[A Sip of Books] When Tearfully Difficult... He Became Strong Through 'Escape Reading'

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly resonate with the reader’s heart, creating a connection with the book. We excerpt and introduce such meaningful sentences from books.

"Taking responsibility for one's own livelihood is harsh, challenging, and exhausting." The author, a journalist with 10 years of experience, confesses to having cried countless times while working. When their inner self felt torn and their identity seemed to vanish, when the territory of dignity felt invaded, when emotions had to be suppressed and they had to play the jester, when someone's piercing words stuck to the back of their head like a fixed speech bubble and even invaded their dreams, they were deeply shaken. Each time, they escaped between the lines of books. When disillusioned by falsehood and hypocrisy, they thought of the roar of Yojo from "No Longer Human," and when work didn’t go as hoped, they read "Kim Sijong, The Ontology of Dislocation" to recall optimism amid a cruel life. Although it was an inefficient "escapist reading," the author emphasizes that through it they grew into a solid, clear, and resolute "working human." There were no "do this" answers in the books, but still, from the darkness of the unconscious, they were able to draw up their "own answer sheet"... The book contains a journey of protecting the heart while pursuing the unity of knowledge and life.

Working people live by burning themselves out at the workplace. On faces that were soft, pure, and clear like marshmallows, they wear masks of lies and hypocrisy, heavy and dull masks of falsehood and deception. The masks are cold and heavy, pressing down on our skin. Some people wear masks for so long that they no longer know if the mask is themselves or they are the mask. They receive a salary in exchange. Yojo seems to say that this is what it means to be humanly "passing." If you wear the mask when you go to work but cannot take it off when you leave, you are deemed humanly "failing," humanly "disqualified." - p.23

I've sometimes thought that if a working life were made into a movie, it might be a "hard-boiled"* genre (especially when things were going badly and I was struggling). The world is ruthless and indifferent. Noble values and any good will have collapsed completely. In a dry, dull, and hopeless world, as if swallowing a handful of sand, we live expressionlessly. There are ghost-like people who mechanically repeat going to and leaving work. Among them is me, with a gray face. There are no dramatic elements like jealousy, revenge, murder, or drugs, just a tedious daily grind. It is a world ruled by nihilism and decadence. Then suddenly, one encounters a series of minor evils. I collapse helplessly. - p.33

Raymond Carver, known as the "writer's writer," vividly depicted the American working class in many of his short stories. There is not a shred of romance or fantasy. Amid gloomy, hard, boring, and harsh labor, enduring the misery and humiliation given by a formidable world, there is only the human heart struggling and breaking down. He married in his late teens and was always impoverished. He had to work himself to the bone to pay child support for his two children born early. The short stories he wrote in stolen moments during that time are considered the "essence" of American short stories today because all his works contain vivid experiences he encountered and endured in life.

Because he wrote such stories, I want to recommend this weighty novel to those who feel sorrow and insignificance in today’s workplace. - p.40

For me, the act of "reading" was like navigating my ever-changing inner sea, a time to care for and purify my pain. Today, acid rain poured down fiercely. What was its identity, what was the pH of that acid, what elements were mixed in? How much impurities were there, and how much had the sea of my heart lost its natural concentration? Sometimes I had to take a microscope and test it with litmus paper. - p.52

I recall Stoner from John Williams' novel Stoner at such times. Even though the scars of that war would likely be severe whether he won or lost. When I think I must address and fight a certain issue at work, I gather strength by watching Stoner’s "fight scenes" in life. Seeing the usually timid and kind person become terrifyingly angry and show his true colors gives me a strange vicarious satisfaction. Stoner is clumsy and passive in everything, but when it’s time to fight, he does not retreat an inch. He never compromises or yields. - p.77

Reading Anton Chekhov’s short story collection The Death of a Government Clerk gives me a strange sense of relief because the anguish caused by misunderstandings in relationships doesn’t seem to be only my problem. And it makes me feel desolate. Because misunderstandings themselves seem inevitable and unavoidable. They seem to be the essence of relationships and an irresistible condition. No matter how much beer we drink, how many after-parties we attend, how much coffee we drink and talk, it seems we cannot overcome that limit. - p.87

Schadenfreude. The German term meaning "the pleasure derived from another’s misfortune" actually exists. In Korean, it is expressed as "gosoham" or "ssaemtong." It is an honest but intimate feeling, so we rarely use it, but it is a clearly defined concept. It reveals that not only I but many people live with such feelings. Tiffany Watt Smith, author of Why Do We Laugh When We’re Being Comforted?, explains that the feeling of ssaemtong is quite universal and is especially vividly revealed in mass media and politics, where human desires are unleashed. - p.115

For Hantya, the workplace serves as a refuge and sanctuary that preserves his unique innocence. In an era where banned books are destroyed by war and humans gather in groups to cheat and attack, the underground workshop where he works is isolated from the outside world. The noisy sounds of bombardment and people’s quarrels cannot be heard. It is a quiet place where one does not have to experience violence and hatred. There, he reads books, cultivates culture, absorbs knowledge, and preserves his "own innocence." In the process, he experiences true happiness. He feels unity with his work, joy, and romance. It is his own festival and a fantastic "ritual" that gives a faint hope during long and harsh working hours. - p.180

I believe the saying "Books are the axe that breaks the ice within us." Here is a reader who has been struck by the axe so many times that they have weathered, eroded, and turned into crumbly grains of sand. Nevertheless, we believe we must often be struck by the axe and live a life of self-renewal. We believe there is seriousness and rigor that must be preserved through that process. In this way, we can live as individuals who maintain uniqueness and personality in the jungle-like workplace without becoming mundane.

I stay between the lines with you, gently touching the spine of the book, reflecting once again. Hoping it reaches some pain you and I, we all feel right now. - p.231

Books That Go to Work | Written by Gu Chae-eun | Pajit | 232 pages | 16,800 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.