Cursed Rabbit
head
cold fingers
Body
bye my love
trap
scar
My Happy Home
Master of Wind and Sand
reunion

Author's Note

“You must not make cursed items for personal use.
“The rabbit was the one exception.”

The last solution that the wounded and downtrodden seek when they are driven into a dead end

“I think it’s more of action and reaction than revenge.
Every action that a human being performs will inevitably be accompanied by a reaction of equal magnitude and opposite direction.
“If that’s the principle, then it’s the principle.” (Information Ra interview)

Novelist Jeong Bo-ra's horror/SF/fantasy novel collection 『Cursed Rabbit』, which was shortlisted for the Booker International Prize last year and has been translated into 20 countries around the world, including China, Taiwan, Japan, France, and Spain, and has emerged as the most talked-about work in the Korean novel world, will present a completely revised edition in 2023, the Year of the Rabbit, by influential literature brand 'Rabbit Hole'.
To minimize the period during which the book is unavailable, we quickly published a revised edition, while also polishing the entire work through a dense process of revision and supplementation, in addition to the author's preliminary work.

A bizarre fantasy that intrudes into our familiar daily lives
The strange comfort conveyed by rough and agitated emotions

One day, I was about to flush the toilet and leave.
"mother."
She looked back.
A head popped out of the toilet and called out to her.
"mother."
She stared at the 'head' for a long time.
I poured water.
With a whoosh, the 'head' disappeared.
She came out of the bathroom.
(〈Head〉, p.
41)

Borrowing from various folktales, tales, fairy tales, and legends, Jeong Bo-ra's stories are chilling like the scary stories we used to hear as children, yet they draw readers in with an irresistible intensity.
Some stories are so scary that they keep you up at night (Lee Jong-san).
The author invites us into an unfamiliar world by setting up a dimensional door in the midst of a familiar, everyday landscape.
Following the friendly-looking speaker holding a sign that reads 'Welcome to Jeongbora World' in front of the door, we willingly enter a dark path and fall into a trap.
When hidden twists and turns pop out, we experience goosebumps, or we realize the characters' wounds and empathize with their deep sorrow.

Above all, Jeong Bo-ra's novel is 'not pretty'.
Each of the ten included works has its own rough, crazy, and bizarre side.
They are evil people who desire, betray, make foolish choices, and show murderous intent toward others, but if you follow their stories, you will reach a certain understanding that goes beyond interest.
They say, “People are scarier than ghosts.”
Could this story truly be more brutal than the world we live in today? For those of us who endure daily shocking news and unresolved incidents, these twisted tales offer a strange sense of pleasure and comfort.

All things will surely return to the right path.
About what's left behind after a refreshing revenge

What he wanted was not revenge.
[… … ] Even if it was a fitting ending, he couldn’t help the sense of loss that was creeping in.
He stood in the ruins of the village and wept, mourning the long agony and despair of his childhood, when every day was a matter of life and death, stolen by the spells, illusions, and false beliefs of strangers he didn't even know, but now it had lost all meaning.
(〈Scars〉, p.
252)

The keyword of the novel collection 『Cursed Rabbit』 is ‘revenge.’
Another peculiarity is that in many cases it is not clear who will take revenge, and even after revenge is accomplished, no one becomes happy.
Even the president of a brewery who spread vicious rumors to bring down his competitor (Cursed Rabbit), the husband who acted hypocritically by proclaiming an “alternative life” (My Happy Home), and the man who plunged his family into tragedy out of greed (Trap) all reach extreme ruin.
Although it may seem refreshing at first glance, the punishment they receive is ultimately just the result of their own sowed sins, and recovery for those who are hurt and damaged is not guaranteed.
The curse of revenge returns, and violence opens up a common catastrophe where another price is paid.

If we understand the multiple cycles as action and reaction, and the subsequent reaction as a result of this, as in the quoted information from the interview, then what is the way to escape this vicious cycle?
The man in “Scar” loses forever the person he desperately wanted to protect while trying to solve his problem, but “to find his life somewhere in the world, he starts walking slowly toward the rising sun” (p.
252) does.
In "The Ruler of Wind and Sand," the princess who was betrayed by her lover calmly refuses the proposal of eternal life from the affectionate absolute being.
“Because I will live until death comes” (p.
320) said.


In the author's note, information is said as follows:
“There is no special lesson or message that the book is trying to convey. ‘Cursed Rabbit’ is a collection of short stories in the fantasy horror genre, and the fantasy horror genre belongs to popular literature, and popular literature exists for entertainment rather than lessons or teachings.” However, when we open this book, we will be immersed in the fun of an unfamiliar and eerie world, and we will encounter the desperate heart that digs its nails into those who have hurt it, and the strong courage to move forward despite the collapsed world.