Mater 2-10

<p><strong>International Booker–nominated virtuoso Hwang Sok-yong is back with another powerful story — an epic, multi-generational tale that threads together a century of Korean history.</strong></p> <p>Centred on three generations of a family of rail workers and a laid-off factory worker staging a high-altitude sit-in, <em>Mater 2-10</em> vividly depicts the lives of ordinary working Koreans, starting from the Japanese colonial era, continuing through Liberation, and right up to the twenty-first century. It is at once a powerful account that captures a nation’s longing for a rail line to reconnect North and South, a magical-realist novel that manages to reflect the lives of modern industrial workers, and a culmination of Hwang’s career — a masterpiece thirty years in the making. A true voice of a generation, Hwang shows again why he is unmatched when it comes to depicting the grief of a divided nation and bringing to life the cultural identity and trials and tribulations of the Korean people.</p> <ul><li>The latest novel from Korean sensation Hwang Sok-yong, following the success of <em>Familiar Things</em> and <em>At Dusk</em>, which was longlisted for the 2019 International Booker Prize.</li> <li>We expect strong reviews and prize attention.</li> </ul> <p><strong>International Booker–nominated virtuoso Hwang Sok-yong is back with another powerful story — an epic, multi-generational tale that threads together a century of Korean history.</strong></p> <p>Centred on three generations of a family of rail workers and a laid-off factory worker staging a high-altitude sit-in, <em>Mater 2-10</em> vividly depicts the lives of ordinary working Koreans, starting from the Japanese colonial era, continuing through Liberation, and right up to the twenty-first century. It is at once a powerful account that captures a nation’s longing for a rail line to reconnect North and South, a magical-realist novel that manages to reflect the lives of modern industrial workers, and a culmination of Hwang’s career — a masterpiece thirty years in the making. A true voice of a generation, Hwang shows again why he is unmatched when it comes to depicting the grief of a divided nation and bringing to life the cultural identity and trials and tribulations of the Korean people.</p>