A Dream of Good Fortune

Hwang Sogyong's "A Dream of Good Fortune" is a pretty stark, gloomy and dismal story of Korean poverty in the 70s. Initially, given the extent of poverty described, I thought the story was perhaps set in the 50s or 60s. But later I found out from a Korean classmate that the story was actually written and set in the 70s.

I found the story poignant, particularly the working class struggles, the brutishness of life and the harshness of making a living. Perhaps the struggles are no different as compared to many societies in the early days of independence. Makes one wonders if the various brutishness of life can really disappear, or whether even in the face of supposedly economic prosperity, these brutishness may just have been transformed.

The Korean language seems to be a treasure trove of rich and lively expressions. A few examples taken from Hwang's works:

- "If you had a thousand mouths you still wouldn't find anything worth saying" (Ouch)
- "If you were outside of a cabbage, at least I can boil you and make soup" (Hahaha)
- "He is no better than the dirt under my feet" (Hmm)
- "Even a worthless husband is better than a filial son" (Huh??)