1 Okay, everyone, pay attention 9
2 Testosterone Autism 32
3 Eternal Light 55
4 999th death 70
5 Light in the Rain 92
6 Small and Ordinary Things 119
7 Speech to the Poodle 140
8 Uranus in Leo 162
9 The greatest thing is in the smallest thing 193
10 Head Captain 209
11 The Song of the Bat 226
12 Chupacabra 251
13 Midnight Archer 268
14 Fall 292
15 Hubert Adult 312
16 photos 345
17 Virgo 362

Author's Note 374
Translator's Note 375

“Animals are taking revenge on humans.
(……)
This isn't such a weird story.
Animals are strong and wise.
“We just don’t know how smart they are.”

2018 Nobel Prize in Literature winner
2019 Man Booker International Prize Finalist
Winner of the 2009 Silesian Babzin Literary Award

A crime thriller written by Nobel Prize-winning author Olga Tokarczuk
The original work of "Pokot," winner of the Silver Bear at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival

A year after the publication of The Wanderers, Olga Tokarczuk, winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature, published the crime thriller Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Minumsa.
Unlike 『The Wanderers』, a so-called 'constellation novel' that requires careful reading to reveal its tightly arranged connections, this work maintains tension from beginning to end and can be read in one sitting.
This is because it follows the thriller format in which the identity of the culprit and his motive are revealed only at the end.
But this novel is different from typical mystery novels.
In the case of typical thrillers, the identity of the culprit revealed at the end is set as the key plot twist, and the focus is on finding out who the culprit is, but this work puts an emphasis on the 'story' of an insignificant person pushed to the margins of society, fighting against the world to protect those weaker than themselves through empathy and solidarity.


The inclusion of William Blake's poems in the title and introduction of each chapter, the repeated mention of his verses in the text, and the inclusion of fourteen black-and-white illustrations are other features that make this book feel different from other crime thrillers.
The style of the painting, reminiscent of a engraving, is connected to Blake's life, when he had to work as an engraver to make a living.
The artist who drew the illustrations is Czech illustrator Jaromir Švejczyk.
It is said that Tokarczuk, who was fascinated by his painting style that exquisitely depicts the characteristics of the subject with a simple and concise touch, personally proposed the work.
The fact that the novel is set on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic and that the Polish author proposed collaboration to a Czech painter is very suggestive.
It is also not unrelated that the writer's writing space, Nová Ruda, where he stays every summer, is on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. (Novarda is also the setting for another of the writer's works, "The House of Day, the House of Night.") Through "Draw the Plow over the Bones of the Dead," Tokarczuk has overcome the prejudice that he is a "writer who reveals his true worth in short stories or fragments" and has proven his worth as a "natural storyteller" who shows outstanding literary quality even in long novels.


"Draw the Plow over the Bones of the Dead" is a work that embodies the author's beliefs and values, as he has actively voiced his opinions on social issues such as vegetarianism, ecology, and animal rights.
This work is also the original work of the film [Traces (pokot)] directed by Polish master Agnieszka Holland.
"Traces," which Tokarczuk co-wrote with director Holland and became a hot topic, won the Silver Bear at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival and a Special Award from the 52nd National Society of Film Critics in 2018.
The book won the Polish literary award, the Śląski Wabzyn Prize, in 2009, and the English translation (Drive your plow over the bones of the dead), published in August 2019, was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize.

William Blake's successor
“Draw your plow over the bones of the dead.”

Dušejko, once a teacher in the remote Polish highlands, now works as a cottage caretaker.
His only friends are the eccentric and second-hand clothing store clerk, "Good News," and his former student, Dionysius, who translates William Blake's poetry.
One day, a series of mysterious murders begin in the village, starting with the strange death of Wangbal.
All of the victims are linked to animal hunting, and deer footprints are invariably found around the bodies.
Dusheiko, an astrology enthusiast, foresees an ominous future, reciting William Blake's profound phrase, "Draw your plough over the bones of the dead"...

"Draw the Plow over the Bones of the Dead" begins with a chilling introduction in which Wangbal, who lives next door, is murdered by someone one day.
The title of this novel is a phrase from William Blake's "The Infernal Proverbs" (1793) in his series of poems "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" (1790-1793).
It is said that Olga Tokarczuk insisted on this rather long title despite the dissuasion of the Polish publisher's editor.
What is the reason?
The author gave a press interview commemorating the publication of this book (2009.
11.
5) was explained as follows.

Because it is such a beautiful poem.
And above all, this one line is the work's motto, message, symbol, and metaphor.


William Blake (1757-1827), a British poet and painter, experienced the material decline of England following the Industrial Revolution and expressed prophetic views on various issues related to contemporary politics, society, and culture through his poetry.
He was called an ecological artist because he aimed for a society in which nature and humans were in harmony and attempted to think integratively about nature.
It seems inevitable that Tokarczuk, who viewed humans as part of the natural ecosystem and emphasized the dignity of life, would quote Blake's poetry in his novel.
Tokarczuk is said to have referenced the image of Blake in his old age, who had not been recognized as an artist during his lifetime, in the process of portraying the protagonist Dusheiko.
The protagonist, Dusheiko, recites Blake's poem in a lonely manner in early November, when All Saints' Day has passed and winter has begun.
“Draw your plow over the bones of the dead.” (p. 317) This sentence, as the translator says, can be read as “a lonely monologue of a man who, while sensing the impending catastrophe, urges us not to give up until the very end, and a desperate effort to somehow hold on in the midst of a worn-out life.”


Another key to deciphering the work is astrology.
A desperate cry expressed through emphasized vocabulary

In "Draw Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead," astrology is another key to deciphering the work.
Astrology is the protagonist Dusheiko's window through which he views the world, the driving force behind his words and actions, and a device that further explains the characters' personalities and destinies.
Dusheiko fights against forces full of injustice and contradiction, including villagers who publish "hunting calendars" to justify killing certain animals at certain times, the Catholic Church that defends hunting, authoritarian local police, and farms that illegally trade fur.
For Dusheiko, astrology becomes an alternative and a faith that can replace the existing order and religion that dominates the world.
Dusheiko combines Blake's philosophy with astrology to develop his own unique values.


At that moment, true anger, a rage I would dare say was divine, welled up within me.
A boiling shock surged up from somewhere in my body.
(……) A small explosion occurred in the universe of my body, and flames burned inside me like a neutron star.
(pages 95-96)

Additionally, readers will notice that certain words in the novel are in Gothic type, such as human, animal, plant, night, spider, plateau, and anger, which are capitalized in the original Polish text.
According to Tokarczuk, this notation is a device to separate and differentiate the language of the protagonist and narrator, Dusheiko, from that of the other characters.
This is to enable the protagonist to protect pathos within his own linguistic space.
In fact, the protagonist gives special meaning to the emphasized words, and uses his own unique language even when calling other people's names.
These three words are also emphasized, especially since Dusheiko believes that humans, animals, and plants are all equal beings.


Literature can change the world.

I believe that literature is the best way to empathize and connect.
Literature, as I understand it, is the most refined and sophisticated form of communication between people.
Literature is what allows us to discover ourselves in others, to shed our ego for a moment, and to embark on a grand journey into the world of the other, another form of ourselves.
(……) Literature constantly reminds us that humans are actually beings who are surprisingly similar to one another.
As long as we write and read, we are together.
― Olga Tokarczuk, article “Don’t be afraid” (2016.
4. Among 23)

In "Draw the Plow over the Bones of the Dead," the author's beliefs and values, including vegetarianism, ecology, and animal rights, are fully revealed.
Tokarczuk has been actively speaking out on social issues such as the human rights of women and sexual minorities, refugees, environmental pollution, and animal cruelty.
After winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, the author used part of the prize money to establish the Tokarczuk Foundation in Wrocław.
To promote Polish culture and arts, raise global awareness of nature, and lead environmental movements that protect animal rights.
Tokarczuk also said the following in his keynote speech commemorating his acceptance of the Nobel Prize in Literature:

Endless conflict and a lack of accountability have divided, abused, and destroyed the world.
(……)
The world is dying, and we don't even notice.


Tokarczuk sees the world as a vast, living, moving entity.
Humans are part of a small but powerful unity, and are considered to have equal value in the ecosystem.
The author, who emphasizes the interdependent symbiotic relationship between humans and animals, believes that literature can be a message to address the crises facing humanity and that literature can change the world.
Tokarczuk, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 57, younger than any previous winner, is a writer with a social activist side, as evidenced by his acceptance speech where he confidently stated, “I am even happier to be a young winner because I can do something for the world.”
The problematic work that fully reveals the author's beliefs is "Draw the Plow over the Bones of the Dead."
I recommend this book to anyone who loves Tokarczuk's work, anyone who loves animals, anyone who believes in a connection between the universe and themselves, and anyone who believes that literature can change the world!

Despite the shocking ending that is bound to be polarizing, the reason "Draw Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" received such a warm response from readers around the world is because it is a story about a being alienated from the world feeling the pain of those more powerless and vulnerable than themselves and extending a helping hand to them.
“Literature can change the world,” says Tokarczuk firmly.
“The world is not the property of ‘humans’, but a vast web, and within it, we humans are connected to other beings by invisible threads and interact with them.”
(From the Translator's Note)


Olga Tokarczuk's works published by Minumsa

『The Wanderers』 translated by Choi Seong-eun
2018 Man Booker International Prize Winner
Winner of the 2008 Polish Nike Literature Prize

House of Day, House of Night, translated by Lee Ok-jin
2018 Nobel Prize in Literature winner
Winner of the 2002 Brücke Berlin Literature Prize