Preface to the Korean edition
The Sea and the Wizard
Translator's Note

Winner of the Spanish Youth Literature Award, the Gran Angular Award!

A vivid story with a touch of magical realism.
The author takes us to the very rooftop where Rob is telling his story.
Characters who seem to be living somewhere even now capture our hearts with love, adventure, and magic.
― Gran Angular Award Jury Comments


Where magic becomes reality
We invite you to a rooftop village above the sea.

Patricia García Rojo, who has been recognized as a talented writer by winning Spain's youth literature awards, such as the Andalusia Prize and the Gran Angular Prize, takes readers to a rooftop village full of love and adventure in "The Sea and the Magician."
There is the main character, Rob, who wakes up every morning to the sunlight and starts his day by swimming.
Rob was only seven years old when the tsunami struck eleven years ago.
He remained in the shelter, a multi-purpose gymnasium, desperately waiting for his family to come and find him, but in the end, he had to accept the painful truth that no one would come.

Now eighteen, Rob lives as a 'treasure hunter' in a rooftop village in a city that has been submerged in the sea.
He makes a living by salvaging usable items from buildings submerged below sea level, and his heart races with his crush on the girl next door, Lana.
Then one day, as usual, a mysterious stone emitting pink smoke appears in front of Rob, who is diving into the sea.


I reached out for it.
I couldn't stand it.
I touched a stone.
It was warm and gave off a faint, spiraling smoke.
I knew the stone would fit perfectly into my hand.
I picked it up.
―Page 105

To the people of Rooftop Village, the sea is a place where mysterious things happen that cannot be explained by reason alone.
Some people see the souls of victims in the sea, while others meet mermaids.
The pink stone that came to Rob also has magical powers.
What new world will the magical stone open up for Rob? From the heartbreaking reality of losing his family at a young age, Rob leaps into the mystical magic of the sea and embarks on an incredible adventure.


“Magic existed, and Lana loved me.”
The real magic is that we are alive and that we love each other.

After obtaining the magic stone, Rob becomes embroiled in an exciting series of events.
He discovers a secret lover in the rooftop village and receives excessive attention from a mysterious little girl.
They also engage in power struggles with other treasure hunters.

But what's more interesting is that he discovered the plot of TV producer Nicolas Garrido.
Nicolas Garrido wants to make a documentary about the rooftop villagers who survived a natural disaster.
But Rob doesn't like the way he tries to commercialize tragedy.
Moreover, through the magic stone, we learn that Nicolas Garrido has another real purpose for coming to the rooftop village.
In the process of thwarting Nicolas Garrido's plot, Rob meets the wizard Mul, the original owner of the magic stone, becomes closer to his neighbors, and confirms the feelings of Lana, whom he has had a long-standing crush on.

Through the cute lovers Lana and Rob, and the various incidents Rob experiences, the author beautifully conveys that the true magic that comes to Rob is none other than 'love'.
The love Rob shared with Lana, his friends, and his neighbors was the real magic that made ordinary days precious.


A simple community formed by survivors after the disaster
A story that reminds us of the value of a simple life.

Another virtue of this work is that it reminds us of the value of simple life and community.
Rob recalls that in the 11 years since the disaster, he has “seen people I never knew become families” (p. 34).
The sea has taken away loved ones, but those who remain find strength through comfort and empathy.

Tourists now visit the rooftop village.
The survivors' grief has become an 'experience product' for others.
People from the mainland come by boat and watch them “as if they were animals in a zoo” (p. 11).
But what is important to them is not the gaze of the people on the mainland, but the solidarity of living together while sharing the pain of the past.
Money is of no use to them, and they don't need things like televisions or cell phones.
Keeping the tradition of having lunch together every Sunday and ending the day peacefully is the greatest happiness.
That happiness is almost shattered by Nicolas Garrido's plot, but Rob resolves it brilliantly and grows even further.


“I like to think.
“I like to think of easy paths to happiness.”
“Towards happiness?”
“Sometimes we are too complicated.
We want something and we want more.
Happiness is much simpler, you know.” —Pages 285-286

Author Patricia Garcia-Rojo, through the protagonist Rob, says, “Despite having countless flaws, humans always know the answer to happiness” (p. 349).
The message that happiness lies in a simple life warms the hearts of readers.