Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 — A Novel by Cho Nam-joo
"THE BOOK THAT LAUNCHED THE 4B MOVEMENT" ―Arya James, Fourth Wave
Longlisted
National Book Award (Translated Literature)
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year and Editors' Choice Selection
Best Books of 2020 ― NPR, TIME, Chicago Public Library
One of the most notable novels of the year, hailed by both critics and K-pop stars alike, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, follows one woman’s psychic deterioration in the face of rampant misogyny. In a tidy apartment on the outskirts of Seoul, millennial “everywoman” Kim Jiyoung spends her days caring for her infant daughter. But strange symptoms appear: Jiyoung begins to impersonate the voices of other women, dead and alive. As she plunges deeper into this psychosis, her concerned husband sends her to a psychiatrist. Jiyoung narrates her story to this doctor―from her birth to parents who expected a son, to elementary school teachers who policed girls’ outfits, to male coworkers who installed hidden cameras in women’s restrooms. But can her psychiatrist cure her, or even discover what truly ails her?
"THE BOOK THAT LAUNCHED THE 4B MOVEMENT" ―Arya James, Fourth Wave
Longlisted
National Book Award (Translated Literature)
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year and Editors' Choice Selection
Best Books of 2020 ― NPR, TIME, Chicago Public Library
One of the most notable novels of the year, hailed by both critics and K-pop stars alike, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, follows one woman’s psychic deterioration in the face of rampant misogyny. In a tidy apartment on the outskirts of Seoul, millennial “everywoman” Kim Jiyoung spends her days caring for her infant daughter. But strange symptoms appear: Jiyoung begins to impersonate the voices of other women, dead and alive. As she plunges deeper into this psychosis, her concerned husband sends her to a psychiatrist. Jiyoung narrates her story to this doctor―from her birth to parents who expected a son, to elementary school teachers who policed girls’ outfits, to male coworkers who installed hidden cameras in women’s restrooms. But can her psychiatrist cure her, or even discover what truly ails her?
"THE BOOK THAT LAUNCHED THE 4B MOVEMENT" ―Arya James, Fourth Wave
Longlisted
National Book Award (Translated Literature)
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year and Editors' Choice Selection
Best Books of 2020 ― NPR, TIME, Chicago Public Library
One of the most notable novels of the year, hailed by both critics and K-pop stars alike, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, follows one woman’s psychic deterioration in the face of rampant misogyny. In a tidy apartment on the outskirts of Seoul, millennial “everywoman” Kim Jiyoung spends her days caring for her infant daughter. But strange symptoms appear: Jiyoung begins to impersonate the voices of other women, dead and alive. As she plunges deeper into this psychosis, her concerned husband sends her to a psychiatrist. Jiyoung narrates her story to this doctor―from her birth to parents who expected a son, to elementary school teachers who policed girls’ outfits, to male coworkers who installed hidden cameras in women’s restrooms. But can her psychiatrist cure her, or even discover what truly ails her?
“A social treatise as well as a work of art”
“A global sensation, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 “has become...a touchstone for a conversation around feminism and gender.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cho Nam-joo is a former television scriptwriter. In the writing of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 she drew partly on her own experience as a woman who quit her job to stay at home after giving birth to a child.
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is her third novel. It has had a profound impact on gender inequality and discrimination in Korean society, and has been translated into 18 languages.
