Our Twisted Hero

When the twelve-year-old narrator of Our Twisted Hero moves from Seoul to a small provincial town and enrolls in the local school, he's confident that his big-city sophistication will establish him as a natural leader. But he immediately falls victim to a charismatic and corrupt class monitor, who uses fear and violence to keep the other students under his mysterious spell and to assure his own supremacy in the school's social hierarchy. The teacher, grateful to have such a well-behaved class, turns a blind eye to the monitor's abuse of power. As the narrator attempts first to seek justice and then to inspire his fellow students to revolt, he finds himself in a fierce battle not just for his rights, but for his soul. Soon he has set in motion an unexpected and unstoppable chain of events.

Yi Munyol, one of Korea's most acclaimed writers, is the author of sixteen novels (many of which have sold into the millions), fifty-two novellas, and two collections of political and social commentary. His work has been translated into eight languages, and he has received numerous literary awards. He lives in South Korea.

Translator Kevin O'Rourke, an Irish priest (Columban Fathers), is a Professor of English at Kyunghee University in Seoul.