The Specters of Algeria

A group of dramatists commit what was a subversive act during the South Korean military dictatorships of the twentieth century distributing copies of Karl Marx’s only surviving play, The Specters of Algeria. The consequences of the brutal crackdown by the authorities would set the directions of the lives of two children of the group’s members, Yul and Jing. Despite the deep connection between them, Yul would open up an alteration shop in Seoul and Jing would move to Europe. But now, Cheolsu, a dissatisfied employee at a community theatre, is unearthing the truth about The Specters of Algeria and questioning whether the human situation is as absurd as the play asserts.

Beautifully translated by Yewon Jung, Hwang Yeo Jung’s prizewinning debut is an intricately patterned novel which plays with the idea that there can be a single, objective account of reality and celebrates friendship, human endurance, and love.