Moon _007
Contract _011
Jesus' Brothers and Sisters _033
Viola _050
Relationships _070
Murano Glass _084
Waste Collection Day _105
Paulette _131
Politics _148
Nadori-Cheobeodul _164
Filming _188
That Moment _195
Lent _213
Christmas Surprise Gift _234
Operation _244
Without a headscarf _264
Awards Ceremony _277
Amnesia _298
Shutu _319
Finale _335
Legacy _345
Solution _358
Moon _366

Recommendation by Shin Hyeong-cheol (literary critic) _369

“This woman is that famous Greek man
“He shines proudly in contrast to Zorba.”

"The Door" takes great pains to portray the unique aspects of the character Emerence.
Emerence is a man who has lived a difficult life through the history of war and revolution.
She lost her parents at a young age and began working as a housekeeper at an early age, and of course, she did not receive any education.
But that doesn't mean she's ignorant.
In the novel, the intellectual and cultured 'I' is often amazed by Emerence's unique judgment, artistic sense, and view of history.
“A man who is a cool-headed pessimist, a cynical anti-intellectual, yet also a rugged life advocate and a passionate devotee.
“This woman, who evokes both boundless respect and pity, stands proudly as the polar opposite of the famous Greek man Zorba.” (Critic Shin Hyeong-cheol)

Author Servo Magder meticulously portrays Emerence as a subjective human being.
But what is unique is that it is not portrayed in the form of unconditional praise.
In some cases, Emerence's behavior can even be perceived as rude and unpleasant.
The author neither confirms nor denies such 'actions'.
However, I always try to understand that kind of 'attitude'.
It seems to be arguing that (subjective) dignity is more important than (honor based on the evaluation of others).
Moreover, Emerence is a city worker.
Despite being in a social position where it is easy to be subordinate, she firmly maintains her dignity.
Emerence is a woman with more autonomy than anyone else, and although she is tense and conflicted with the world, she follows her own path without worrying about the reactions of others.
Some readers might now be strongly tempted to erase Zorba and replace him with Emerence.


“To exist on Earth
“A story that celebrates a love that is so perfect”

Emerence is a man of many secrets.
Especially one 'door' inside her house.
All kinds of people gather in front of her house, but no one can enter behind the closed door.
There were all kinds of rumors about her, and the police actually came to investigate, but that closed door didn't budge.
The novel unfolds from beginning to end with a strong awareness of the existence of this door.
The door is the mystery of Emerence's life, and the process of opening it brings great regret to the 'I' in the work.
Ironically, the thing you do for the person you love more than anyone else ends up being the biggest betrayal.
“It changed the way I understand my own life.
“It is a work of rigorous honesty and delicate subtlety.” (The New York Times Book Review)

Author Servo Magda gradually builds the novel towards the secret of the 'door'.
The life of Emerence presented in the process is dramatic and tragic.
The best scene by far is the one that happens after the door finally opens.
Several media outlets have noted the work's excellent storytelling.
“This author has a knack for creating taut tension.” (Publisher’s Weekly) “The tension between the two women is captivating, and at times, even creepy.” (Cleaver Magazine) Her work has been published in over 40 countries.
Now it's Korean readers' turn to encounter "The Door."


Full text of 'Recommendation'
Shin Hyeong-cheol (literary critic)

I received the manuscript in the spring, but it's chilly now.
When it comes to Hungarian literature, people like Sándor Máray, Krystof Agota, and Imre Kertész come to mind, but seeing as Servo Magda is still unfamiliar to us, I wondered if he was not as good as them.
It was a poor prediction.
Over the summer and fall, I read this novel slowly three times.
A record of the friendship and ruptures between two women over 20 years: an elderly housekeeper who has done physical labor all her life and a middle-aged writer twenty years younger than her.
I had to read a novel of less than 400 pages as if it were a 4,000-page epic.
Because 4,000 pages of emotions were condensed into 400 pages.

First of all, it is a novel about a manual worker named Emerence.
The inner world of a Hungarian woman who has lived through both World Wars and reached old age is closed like an iron door, and the primary task of this novel is to open it.
The misfortunes he suffered were beyond human imagination, and yet he acquired the very character traits that a person must acquire to survive.
A cool-headed pessimist, a cynical anti-intellectual, yet also a staunch life advocate and a passionate devotee.
This woman, who evokes both boundless respect and pity, stands proudly as the polar opposite of the famous Greek man Zorba.

Just as Zorba was able to shine because the narrator, who resembled the writer Kazantzakis, formed a complementary contrast, so too is there a narrator here who resembles Servo Magda, and this novel is also his long and arduous confession.
The first half is a record of a lesson in which he learns the depth of life itself through the depth of a woman named Emerence, but the second half becomes a record of regret, like punishment for a certain irreversible choice.
There are times in life when I know that a choice I make is a betrayal, even though everyone else consoles me that it is not.
This novel watches over us all as if it were crushing us.

When contemporary science reduces humans to the brain and genes, literature marvels at the achievements but also feels a sense of emptiness.
Literature cannot abandon the idea that there is a price one human being must pay to understand another, and that price is probably the time it takes to share each other's pain.
What could replace the 20 years of the two characters in this novel?
“If you stab a person in the heart with a very sharp knife, they won’t fall right away.” Whenever I read a novel like this, where the characters fall slowly and belatedly, I dare to believe that the essence of humanity lies here.