The 24th volume of the Munhakdongne Korean Literature Collection is "Black Deer," by Han Kang, a writer who has consistently provided a powerful reading experience to the literary world and readers since her debut, based on sophisticated and shocking images, elegant and powerful descriptions, and a solid narrative that connects them all.


『Black Deer』(1995), which meticulously depicts the pain that lies in the abyss of existence using all of the senses, is the author's first full-length novel, completed after three years of immersion in writing since his debut in 1993. Its dense and flawless narrative and deeply resonant poetic sentences received praise at the time of its publication, saying, "It foreshadows the birth of a young master" (literary critic Seo Young-chae).


The 'Black Deer', which is also the title of the work, is a fantastical beast that lives deep underground, in narrow crevices of rocks.
This beast, with its beautiful, strong horns and sharp teeth, wishes to see the sky at least once in its life.
However, when he asks the miner to show him the way out, the miner gives him the antlers and teeth of a black deer in exchange for it.
The life of a black deer, the more desperately it desires sunlight, the deeper it falls into darkness.
This is similar to the lives of the characters in the novel.
One day, a woman disappears while running naked down the street in the city center in broad daylight, and two men and women who know her set out to find her with only a few clues in hand.
"The Black Deer" darkly illuminates the deep abyss that each person faces on their journey.
Even if we never return to the world, in the journey of those who step into the abyss, we may paradoxically experience following the light rather than the darkness.

I remember the thrill of all things being reborn anew, constantly and creatively.
I loved the world I saw through the viewfinder.
The world, shedding its previous shabby and stuffy shell, approached me as a fresh, living, breathing body.
Every time, I trembled with joy.
But what joy was it for?
I thought the photos I started taking were proof of my life.
But what exactly was the evidence for?
--- p.98

Myeongyun didn't believe in things like love that transcended death.
Love was so powerless that it lost the power to even perceive the other person's pain, illness, or death simply because they were far away.
He has no idea where Yi-seon is or what condition she is in right now, and no physical pain is being transmitted to him.
--- p.141

When one person's mind explodes, how much change can that event bring about?
--- p.201

I grew up in that darkness, and it was through that darkness that I became stronger little by little.
As I became accustomed to that divine blue light, I learned to remain silent instead of complaining or complaining of boredom.
I vaguely realized that peace can only be found when one stops longing for something.
--- p.321

Aren't there people in this world who slowly go mad? People who slowly become ill and then explode?
The stem stretches out, and it seems like it will stretch out endlessly, and then, as if by magic, a flower bursts out from the end...
--- p.346

I liked being alone.
Loneliness was my home, my clothes, my food.
Some souls are made complete by loneliness, and when that is taken away, they fall apart.
I've tried dating a few guys, but I always backed off because I couldn't stand the thought of being broken.
I didn't love them, I was just lonely.
So there was no need to feel guilty about not loving them anymore.
I was the kind of person no one could love.
The only person I could love was myself.
Knowing this clearly, having clearly foreseen my betrayal from the beginning, wouldn't it be better not to sacrifice anyone?
I was a disgustingly cold person.
--- p.431

I'm leaving.
I'm going to go very far.
I won't tell you the news.
I'll go to the ends of the earth.
By then I'll be blind.
Your throat will be parched too.
No words will remain for me.
Only then will my life be complete.
It could be completely empty.

--- p.446