A baby duck goes on a journey to search for himself, to love, to dream and to be free.

PePe is a baby duck who believes that he can fly because he has wings. As he grows up though, he begins to realize that his wings will not enable him to fly.  However, he cannot give up his dream of flying. He embarks on a journey to realize his dream, meets many other kinds of animals, The Mole, Grandma Pigeon, Mr. Bull and Mrs. Birdie. These animals PePe meets teach him the true meaning of love and freedom, and how important they are in his life. After his journey, the much wiser PePe becomes the leader of a group of ducks, and later, manages to realize his dream of flying.

About the Author
Jae Yeon became a Buddhist priest at the age of 19. He earned his Ph.D. in 1985 in India. He has written numerous essays and has published them in various collections such as Wanderer’s Stories and Becoming a Zen Master. He has also translated religious books into Korean, which include Tibetan Tale of Love and Magic, Subasiddha, The Road of Siddhartha and Dharma the Cat.

The “I” in this novel is Eun-mi, who has failed exam after exam for employment at newspaper companies, is leading the life of a good-for-nothing. Her days are depressing, with her parents after her case, and even her hair falling out due to stress over her uncertain future. Then one day, she hears incredible news from her grandmother: her aunt, who severed contact 15 years ago, has become an astronaut at NASA. In her letters, sent secretly to her grandmother, are vivid descriptions of the daily life of an astronaut, and unfamiliar scenes of outer space. When her grandmother tells her to go meet her aunt in the United States, Eun-mi leaves home with her aunt’s address in her hand. There, she finally meets her aunt after some complications, and learns the hidden truth. Learning her aunt had lied, she feels betrayed. In hearing the story about the past 16 years of her aunt’s life, however, she comes to acknowledge that her aunt’s life belongs to her aunt in the end, chosen by her aunt and no one else, and that her aunt can still be part of her future.

Alternating between Eun-mi’s story and her aunt’s letters, Seas of the Moon weaves a tale of “reality and fiction” by talking about the “affirmation of life.” The characters who never give up, even though they haven’t been able to realize their goals, and how they watch over and encourage one another, must have sprung forth from the author’s affection towards life and people. Seas of the Moon whispers that our lives sparkle, just as “when we look far into the night sky, we can find something sparking in a corner of a beautiful and round planet,” and that this is when “real life” begins, patting the shoulders of those of us who are worn out by daily life.


"This book tells readers that ‘real life’ begins when you realize that life is longer than a dream, and is, at times, stronger than a dream." Dong-A Ilbo


About the Author
Chung Han-ah was born in Seoul in 1982, and graduated from the Department of Korean Literature at Konkuk University. She is currently enrolled in the master’s program at the graduate school of the same university. She received the 12th Munhakdongne Writer’s Award for Seas of the Moon, which was selected for its ingenuous and sophisticated composition, keen observation of characters, and realistic and convincing portrayal. The insight into life and affection for people throughout the work reveal the depth of perspective through which this young writer looks at the world. This formidable and promising writer has a bright future ahead of her.

 

The Cabinet is a story about the documents that record these symptomers and the man who manages the documents in Cabinet 13. This seemingly ordinary, old cabinet is filled with stories that are peculiar, strange, eye-popping, disgusting, enraging, and touching. However, the fast changing world is also full of all sorts of unbelievable things. Perhaps symptomers exist not only in the novel but also in the real world. Perhaps some of us do not accept our past and instead, erase our memories and create new ones. Some of us might want to become a wooden doll or a cat rather than live in pain as a human. And if you look around, you can find those who can love no one but themselves or their alter egos.
The narrator is an office worker in his 30´s, as ordinary as the cabinet. But he once spent 178 days drinking nothing but cans of beer. And his colleague Son Jeong-eun is a quiet, chubby girl who draws nobody’s attention. But she also has a strange habit of devouring more than 100 pieces of sushi at once.
In this novel, the cabinet is a container that holds all the truths of the world. Kim Un-su puts truth into the cabinet "as it is" and keeps it fresh under proper temperature and moisture, utilizing his precise prose and rich style. Each episode, preposterous and weird, is intricately interwoven with the narrator’s story are like Lego blocks that form a perfectly assembled structure.
Unfolding peculiar and heart-freezing episodes, the author tells us that this is an ‘ordinary’ story and at the same time, the truth "as it is," as natural as the wind blowing, flowers blossoming and snow falling. The moment you turn the last page of the book, you will come to think about which strange stories are inside your own cabinet. And you will be also curious about what story the author will pull out of his cabinet next time.

About the Author
Kim Un-su was born in Busan in 1972. He made his literary debut in 2002 when his short story “A Very Easy Writing School” won the fall literary contest by Jinju News, and in 2003 when his novelette “Farewell to Friday” won the annual literary contest by Dong-A Ilbo.