Description

Life is not about living while exploring; it is about exploring while living.
Mistakes are repeated. That is life…….ㆍBook Introduction
"Contradiction" is the third novel by author Yang Kyu-ja, published in 1998. Within a month of its release, it rapidly climbed to the top of the bestseller list, surprising the publishing industry and establishing itself as the best-selling book of the year, showcasing the 'power of Yang Kyu-ja's novels' once again.
Fifteen years have passed since the first edition was released, but this novel "Contradiction" continues to walk a very special path. Readers who were in their twenties at that time now find themselves married and in their thirties, often revisiting "Contradiction". Each time they read it again, they discover meanings in the text that they had not noticed before or are surprised by new interpretations revealed by the passage of time, readily calling it "the most precious book of my life." What makes "Contradiction" special is that most readers do not just read it once, but rather read it at least twice, or even three times or more.
There are even blog posts from readers who have read it more than ten times. Enthusiastic readers continuously record, share, and reflect on the sentences within the novel, leaving their traces. The fact that this novel has gone through 132 editions and continues to be discussed among readers is truly mysterious.
Recently, the publishing company "Sseuda", which has acquired all copyrights to Yang Kyu-ja's works, has released a revised edition of "Contradiction" with these readers in mind. It meets readers in a sophisticated hardcover format, aiming to be a book that can be cherished for a long time, a true book of one's life.ㆍFrom the Author's NoteIt may be a redundant emphasis, but every human lives a life interpreted in their own way. To broaden the scope of interpretation, one should not be satisfied with dictionary definitions but also examine their antonyms. Behind happiness lies unhappiness, and behind unhappiness lies happiness.
The same goes for abundance. When one digs into the back of abundance, there is certainly poverty, and behind poverty lies the abundance we have yet to find. The antonym that is added to a single entry is nothing but the name of a twin born together.ㆍPublisher's Review-Understand the contradiction...
The protagonist of "Contradiction" is 25-year-old unmarried woman Ahn Jin-jin. Her family consists of a tough mother who sells thermal underwear at the market, a father who occasionally returns home after going missing, and a younger brother whose dream is to be a gangster boss. An important character in the novel is her aunt, who was born as an identical twin to Ahn Jin-jin's mother but has led a vastly different life. The wealthy aunt is bored with her life, while the impoverished mother has many misfortunes to deal with, leaving no room for boredom.
As the protagonist Ahn Jin-jin observes the drastically different lives of her mother and aunt, she begins to seriously contemplate how to understand this life full of contradictions.
As is often the case with Yang Kyu-ja's novels, "Contradiction" also features the author's sharp and delicate prose, which plays a significant role in vividly portraying the seemingly schematic lives of the characters. Yang Kyu-ja's unique narrative structure, which selects the most trivial and insignificant episodes from our daily lives to advance the story, cannot be overlooked. With stark contrasts in life that are neither excessive nor insufficient, the author powerfully conveys the story she wants to tell. This is likely the strength of Yang Kyu-ja's novels.-Life is about explorationThe author speaks to readers through the protagonist of the novel. She encourages them to live by observing their own lives closely. Do not just let life happen; be prepared to boldly steer the direction of your life when the right moment comes. Life is not something to be passively accepted; it is something to be explored with one's entire being.
The protagonist Ahn Jin-jin's age of twenty-five is significant for this reason. Many readers in their twenties resonate with her serious self-examination, as she 'indulges in apathy and cynicism towards life' and 'lets life slip through her fingers without ever seriously weighing it.' This has led to reflections on their own lives, marking "Contradiction" as a significant success for a novel.-Reply 1998...Published in the summer of 1998, "Contradiction" garnered significant attention in the Korean publishing industry, regardless of the author's or publisher's intentions. That year, South Korea was undergoing a massive financial crisis, leading to a collapse of its economic structure. The tears of countless unemployed individuals were broadcast daily, and escaping from the IMF bailout became the country's top priority. The publishing industry was also struggling.
This novel, released shortly after the IMF crisis, can be seen as a litmus test for whether the reading market could recover from the severe recession the publishing industry was facing. The publishing industry, which had been observing whether Yang Kyu-ja's novels, which had consistently sold over a million copies every three years, could succeed even during the financial crisis, was surprised to see "Contradiction" enter the bestseller list at an even faster pace than the author's previous works.
The author herself stated in her 'Author's Note', "In these times when everything has changed so suddenly, what can a novel offer us in this anxious and bewildering era? I wanted to start this novel to offer some words of comfort to those who have lost their courage and are feeling defeated, but the life entangled in contradictions remains difficult." Thus, I hope this novel, like a comfort from that year, continues to be chosen by many readers today, providing a new opportunity to reinterpret their lives.