Grass (graphic novel)
Graphic novel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grass (Korean: 풀, Pul) is a 2017[1] Korean-language graphic novel by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim.
It was translated into English by Janet Hong, with that version published in 2019 by Drawn and Quarterly.[2] The English version has a translator's note.[3]
Plot
It is about Ok-sun a.k.a. "Granny Lee", a woman who had been a "comfort woman" in World War II, returning to live in Korea.[2] Alison Mandaville of California State University, Fresno wrote that it is "An oral history in comics form".[4] A version of Gendry-Kim is in the story and tries to record an oral history of Ok-sun.[5] Sean Rogers of the Globe and Mail wrote that "respectful distance" is used in the story.[3]
Artwork
Tom Lathan of Times Literary Supplement stated that the artwork has Eastern and Western influences.[1]
Reception
The Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) stated that Gendry-Kim "conscientiously eschews sensationalizing or providing graphic representations of violent scenes."[2]
Thomas L. Batten of Library Journal wrote that the artwork is "exquisite" and that the narrative is "thoughtful".[6]
The book received the Harvey Award. By 2021 there were about 14 translations.[7]
See also
Other graphic novels by Gendry-Kim:
