Greek Lessons

Hardback Published on: 27/04/2023
Price: £16.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Greek Lessons
An illustrious feat of storytelling
'Greek Lessons' presents another conspicuous storytelling by Han Kang. The story follows a woman who has lost her voice, and an Ancient Greek teacher who i... READ MORE
Phuong Anh (Ann)
Greek Lessons
Mesmerisingly lyrical.
Mesmerisingly lyrical, Han Kang’s writing wins me over again, and again, and again. What can you say about near-perfect writing?
Beth at Bluewater
Greek Lessons
Han Kang’s writing is truly magical
Han Kang’s writing is truly magical in a way that leaves the heart yearning and overflowing at once. There is a sensitivity and complexity explored through... READ MORE
Hannah Probyn-Duncan
Greek Lessons
A tender love story to language and words
Following one young woman's experience returning to the Greek language and trying to gain her voice back and her language teacher who day by day, is loosin... READ MORE
Léa at Brighton
Greek Lessons
5 stars
'This place is a place where it is difficult to take a step in any direction. All around has grown dark, It is a place where it is difficult to find anythi... READ MORE
Alan M
Greek Lessons
Quiet, reflective, melancholy and poetic
I enjoyed The Vegetarian after a colleague's recommendation. I found it dark, visceral but also moving (particularly in the third and final section). That ... READ MORE
Selena, Guildford
Greek Lessons
Unlike everything I have ever read.
Thanks to the Publisher for an advance copy of this book! My first Han Kang novel and it did not disappoint. An incredibly poignant novel about loss, la... READ MORE
Chloë at Cheltenham Waterstones
Greek Lessons
Excellent
Han Kang is obviously a very skilled writer. The sentences flow with lovely simplicity, and I found myself highlighting so many pages. The way that the ... READ MORE
Abi
Greek Lessons
Dizzying
Han Kang's complex, fathoms-deep narratives never fail to intoxicate. The discourse in Greek Lessons surrounding language, etymology and the ways in which ... READ MORE
Benny at Barnet
Greek Lessons
a wonderful philosophical novel
A beautiful and completive novel, filled with thought-provoking philosophy and truly astounding passages that make you stop and ponder the words. Kang's ho... READ MORE
Libby Low
Greek Lessons
Written in prose that is so rich and sweet I felt like I could eat it with a spoon
This is a book about the senses: sight, sound, speech - and what happens when they falter and sometimes fail. Written in prose that is so rich and sw... READ MORE
Libby at  Waterstones Craigavon
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Exquisitely-written and profound, with swirling themes of loss, identity and human connection, Greek Lessons is the newly translated masterpiece from the author of the International Booker-winning The Vegetarian. And the best way to own it (we think) is in our gorgeous signed limited edition of just 2000 copies.

Synopsis

Signed limited edition with Hangul text page edges, limited to only 2000 copies. Exclusive to Foyles. The Korean text on the edge of the pages is a line the author selected from the novel for this limited edition, and in English reads ‘We were lying side by side in the woods under the sea then.’

In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice. Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing his sight. Soon they discover a deeper pain binds them together. For her, in the space of just a few months, she has lost both her mother and the custody battle for her nine-year-old son. For him, it's the pain of growing up between Korea and Germany, being torn between two cultures and languages. Greek Lessons tells the story of two ordinary people brought together at a moment of private anguish - the fading light of a man losing his vision meeting the silence of a woman who has lost her language. Yet these are the very things that draw them to one another. Slowly the two discover a profound sense of unity - their voices intersecting with startling beauty, as they move from darkness to light, from silence to expression. Greek Lessons is a tender love letter to human intimacy and connection, a novel to awaken the senses, vividly conjuring the essence of what it means to be alive.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 2928377172008

Customer Reviews

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Greek Lessons
A sublime literary read..
This is an extraordinary piece of literary writing that allows the reader to travel into the author’s incredible imagination. Kang relates beautifully how ... READ MORE
Emine at Bromley
Greek Lessons
Beautifully written and wonderfully translated
A short but glorious book that is beautifully written and wonderfully translated. Kang borrowing from an ancient Greek text writes that "everything has wit... READ MORE
Desmond Carbery
Greek Lessons
Life lessons
What a singular book this is. It entwines two narratives: a woman who has lost the power of speech following a series of traumatic incidents. She has been ... READ MORE
Trevelyan wright
Greek Lessons
another excellent book from a great author and translator(s) team
This 2011 Korean language novel by Han Kang has been translated into English by Deborah Smith and Emily Yae Won. The former translated Han Kang’s previous... READ MORE
Graham Fulcher
Greek Lessons
Intimate and contemplative
Greek Lessons is my introduction to the writing of Han Kang, I was struck by this intimate and contemplative story and will be seeking out more of her writ... READ MORE
Jess D
Greek Lessons
Brilliant Read
Simply beautiful. Stunning writing. Highly recommended.
Fiona Sharp