In the addendum to The
Accusation, a new collection of short stories written by an unnamed writer
still living under the threat of persecution and death in North Korea, the
process Bandi, the penname the writer choose to use (it means “firefly”), used
to write these seven stories was to use real events and recount real actions,
which was difficult to combine with “literary excellence”. It describes very
truly what this work represents. There is an amazing story here with the publication
of this book, one of artistic triumph, bravery and perseverance that, as an
American and someone who calls himself a writer, cannot even begin to envision.
The thought of what I do and essentially what I think being controlled by a
governing body is something I can’t comprehend, and for that reason alone I think
it is important to give this book your attention. It is a fresh experience that
I assume was felt by those who first read One Day in the Life of Ivan
Deniscovich. But having said that, this book feels less like a collection of
short fiction and instead an angry but useful screed against an all
encompassing evil. It is this anger that takes away some of the literary and
narrative merit of the book. The stories can be a tad repetitive at times, with
the structure of each being similar at best and interchangeable at worst. The stories
in this book that are told in second hand by characters are too numerous among
the handful of stories here. But I did have a few favorites, such as “Record of
Defection” a story that reads like the story of how this book escaped its’
entrapped homeland and “So Near, Yet So Far” where a final image of a broken
bird cage and a fresh telegram tell you all you need to know about the horror
and sadness a dictatorship can bring on an individual. I’m happy these stories
got out, and I will be even happier once Bandi, whomever he is, is able to
pursue his artistic endeavors in a free and open society.
Rating: 4/5
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