The Accusation - Bandi

Category: Literature, Political
Language: English
Keywords: 1990s North Korea Short Story Collection

Written by Bandi
Read by David Shih
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

(Found this M4B version after I already uploaded the title… I’ll leave up both for those with a preference in format. This one is chapterized, too!)

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The Accusation is a deeply moving and eye-opening work of fiction that paints a powerful portrait of life under the North Korean regime. Set during the period of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il’s leadership, the seven stories that make up The Accusation give voice to people living under this most bizarre and horrifying of dictatorships.

The characters of these compelling stories come from a wide variety of backgrounds, from a young mother living among the elite in Pyongyang whose son misbehaves during a political rally, to a former Communist war hero who is deeply disillusioned with the intrusion of the Party into everything he holds dear, to a husband and father who is denied a travel permit and sneaks onto a train in order to visit his critically ill mother.

Written with deep emotion and writing talent, The Accusation is a vivid depiction of life in a closed-off one-party state, and also a hopeful testament to the humanity and rich internal life that persists even in such inhumane conditions.

April 11 2017
7 hrs and 10 mins

Bandi, a name derived from the Korean for “firefly,” is a pseudonym for the writer who is allegedly still living in North Korea.

Translated by Deborah Smith, from the manuscript as edited and published in South Korea.