- Overview
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In this book, ghosts make a fuss to send those who are awake at night to sleep.
- Book Intro
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(English) Gangnam Ghosts at Midnight
A sleeping ghost named Nori wakes up after 500 years have passed and finds that the world has changed. The cabbage fields in Gangnam, which she liked because they used to be quiet and dark, are now full of light. After looking for other ghosts to play with, she finds one. She is sure that he is a ghost as his eyes are sunken and he moves limply. However, it turns out that he is not a ghost, but a boy named Zami who has been dozing off while walking due to lack of sleep. And Zami is not the only one who looks like a ghost. People roaming the streets in Gangnam in the middle of the night, workers who work day and night, and teachers who teach English and Mathematics at private academies all look like ghosts.
In Gangnam Ghosts at Midnight, humans cannot be clearly distinguished from ghosts. The author has painted the world of humans with water colors and etched and engraved that of ghosts.
The words of Nori, saying "How very strange it is that humans don't sleep at night when they're supposed to be asleep after being awake during the daytime!" will make readers think of the lives of those who live in the city, where lights shine bright even at night.(French) Gangnam fantôme au milieu de la nuit
"Une ville pleine de lumières même la nuit, des fantômes sortent pour les gens qui ne peuvent pas s’endormir!" C’est une belle berceuse du désir pour permettre aux gens de passer une nuit confortable. Elle décrit à la fois les aspects des gens qui ne peuvent pas se reposer confortablement la nuit de manière humoristique.
(Japanese) 真夜中のカンナム幽霊
眠りの幽霊、ノリが500年の眠りから覚めると、カンナムの方の白菜畑が明かりに包まれています。人は夜寝て幽霊は夜遊ばなくてはいけないのに、どうしたのでしょうか？
都市の明かりのせいで困っていたノリは、一緒に遊ぶ友達を見つけて嬉しそうに走っていき声を掛けます。しかし、その子は幽霊ではなく寝不足のせいでウトウトしながら歩いているジャミです。
ノリとジャミは月明かりに照らされた暗い森の中で、明かりを避けて隠れていた他の幽霊たちに出会います。幽霊たちは人が夜になっても眠らないせいで、ちゃんと遊べないとぼやいているのですが…。
仕事や勉強など、やることがいっぱいで夜も心置きなく休めない人間達の姿に対してユーモラスな皮肉を言いながらも、みんなが心休まる夜を過ごせるように願う心が込められています。
- About the Author
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Kim Jiyeon
(English) She studied painting in graduate school and went on to study illustration and picture books at the SI Illustration School. She teaches classes on picture books to everyone including children, young adults, and adults. Her books include One Hundred Years Old Child which tells the story of one hundred years of modern Korean history with illustrations done from woodcut engravings, The Tiger Wind which tells the story of the 2020 Goseong Wildfire with illustrations done using the marbling technique and woodcut engravings, and Flower Pattern Doors which shows and explains the traditional wooden door patterns in the different shape of beautiful flowers.
(Japanese) 大学院で西洋画を専攻し、SI絵本学校で絵本を学んだ。
絵本講義を通して、子供、青少年、大人を問わず読者たちと疎通している。
著書に、韓国の近現代史100年を版画にした『百年子共』、高城山火事の絆を描くためマーブリングと版画で表現した『虎風』、韓国伝統の花狭間を盛り込んだ『花狭間』などがある。
