Ha Seung-meen (Hankyoreh Publishing)
“My pores and skin is blue, and my mom is Vietnamese. I do not know which is the larger drawback,” begins Ha Seung-meen’s award-winning novel “Melanin.”
The approaching-of-age novel follows Jae-il, a teenage boy born to a Korean father and a Vietnamese mom, as he grapples with life in a world that rejects him for his unusual blue pores and skin and his multicultural heritage.
His uncommon complexion turns into a marker of alienation, making him a goal for ridicule and bullying from classmates. At dwelling, his authoritarian father gives little consolation, whereas the scorn of neighbors solely deepens his isolation.
Jae-il finds solace in his mom, a resilient Vietnamese immigrant who carves out a brand new life in Korea with willpower and grit. However she finally abandons him, by no means to return, simply because the household prepares to immigrate to the US. Adrift, Jae-il faces one other wave of harsh realities in America — new violence and rejection, with nobody to lean on.
At its core, “Melanin” is a coming-of-age story about id, discrimination and the complexities of diaspora. Ha additionally intertwines Jae-il’s journey with some real-world occasions just like the 9/11 assaults and mass shootings in America. This backdrop creates a robust narrative that explores the brutal realities minorities face.
Nonetheless, whereas confronting these challenges, Jae-il holds on to his dignity, and the novel underscores the resilience of the human spirit within the face of prejudice, loss and societal rejection.
Ha, who labored for over a decade within the IT and cell banking industries earlier than transitioning to a full-time author in 2020, gained the twenty ninth Hankyoreh Literary Award this July. “Melanin” emerged because the unanimous alternative amongst 240 entries, securing the assist of all seven judges. Since its institution in 1996, the award has helped launch the careers of many bestselling authors, together with Yun Ko-eun, Chang Kang-myoung and Park Search engine optimisation-lyeon.
Ha stated Jae-il’s blue pores and skin was an allegorical alternative geared toward universalizing the expertise of discrimination and marginalization.
“I needed to handle the broader problems with prejudice and rejection, quite than give attention to a particular minority group,” stated Ha in a latest interview with reporters.
Though he has circuitously skilled diaspora himself, Ha spent years meticulously researching and conducting interviews to make sure the novel’s authenticity.
“I knew that to offer the story a way of realism, I wanted thorough preparation,” Ha stated. “As I discussed within the bibliography, I consulted many reference supplies, interviewed individuals who attended center and excessive colleges within the US, and spent every week with an aged couple from Mississippi, conducting interviews about discrimination in America.”
Because the setting transitions from Korea to the US, Ha stated he sought to discover how people can turn into the targets of discrimination after they cross into international lands. A key instance is Jae-il’s father, who shifts from being an agent of discrimination in Korea to a sufferer of it in America.
“I needed to depict the reversal that occurs when the oppressor turns into the oppressed. By relocating the narrative to the US, the dynamics of energy shift as properly, with these as soon as in management now discovering themselves on the receiving finish of discrimination.”
Ha Seung-meen (Hankyoreh Publishing)
Within the creator’s word, Ha talked about the necessity for “horizontal” solidarity quite than “vertical.”
“Vertical solidarity is formed by elements we’re born into — reminiscent of nationality, gender or different identities we won’t escape. Once we outline ourselves by these vertical traces, we danger changing into entrenched in a class-based society,” stated Ha.
“However I feel the individuals we must always stand in solidarity with are discovered horizontally. On this approach, traits like pores and skin colour lose their significance. As soon as we strip away these superficial markers, we start to see others for who they honestly are and uncover the individuals we must always actually unite with. That’s the journey of development I aimed to painting within the story.”
The 43-year-old creator shared his aspiration as a author to proceed crafting partaking tales that additionally provide a essential examination of society.
“The core human values we must always defend are collapsing within the title of pragmatism. The world is in disarray,” Ha stated. “Prior to now, at the least individuals felt some disgrace in harassing or persecuting others. However I do not assume that is the case anymore. I hope my writing can act as a brake on this tendency.”
