirty years in the making. A true voice of a generation, Hwang shows again why he is unmatched when it comes to depicting the struggles of a divided nation and bringing to life the trials and tribulations of the Korean people.

Fabriksarbejderen Yi Jino kravler op i en femogfyrre meter høj fabriksskorsten i Seoul og slår sig ned. Han er blevet afskediget som led i en massefyring, og i protest sætter han sig der – og bliver siddende. I 410 dage holder han stand i kulde og ensomhed, mens kollegerne nede på jorden støtter hans kamp. I de kolde og mørke nætter bliver Yi Jino hjemsøgt af sin slægts historier, som forbinder sig til hans eget liv. Han stammer fra en familie af jernbanearbejdere og fabriksarbejdere, der har kæmpet sig gennem et århundrede præget af japansk kolonistyre, brutale diktaturer og politisk forfølgelse. Grandonklen var kommunistisk aktivist og blev tortureret af japanerne. Bedstefaren organiserede strejker og måtte flygte til Nordkorea. Faren var tæt på at miste livet under Koreakrigen. Kun bedstemoren, den synske Geumi, holdt sammen på familien. Mater 2-10 er en episk og dybt menneskelig roman, der spænder over hundrede års koreansk historie. Den er et portræt af arbejderklassens vilkår og politiske opgør og en bevægende familiesaga om modstand, tab og triumfer – og om de stærke bånd, der binder mennesker sammen i en splittet nation.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE International Booker-nominated virtuoso Hwang Sok-yong is back with another powerful story--an epic tale that threads together a century of Korean history. In contemporary Seoul, a laid-off worker stages a months-long sit-in atop a sixteen-story factory chimney. During the long and lonely nights, he talks to his ancestors, chewing on the meaning of life, on wisdom passed down the generations. Through the lives of those ancestors, three generations of railroad workers, Mater 2-10 vividly portrays the struggles of ordinary Koreans, starting from the Japanese colonial era, continuing through Liberation, and right up to the twenty-first century. It is at once a gripping account of a nation's longing to be free from oppression, a lyrical folktale that reflects the blood, sweat, and tears shed by modern industrial laborers, and a culmination of Hwang's career--a masterpiece thirty years in the making. A true voice of a generation, Hwang shows again why he is unmatched when it comes to depicting the roots and reality of a divided nation and bringing to life the trials and tribulations of the Korean people.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE International Booker-nominated virtuoso Hwang Sok-yong is back with another powerful story--an epic tale that threads together a century of Korean history. In contemporary Seoul, a laid-off worker stages a months-long sit-in atop a sixteen-story factory chimney. During the long and lonely nights, he talks to his ancestors, chewing on the meaning of life, on wisdom passed down the generations. Through the lives of those ancestors, three generations of railroad workers, Mater 2-10 vividly portrays the struggles of ordinary Koreans, starting from the Japanese colonial era, continuing through Liberation, and right up to the twenty-first century. It is at once a gripping account of a nation's longing to be free from oppression, a lyrical folktale that reflects the blood, sweat, and tears shed by modern industrial laborers, and a culmination of Hwang's career--a masterpiece thirty years in the making. A true voice of a generation, Hwang shows again why he is unmatched when it comes to depicting the roots and reality of a divided nation and bringing to life the trials and tribulations of the Korean people.