Review: The Prophet and Other Stories

The Prophet and Other Stories by Yi Chong-Jun
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fabulous collection of stories from an author I had never read before.

Since Goodreads doesn't give me enough space in the private notes, I will leave notes on each story here, so there are spoilers. You've been forewarned.

The Falconer
A melancholic story about the changing times. I read that many of Yi's stories were criticisms of the Park regime, and this one seems to be exactly that, with the falconer (and Min) not being able to adapt to the new ways.

The Prophet
I remember recently reading about an attraction where people could wear masks and costumes and how people started acting extremely differently when they were anonymous in that way. I can't find it right now (any search for masks brings up coronavirus), but this story reminded me of that, and made it that much more believable. This was probably my favorite story. It had a sort of Murakami feel to it, possibly because of the fortune teller in the bar.

Footprints in the Snow
There is another book by Yi Chong-Jun called "The Snowy Road", but it seems like this is the same story (and has the same title in Korean). It was a sad story. Another example of "Han" in Korean fiction.

Time's Gate
I enjoyed this very much at first, but it soon became too deep and/or convoluted for me. It could be that it was a question of translation. I don't know.

The Fire Worshippers
This was also a tad too deep for me, although I enjoyed it quite a bit (another contender for favorite story). I got the impression that it was another criticism of the Park regime, but it seemed like the dancers in front of the fire represented the student protesters, but I might have understood that incorrectly.

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