[ABOUT THE AUTHOR]
Korean-American novelist Min Jin Lee, whose work has garnered significant global interest and admiration, embarked on her journey as a global writer with a sharp and empathetic perspective, serving as a bridge between cultures by exploring the complexities of history and human nature. She is often compared to writers such as Jane Austen and George Eliot.
Born in Seoul in 1968, the author moved to New York with her family at the age of seven. After graduating in history from Yale University and Law from Georgetown University Law Center, she began her career as a lawyer. However, health issues led her to leave the legal profession, allowing her to fulfill her long-held dream of dedicating herself to writing. She began attracting attention with her short stories in 2004 and established her reputation as a writer with her debut novel in 2007, "Free Food for Millionaires," which addresses the experience of American immigrants.
Her second novel, "Pachinko," a monumental work to which she dedicated nearly 30 years of writing—from her decision in 1989 to tell the story of the Korean-Japanese known as ‘Zainichi’ to its publication in 2017—is a testament to her tremendous effort. Min Jin spent four years in Japan with her Japanese-American husband conducting extensive and meticulous research to complete the story.
"Pachinko" spans three generations of a family, from the Japanese occupation of Korea to the Korean War and the Japanese economic bubble. The book resonated deeply with American society immediately upon its release, being selected as ‘Book of the Year’ by more than 75 major media outlets, including The New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, and BBC. Thus, the novel became a global bestseller, with translations into 33 countries.
Additionally, the work has received numerous awards in Korea, including the Manhae Literature Prize, the Diaspora Literature Prize, and the Yoo Young Translation Prize, marking its historical trajectory.
Currently residing in New York, the author is deeply involved in writing her third novel, which will conclude her trilogy on the Korean diaspora.
[Source: Kyobobook]
[REVIEW BY THE KOREAN PUBLISHER]
“The story failed us, but it doesn’t matter”
The epic journey of a Korean family in Japan overlooked by history.
The saga begins in Yeong-do, Busan, during the Japanese occupation and spans to 1989, during the collapse of the Japanese economic bubble, covering almost a century between Korea and Japan. Sunja, a sixteen-year-old living with her mother in Yang-jin, a humble village, meets Hansu, a trader who travels between Korea and Japan, awakening in the young woman a life beyond Joseon.
When she becomes pregnant by Hansu and reveals this to him, Sunja discovers that he is married with two daughters in Japan. Despite Hansu’s promise to support her and provide everything she needs, Sunja refuses to be his mistress, ending the relationship.
Shortly after the end of the romance, Sunja meets Baek Isak, a young pastor with fragile health who is staying at her family's boarding house during a period of illness. Moved by Sunja’s situation—pregnant and without prospects for the future—and extremely grateful for the care received from mother and daughter, Baek Isak decides to marry her and take on the fatherhood of the child. Together, they move to Japan in search of a better life. However, this journey will not be easy, as they will face obstacles such as racism, stereotypes, and xenophobia.
Sunja’s turbulent family history intertwines with events in Korean history, such as the liberation of the country, the Korean War, and the division, revealing the lives of the Zainichi (Koreans living in Japan) that were previously unknown to us.
Author Min Jin Lee is a Korean-American writer who moved to the United States with her family at the age of seven. As a 1.5 generation immigrant and history expert, she became interested in the Korean diaspora caused by international instability and Japanese invasion. Determined to tell the story “of the people whom history has overlooked,” she focused on the “Zainichi” (Koreans residing in Japan) — a topic she encountered during her studies at Yale University—and worked for 30 years to publish ‘Pachinko’.
Lee lived for 4 years in Japan with her Japanese-American husband and interviewed numerous people, especially Koreans residing in Japan, which allowed the characters, though fictional, to build a real portrayal of the Korean immigrant population. She drafted and discarded many papers, including changing the protagonist from ‘Solomon,’ a third-generation Korean in Japan, to ‘Sunja.’ The book’s title also changed from ‘Motherland’ to ‘Pachinko.’ After extensive research, interviews, and numerous meticulous revisions, ‘Pachinko’ was finally born, “a masterpiece that combines the details of a documentary with exceptional literary empathy.”
“Pachinko is a silly game, but life is not”
A quiet journey towards the “Korean Diaspora Trilogy.”
‘Pachinko’ is also a story about home. It is the tale of an immigrant family that, despite life’s obstacles, bravely builds its own home.
The author revealed that the title ‘Pachinko’ represents “the uncertainty of life, as unpredictable as a game of chance, while also symbolizing the tragedy experienced by Koreans in Japan who were forced to turn to the pachinko business as their only source of livelihood in a foreign land rife with hatred and prejudice.”
By addressing the lives of immigrants who leave their homeland in search of a home in foreign lands, perpetually living as outsiders, the author offers a unique and empathetic perspective. Dealing with universal themes such as family, love, loss, and money, 'Pachinko' is a work that raises relevant questions for contemporary readers, demonstrating the power of a narrative that transcends generations and cultures, becoming a cultural icon.
‘Pachinko’ is Min Jin Lee’s second novel, following her acclaimed debut, ‘Free Food for Millionaires’. Currently, the author is immersed in writing her third novel, ‘American Hagwon’, exploring the Korean obsession with education. These books make up the “Korean Diaspora Trilogy,” as presented by the author. In her preface 'To Korean Readers,' she shares her ongoing motivation to tell stories about the Korean community. For Min Jin, “Koreans are fascinating and deserving of being the protagonists of profound and meaningful narratives, both intellectually and emotionally.” Her wish is to continue presenting Korean stories to new generations.
[Source: Kyobobook]
["PACHINKO" ON APPLE TV]
A little over two years after its debut on Apple TV’s streaming platform, the second season of the series ‘Pachinko,’ based on Min Jin Lee’s bestseller, will premiere on August 23, 2024.