An earlier translation of the novel, Jae Won Chung, also titled Whale, was to be published in 2016 by Dalkey Archive Press in their (rather poorly promoted) Library of Korean Literature - although this was never actually published and I am unsure if the previous translation was even completed. Set in a remote village in South Korea, Whale follows the lives of its linked characters: Geumbok, who has been chasing an indescribable thrill ever since she first saw a whale crest in the ocean; her mute daughter, Chunhui, who communicates with elephants; and a one-eyed woman who controls honeybees with a whistle. Cheon Myeonggwan (천명관)’s novel 『고래』 (2004) has had three translations so far, one into English (2016), one into French (2008), and one into Turkish (2022).

Whale by Cheon Myeong-kwan, translated by Chi An extract from Whale by Cheon Myeong-kwan, translated by Chi

A clever satirical novel that is written in a fable-like way, the interconnected lives of a series of unfortunate women, whose lives go through various highs and lows that depict certain universal laws, a reference that the author makes multiple times in the narrative - there are often points at which the author interjects into the narrative to talk to the reader. Whale is Chi-Young Kim's translation of 고래 by 천명관 (Cheon Myeong-Gwan), a debut novel which won the 10th 문학동네소설상 (Munhakdongne Novel Award) on its first publication in 2004. The author in an interview described the stories as a revenge play ("이 모든 이야기가 한 편의 복수극") and it is, like the stories of man with the scar—the renowned con artist, notorious smuggler, superb butcher, rake, pimp of all the prostitutes on the wharf, and hot-tempered broker [he is introduced that way more than once] at times frightening and cruel. But it is also a story rich in bawdy anecdotes and exaggerated, even fantastical, characters - such as Chunhui herself, a supernaturally large baby and monstrously strong woman, unable to speak or even understand language, except when communicating telepathically with an elephant, even after the animal passed away. As the narrator warns us:I am still reading the novel but I wanted to write a few words about it before the winner is announced Tomorrow. I think the novel has the best chances to win. I loved Boulder more but I am not sure it will win. This one epic, longer and “big” in every way, from the themes explored to the writing style and plot. The second that Whale was announced on the longlist for International Booker Prize, it went on my TBR. And when I learned it was still on NetGalley at that point!!! I hopped over there and snagged the PDF. I was not disappointed. Whale is a beautiful story, winding in scope, cleverly told and translated, and absolutely enchanting.

The 2023 International Booker prize shortlist – review

But the shaggy-dog magic-realist nature of the story disguises a penetrating commentary on Korean story over the period (roughly from the end of the Japanese occupation to the late 1980s), with the impacts of the Korean war, the resulting persecution of anyone expected of being a communist, the military dictatorship (here personified by the General) and the capitalist-fuelled rapid economic growth, in which the entreprenurial Geumbok enthusiastically participates.

Both protagonists encounter more than their share of violence, but there is humour and magic in equal amounts also. did this book have a lot of objectionable stuff in it? yes. but did i lap up this book like it was freaking ice cream? also yes. From that day on, the terror of death ruled the girl. Her goal in life became fleeing death. Her mother’s death was the main reason why she left her small mountain village, why she left the harbor city and roamed the country, and why she built an enormous theater that resembled a whale. She wasn’t obsessed with the whale just because of its size. When she saw the blue whale from the beach, she had glimpsed what eternal life looked like, life that had triumphed against death. That was the moment the fearful small-town girl became enraptured by enormous things. She would try to use big things to beat out small things, overcome shabbiness through shiny things, and forget her suffocating hometown by jumping into the vast ocean. And finally, she became a man to hurdle over the limitations of being a woman. She wasn’t obsessed with the whale just because of its size. When she saw the blue whale from the beach, she had glimpsed what eternal life looked like, life that had triumphed against death. That was the moment the fearful small-town girl became enraptured by enormous things. Ironically enough, Geumbok's affairs began by sleeping with a pastor spreading God's gospel, and the following year he was able to build a nice church in the centre of Pyeongdae. This was the law of tithing.

Cheon Myeong-kwan interview: ‘Whale is still a propulsive

The narrative really catches up with us very effectively. There will surely be diverse feelings on this book but all of them would surely have a fresh read, the characters being in their raw form is something very nice to read. The base these characters get is the strongest that I've read in recent times. There has never been a novel like this in Korean literature . . . A novel that's more like reading out loud than reading quietly to oneself; its structure is like that of a folktale. You can feel the oral tradition in the rhythm of the sentences." The book is a history of Korea: from it’s humble beginnings to a land of progress then one divided by political strife. This could be represented by the whale itself but the events which happen in the book also mirror ones which have happened throughout Korea’s history. Due to the grotesque characters and overtly sexual situations, the book is a satire. Think of it as a modern day Candide or Terry Southern’s Candy ,both of which also used sex to point out the failings of the philosophies, government and social circles of their time,

He would sip coffee and change the subject, saying something like, ‘But don’t you think the judges for the most recent literary award made such a conservative choice? I of course concede that the author is wonderful.’” Geumbok's daughter is Chunhui. She's the whale-like, autistic- y, mute girl who talks to the dead or alive elephant. We like her. We don't want bad things to happen to her. Bad things happen to her. We don't know what her thoughts were and we don't know what kind of life she desired. She was different, and she lived in isolation because of that. While the man with the scar—the renowned con artist, notorious smuggler, superb butcher, rake, pimp of all the prostitutes on the wharf, and hot-tempered broker—was a taciturn man, he was gregarious with Geumbok, telling her everything about himself. The stories he told her were frightening and cruel, about murder and kidnapping, conspiracy and betrayal—how he was born to an old prostitute who worked along the wharf and was raised by other prostitutes when she died during childbirth, how he grew up without knowing his father, how a smuggler who claimed to be his father appeared in his life, how he stowed away to Japan with this man, how a typhoon came upon them during the journey, how the ship capsized, how the smuggler didn’t know how to swim and flailed in the waves before sinking into the water, how he, who thankfully knew how to swim, drifted onto a beach and lost consciousness, where he was discovered by the yakuza, how he lived with them and learned to use a knife, how he killed for the first time, how he met the geisha who was his first love, how he partedways with her, how he returned home and consolidated power in this city—but she remained enthralled, as though she were watching a movie.