The Accusation by Bandi

Deborah Smith, winner of the Man Booker International Prize last year, translated it from Korean. 'The Accusation' by Bandi is a collection of seven short stories by a pseudonymous author who reportedly still lives in North Korea and works as a government official writer. Written in the early 1990s during a period of famine in the country, Bandi's stories are said to have been smuggled into South Korea by a relative who hid sheets of paper in a copy of 'The Selected Works of Kim Il-sung.' While defectors have published many accounts of life in North Korea, a work of fiction by an author still living in one of the world's most mysterious countries is extremely rare.

The collection's common feature is paranoia, and the stories explore what happens to someone who offends the Party, often inadvertently and in a seemingly minor way, and the long-term consequences it has for their entire family for generations, most notably in 'Record of a Defection.' 'The City of Specters,' another memorable story, is about a mother whose young son is terrified of the large portraits of Karl Marx and Kim Il-sung outside their apartment window, believing them to be monsters from Korean myths.

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She draws the curtains to hide them, but the authorities quickly notice the change, putting them all in danger. In 'The Red Mushroom,' Party officials claim that a bean paste factory is fully operational, but there are no beans, and the factory manager eventually "fails." The unconventional narrative style, with little emphasis on characterization, suggests that the author's literary references are limited to what is likely to be available in North Korea. However, there is some satire shrouded in metaphor, such as 'Life of a Swift Seed,' about a Communist war hero who plants an elm tree to commemorate a fellow soldier, but the tree is later set to be cut down to make way for a new power line, leaving him frustrated.

At the same time, while evaluating the degree of realism or authenticity in these stories is difficult, there is also much more outright criticism than I expected, especially given the enormous risks Bandi has taken in putting these stories down on paper.

The mysterious circumstances of Bandi's life are certainly intriguing, but I hope they don't overshadow the stories themselves. Short story collections, in addition to novels, are eligible for the Man Booker International Prize, and this remarkable book may well appear on the longlist next month. 'The Accusation' will be released in the United Kingdom on March 2nd. Thank you to Grove Atlantic for sending me a review copy through NetGalley.










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