[A Sip of Literature] Masterpieces of Park Wan-seo Carefully Selected by Leading Korean Novelists

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly resonate with readers and create a connection with the book. Here, we introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from books.

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the passing of author Park Wan-seo, the short story collection "Grandma Judy: Top 10 Short Stories by Park Wan-seo Loved by Writers" has been published by Munhakdongne. This anthology was planned to shed new light on the achievements of Park Wan-seo's short stories. Thirty-one leading Korean novelists selected ten stories from the 97 included in the seven-volume "Complete Short Stories of Park Wan-seo." The collection features widely read masterpieces such as "Stolen Poverty" and "What Is Most Truly Mine," as well as works worth rediscovering, including "Grandma Judy," "Is Babysitting Easy?" and "The Heaviest Dentures in the World." This selection of short stories concisely showcases the depth and contemporary relevance of Park Wan-seo's literature.

Grandma's life was gradually being shaken from within. Little by little, she was being cautiously drawn to a point outside her usual routine. Often, she would be so strangely agitated that she wandered aimlessly around the fourth floor of the supermarket, suddenly bewildered, as if waking from sleepwalking, not knowing why she was there. _"Grandma Judy," p. 21

Perhaps because he believed that luck was always on his side, Mr. Maengbeom never hesitated to accept the good fortune that came his way, nor did he ever question, even vaguely, whether his personal luck was connected to the times he lived in. Even now, after that era has passed, he never asks himself about his role during those years. He dislikes it when others raise questions or harbor doubts. From his perspective, it seemed as though the same era continued endlessly, so he saw no reason whatsoever to reflect on or reassess that time. Yet, it was not just anyone, but his own family-those who benefited most from his luck-who made such brazen judgments at the peak of their good fortune and enjoyed themselves. This made his anger swell in his throat. Having never experienced such anger before, he found it difficult to endure. _"Is Babysitting Easy?," p. 42

If she had been a lone beast of prey back then, we would have been nothing but rabbits or squirrels, clinging to her liver or kidneys as we pleased. _"The Person I Met at the Airport," p. 93

Whether as a woman in a sexual sense, or as a woman of the clan my grandmother belonged to-who would often shudder and believe she was born carrying the burden of many sins from a previous life-or as a woman who became the object of idle men's half-hearted speculation about whether such women even had souls, or as a mother-the first face and name that babies learn after entering this world-it did not matter. In any case, I want to say that those old women were women, and that they remained women until the day they died. _"The Pasque Flower of That Savage Day," pp. 130-131

Even though he guessed that the voice on the phone might belong to a family member he was searching for, or at least someone who knew news of his family, he felt none of the expected emotion or joy. _"Another Separation," p. 141

"Don't you know that the slogan 'Have two children, regardless of gender' has now changed to 'Even two is too many'? It's not a legal requirement, but young couples these days can't simply ignore the population issue, can they? Leave them be. Let them decide for themselves how many children to have. I don't think it's something we, as parents, should interfere with." _"The Childbirth Basin," p. 193

Until I lost Changhwan, life just happened naturally for me. Time flowed like water. Unless I was watching a child grow or looking at a calendar, there was never a moment to feel how quickly time was passing. Maybe it went by so fast that I wanted to resist it. I loved hearing that I looked young the most. Not anymore. Now, being told I look younger or better sounds almost like an insult. But that doesn't mean I want to hear that I look old or thin, either. When I hear that, it feels as if I've been caught struggling through each day. I don't know why people in our country love to greet each other by commenting on whether someone looks younger, better, sick, or worn out. _"What Is Most Truly Mine," p. 252

Through my mother's quiet but earnest gestures, I painfully realized how long and how severely these two deaths had disrupted our daily lives, and how desperate our longing was to be freed from that disruption. It was a silent wail, a struggle without movement. And I realized that, even now, I am not truly unaffected. _"Near the Buddha," p. 284

My poverty-whatever kind it may be-is my calling. _"Stolen Poverty," p. 327

At last, I accepted my pain honestly. But I will never groan honestly about my pain. _"The Heaviest Dentures in the World," p. 335

Grandma Judy | Written by Park Wan-seo | Munhakdongne | 364 pages | 18,500 won