[57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards] Fiction Commendation Award: 'Bead by Bead'
Written by Jeong Ji-a Translated by Jude Vandervort Excerpt from 'Bead by Bead' I have been with you since the moment I drew my first breath. Yet for the longest time, you never noticed. Did it make me sad to both be there and not be there? Sometimes, yes; sometimes, no. More often than not, I pitied you, as you gradually succumbed to me, completely unaware. At this very moment, I totally control…
![[57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards] Fiction Commendation Award: 'Bead by Bead'](/img/19233441)
In the 57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards, the Fiction Commendation Award was bestowed upon Bead by Bead, a work written by Jeong Ji-a and translated by Jude Vandervort. The story explores the relationship between a bead and its container, with the bead eventually becoming an integral part of the container. The author, Jeong Ji-a, draws from personal experiences to convey the themes of isolation and longing.
The narrative is set against the backdrop of a spring day ten years ago, when the protagonist, now ninety years old, recalls watching cherry blossoms fall near the Seomjin River. The memory is one of a window-pane view, with petals drifting by on the gentle breeze. Throughout the story, the bead reflects on its existence, contemplating the emotions of being both present and absent, and ultimately pitying the container for succumbing to its presence.
By the end of the story, the bead and container have become one, as the bead controls the container, and the container is now dreamless, having fallen asleep before the nine o'clock news.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
