Book description
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.
About Author
Born in 1943, Hwang Sok-yong is one of Asia's most renowned authors. A tireless human-rights activist, he was sentenced in 1993 to seven years in a South Korean prison (serving five) for a 'breach of national security', after making unauthorised trips to North Korea to promote openness between the two countries. He is the recipient of South Korea's most prestigious literary prizes, and has been shortlisted for the Prix Femina Etranger.
