Han Kang
Greek Lessons, translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith and Emily Yae Won, is another extraordinary novel by Han Kang. It is short, densely packed, with little to no plot.
The novel is about two nameless characters, both of whom are adrift in the world. One is a female who mourns the loss of her mother and is devasted at having lost custody of her son to her ex-husband. To add to her problems, she is no longer able to speak. Probably because of her inability to articulate words, the woman is fascinated by language and unlocking its grammar and subtle nuances. She begins taking classes to learn ancient Greek in the hope that a language so far removed from her own might enable her to regain her speech. The second character is her instructor, a man who is slowly going blind.
The novel unfolds in the form of the two characters alternating turns to narrate scenes from their lives. They are lonely, alone, and vulnerable, each trying to cope with personal trauma and each in search of self. The woman flashes back to scenes from her childhood, but the most poignant scenes are those with her young child. The man flashes back to his life in Germany, his first love, and his return to Korea. The two eventually find their way to one another.
This is a multi-layered novel. On one level, it is about the collapse of language, the important role it plays in human connection, and the compensatory measures taken to forge connection when senses falter. The end of the novel consists of truncated passages and words floating untethered on the page. The novel also captures the loneliness, isolation, and grief of the two individuals, similarly untethered. Although Kang doesn’t describe them as grieving, she uses language to make palpable their embodiment of grief. Their interiority reflects their inner torment and alienation.
The process by which the characters connect is delineated in a slow, measured pace similar to watching a slow-motion movie. Their steps are halting, fragile, and tender. One does it through speech; the other by painstakingly tracing words on his waiting palm.
Kang’s treatment of these two damaged souls finding comfort in each other is deeply moving and inspiring. And as is the case with her other novels, she probes complex issues without offering facile responses. Her writing is philosophical and poetic. Her novels generate more questions than answers and leave a lingering effect on the reader to ponder the issues they raise.