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Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • A dazzling novel about the saving grace of language and human connection, from the “visionary” (New York Times Book Review) author of the International Booker Prize winner The Vegetarian
“Both a disquieting journey about the loss of sense and a return to the sensorium of touch and intimacy, Greek Lessons soars with sensuous and revelatory insight.”—Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2023: The Guardian, The New Statesman, The Irish Times, i-D Magazine, Lit Hub
"Now and then, language would thrust its way into her sleep like a skewer through meat, startling her awake several times a night."
In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice. Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing his sight.
Soon the two discover a deeper pain binds them together. For her, in the space of just a few months, she has lost both her mother and the custody battle for her nine-year-old son. For him, it's the pain of growing up between Korea and Germany, being torn between two cultures and languages, and the fear of losing his independence.
Greek Lessons tells the story of two ordinary people brought together at a moment of private anguish—the fading light of a man losing his vision meeting the silence of a woman who has lost her language. Yet these are the very things that draw them to each other. Slowly the two discover a profound sense of unity—their voices intersecting with startling beauty, as they move from darkness to light, from silence to breath and expression.
Greek Lessons is the story of the unlikely bond between this pair and a tender love letter to human intimacy and connection—a novel to awaken the senses, one that vividly conjures the essence of what it means to be alive.
“Both a disquieting journey about the loss of sense and a return to the sensorium of touch and intimacy, Greek Lessons soars with sensuous and revelatory insight.”—Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2023: The Guardian, The New Statesman, The Irish Times, i-D Magazine, Lit Hub
"Now and then, language would thrust its way into her sleep like a skewer through meat, startling her awake several times a night."
In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice. Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing his sight.
Soon the two discover a deeper pain binds them together. For her, in the space of just a few months, she has lost both her mother and the custody battle for her nine-year-old son. For him, it's the pain of growing up between Korea and Germany, being torn between two cultures and languages, and the fear of losing his independence.
Greek Lessons tells the story of two ordinary people brought together at a moment of private anguish—the fading light of a man losing his vision meeting the silence of a woman who has lost her language. Yet these are the very things that draw them to each other. Slowly the two discover a profound sense of unity—their voices intersecting with startling beauty, as they move from darkness to light, from silence to breath and expression.
Greek Lessons is the story of the unlikely bond between this pair and a tender love letter to human intimacy and connection—a novel to awaken the senses, one that vividly conjures the essence of what it means to be alive.
4 Reviews
4.5

Astrid
Created 23 days agoShare
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Ashluhley
Created 3 months agoShare
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“Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for providing me with this e-ARC. I will think about this book for a long time. It was absolutely stunning, in every way.
This is a powerful and poetic story of two strangers, wading through the depths of loss, and the unlikely way in which they find themselves intertwined.
A language professor whose slowly disintegrating eyesight leaves him navigating life on the precipice of an eternal haze. A woman who has lost her language and ability to speak, as grief and trauma render her mute. When the two meet, they discover a quiet and hazy understanding in one another.
Reading this book was a truly sensory experience, teeming with poignant nostalgia, memories pooling behind eyelids, and the fearful realization of losing something you'll never recover.
With delicate and deliberate prose, Han Kang creates a masterful inspection of the human condition, and a breathtaking exploration of language, grief and intimacy that left me with a feeling that I can't quite describe.”

circlesofflame
Created 24 days agoShare
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Caleb Bedford
Created about 2 months agoShare
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“4.5/5 • Intriguing from start to finish.
Was I confused at times? A little. But always curious, always wondering and reading to find out what was happening next. Not to say this is a plot-heavy book by any means. Yet, Kang writes in a way that is beautiful and compelling. Would be interesting in reading it a second time. It’s short enough to go through in a day if you have a few hours to do so. In summation, would recommend. Head over to the ‘Cafe Au Lit’ podcast on April 18th (release day) for my full review.
Thanks to Random House for the Advanced Copy.”
About Han Kang
Han Kang was born in 1970 in South Korea. A recipient of the Yi Sang Literary Award, the Today’s Young Artist Award, and the Manhae Prize for Literature, she is the author of The Vegetarian, winner of the International Booker Prize; Human Acts; and The White Book.
Deborah Smith was a co-winner of the International Booker Prize for her translation of The Vegetarian.
Emily Yae Won is a translator based in Seoul. She has translated into Korean the work of Ali Smith and Deborah Levy.
Deborah Smith was a co-winner of the International Booker Prize for her translation of The Vegetarian.
Emily Yae Won is a translator based in Seoul. She has translated into Korean the work of Ali Smith and Deborah Levy.