Bernard Werber: "Han River's 'We Do Not Say Goodbye' is a Truly Well-Written Work"

KBS 1TV Documentary Unaired Footage Released
"The Courage of Koreans Resonated the Most"

Bernard Werber (63), a world-renowned French author, shared his thoughts after reading "No Farewell" by Han Kang (54), the first Asian female novelist to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

French author Bernard Werber, considered one of the 'foreign writers loved by Koreans.' [Image source=KBS Documentary YouTube video capture]

On the 19th, a video titled '"I was able to immerse myself completely" French author Bernard Werber' was uploaded on the official KBS documentary YouTube channel. This is an unaired segment from the 'Nobel Prize in Literature Special Documentary: Han Kang,' which originally aired on KBS 1TV on the 13th.

Bernard Werber said, "'No Farewell' is a truly well-written work," adding, "What I liked about 'No Farewell' was that it dealt with a terrible tragedy in a long breath. Personally, I was not well aware of the Jeju 4·3 Incident, but I learned that many people were sacrificed." He continued, "What especially impressed me in the book was the author's writing style, as the story unfolds in the first-person present tense, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the protagonist and feel the emotions vividly."

He further stated, "After reading this book and learning about its content, the courage of the Korean people resonated with me the most. No matter what tragedy or war came, they did not yield but faced it with enthusiasm and moved forward toward the future," expressing, "By learning about Korea's painful history, I came to understand the strong will of the Korean people."

Han Kang's "No Farewell" is a novel that depicts the tragedy of the Jeju 4·3 Incident. In a recent interview with the Nobel Committee, Han Kang said, "Every author likes their most recent work," and advised readers who are just getting to know her to "start with my most recent work, 'No Farewell.'"

Meanwhile, Bernard Werber, a French author considered one of the "foreign authors loved by Koreans," has sold over 12 million copies cumulatively in Korea. Starting with the translated publication of "Les Fourmis" (The Ants) in 1993, his works "Le Cerveau" (The Brain), "Les Dieux" (The Gods), and "L'Arbre" (The Tree) each became million-sellers with over one million copies sold. Werber was ranked first in the cumulative sales of domestic and foreign novelists over ten years by Kyobo Book Centre in 2016. In a 2019 lecture held in Korea titled "Meeting with Author Werber," he expressed his affection for Korea by saying, "In my next life, I want to be born as a Korean female writer and live in a better world."