- Overview
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This novel is about the ruthless whale hunting of the Japanese during the Colonial Period and the struggles of Koreans as seen from a foreigner’s point of view. Roy Chapman Andrews, the protagonist of the book, was the director of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and was a possible model for the film character, Indiana Jones. It takes place in Ulsan, Korea in 1912 and tells the story of his visit to Jangsaengpo Whale Hunting Site and his experiences there.
- Book Intro
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(English) Roy Chapman Andrews was a model for Indiana Jones in Steven Spielberg’s film. He worked as a curator for the American Museum of Natural History in the U.SA. and in 1912 when Joseon Korea was annexed by Japan, he visited the Jangsaengpo Whale Hunting Site in Ulsan, Korea. He spent forty-eight days there, investigating and doing research on the gray whale, and then assembling the skeletal frame as part of his assignment. He came to Korea without any knowledge of Joseon Korea but just to study the gray whale that had gone extinct around the American East coast from excessive hunting. His purpose was to obtain a skeletal frame of the whale to bring back to the American Museum of Natural History for display. However, he ended up witnessing the brutal massacre of the whales by the Japanese and the difficult struggle of the Korean people. He awoke to a new awareness of Korea after seeing the atrocities by the Imperialists.
He gradually shifted his attention from whale research and began paying attention to the Korean people, namely Hong, the laborer on the whale-hunting boat and his mute sister, as well as those living in the fishing town. As he became a witness to the suffering of the colonized Korean people, he began to sympathize with them and grew closer to them.
Meanwhile, the ruthlessness of the Japanese, who were involved in the whale-hunting activity in Korea, reached extreme levels. They viewed whale hunting as more than a means of their livelihood and worsened their discrimination against the Koreans. In the midst of it, an irrevocable incident took place at the hunting site. On the other hand, the Norwegian sailors employed by the Japanese had come all the way to a foreign country for no other reason than to make money.
Andrews, whose sole interest was the whale when he first arrived, became conflicted upon seeing the despicable conditions of the Koreans under colonialism, a microcosm of the world history, and underwent a transformation. With it, he embraced this conflict as an issue that he must resolve. How will he act henceforth?
This book that tells the story of Andrews’ actions and the hidden stories about the Korean gray whales merges history and literature to disclose the literary truth as well as exposing the state of world history in which the confrontations and conflicts are still very much ongoing.
(Indonesian) Roy Chapman Andrews, tokoh nyata dalam film Indiana Jones ciptaan Steven Spielberg, merupakan seorang kurator di American Museum of Natural History. Pada awal tahun 1912, dia mengunjungi tempat penangkapan ikan paus di Jangsaengpo, Ulsan saat kerajaan Joseon dijajah Jepang. Ia datang untuk mempelajari tentang paus hantu yang hampir punah di bagian utara Amerika akibat penangkapan ikan yang berlebihan serta untuk memperoleh kerangka ikan paus untuk dipajang di Museum Sejarah Alam Amerika. Novel ini menceritakan sumbangsih Andrew pada kerajaan Joseon dan kisah tersembunyi tentang paus hantu Korea dan mempertemukan keharmonisan antara sejarah dan sastra.
- About the Author
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Kyeongil Jeon
(English) Jeon Kyeongil made his debut as a writer in 1999 with World Literature. He is the author of close to forty books that incorporate literary contemplation and humanist ethos. His books include Marilyn and Two Men; it is about the timeless icon, Marilyn Monroe who appears as the character in the setting of the Korean War and the ideological conflict of men; The Korean Man is a voluminous work about human desire and redemption told through the story of Peter Paul Rubens’ art; and a best-selling book of essays, To Live as a Forty-Year-Old Man. His other books are To Do Drawings about the life and art spirit of a Joseon painter; The New Invasion of Japan, a book that chronicles late modern development; and Enticement of the Humanities, a book that presents insight from the perspective of humanities.
(Indonesian) Beliau memulai debutnya pada tahun 1999 di dalam buku 『Sastra Dunia』. Buku yang beliau tulis, 『Mawar Merah』, adalah novel yang bercerita tentang kunjungan Roy Chapman Andrews, model asli dari lukisan terkenal "Indiana Jones”, ke Jangsaengpo Whaling Ground di Ulsan pada tahun 1912. Terdapat pula novel 『Marylin dan Dua Pria』, bercerita tentang Marylin Monroe, seorang ikon abadi dan tokoh yang memiliki konflik ideologi dengan latar belakang Perang Korea. Beliau juga memiliki novel panjang berjudul 『Pria Joseon』 tentang nafsu dan penyelamatan manusia dikaitkan dengan lukisan dari Peter Paul Ruben, serta esai yang laku keras berjudul 『Hidup Sampai Berusia 40 Tahun』. Selain itu terdapat pula catatan perjalanan 『Kuba, Telah Kutinggalkan Hatiku di Sana』, buku yang menceritakan kehidupan pelukis masa Joseon, 『Melukis Grime』, buku tentang terobosan peradaban, 『Daya Tarik Humaniora』, dan lain-lain, mencapai total 42 buku.
- Selection
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Chosen by the South Korean government’s Publication Information Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA) as a 2019 publication grant recipient for its outstanding contents
- Bestseller Rank
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First edition was published on November 11, 2019
