At Dusk
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Summary
When memory surges unbidden, Park Min-woo recalls the world he thought he had left behind—low stone-slab roofs covering the whole mountain, a maze of narrow alleys, and the smiling faces of children gathered before small shopfronts.
Eviction, demolition, redevelopment: neon lights blot out the starlight, concrete replaces earth. He keeps chasing the sunlit ground, glad to have escaped the squalid slum, never wondering where the people driven from their homes have gone, or how they make a living. Then he stops and turns sharply: no one is beside him, and the hometown in his memory cannot be traced.
To press ever forward is the pioneer's stance—leave no backward glance for others, for whoever is left behind is oneself; without destroying the old world, the new utopia cannot be reached. Bonds grow fewer, gazes colder, until only memory remains, keeping company with a life nearing its evening.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in modern Korean literature and social history
- Literary fans who enjoy deep psychological portrayal and existential themes
- Readers hoping to understand the mindset of intellectuals during late twentieth-century East Asian social transformation
- Readers who appreciate calm, restrained narrative style
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light entertainment or fast-paced plots
- Readers completely unfamiliar with the political and historical background who are unwilling to understand it deeply
Reading tips
- It helps to read with some knowledge of the Korean democratization movement of the 1970s–80s in mind, which aids understanding of the characters' motives and the social atmosphere.
- Pay attention to the interplay between the protagonist's inner monologue and descriptions of the external environment, and observe how the author reveals spiritual malaise through everyday details.
- The novel has a slow pace; immersive reading is recommended to savor its texture of language and emotional tension.
About the publisher
China Friendship Publishing Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literary titles, covering classical Chinese literature, foreign literature, folk literature and cultural appreciation. According to the books in the database, its classical list includes celebrated dramas and novels such as The Peony Pavilion, The Romance of the Western Chamber and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, as well as note-style classics like Hong Mai's Rongzhai Suibi. In foreign literature it offers translations of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Kawabata Yasunari's Snow Country and Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl, involving translators such as Zeng Siyi. It also publishes The Complete Literary Works of Lu Xun and titles associated with the "Xue'er Shuguan" editorial group, balancing the collation and popularization of classic texts. Public information on its publishing features and plans is limited; the above is summarized only from the books in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 导读：韩国文坛有位“太史公”
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- 作者的话
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About the author
Hwang Sok-yong is a major contemporary Korean writer whose works have been translated into Chinese and categorized as foreign literature. The library currently holds two of his works, The Familiar World and At Dusk, which are often taken as entry points for understanding his creative profile. Publicly available information about his life is limited, so this Chinese introduction can only draw on the works themselves and their common classification. In terms of subject matter and style, Hwang Sok-yong's writing tends to focus on ordinary people's situations amid social change, with a delicate and restrained touch. He is skilled at revealing the tension between individual fate and the pressures of the times in everyday scenes, and his work carries a strong sense of social concern and human warmth. His narratives do not seek dramatic effect but instead emphasize atmosphere and psychological portrayal, giving readers an impression of steadiness and readability. For readers hoping to understand modern and contemporary Korean literature, Hwang Sok-yong is a writer worth attention, and his works offer Chinese readers a plain literary window into Korean society and the human heart.
Xu Lihong is a Chinese-language book author about whom relatively limited information is publicly available; her nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly recorded in accessible sources. The library holds seven of her works, including Even with the Faintest Light, Please Take Good Care of My Mother, The Choe Eun-young Classic Works Collection: Women's Friendship Collector's Edition (Three Volumes), Farewell, At Dusk, Someone Harmless to Me, and Even So, I Still Want to Live Passionately. These titles are mostly classified as foreign literature, with some also falling under science fiction and inspirational growth. The titles and the collection's theme suggest an interest in women's friendships, family ties, and everyday emotional experience, with a gentle and delicate narrative tendency and reflections on perseverance and self-healing in life. Because public information is limited, further details of her life and writing background cannot be introduced here, and readers may learn about her work through the books themselves.
