“How can black and white drawings do this, you might ask. But maybe only black and white drawings can do this—Gendry-Kim offers us here a glimpse of the heart of a woman who has lost more than some might ever find, and who has never given up her love, if not her hope. The Waiting is a stunning achievement, and a testament to the power of her artistry. Not a line or word feels out of place.” – Alexander Chee
Keum Suk Gendry-Kim was a teenager when her mother revealed a family secret: she was separated from her sister during the Korean War. It’s not an uncommon story—the peninsula was split down the 38th parallel, dividing one country into two. As many fled violence in the north, not everyone was able to make it south. Her mother’s story inspired Gendry-Kim to begin interviewing her and other Koreans who left their hometown during the war and separated from their family. That research fueled the deeply resonant graphic novel, The Waiting.
The Waiting is the devastating follow-up to Gendry-Kim’s Grass, which received numerous prizes including the Harvey Award and appeared on Best of the Year lists of the New York Times, The Guardian, Library Journal, and more. In this episode of Author Talks, Gendry-Kim discusses her much-anticipated graphic novel, her career and her art.
“This family portrait reveals in heartbreaking detail the impacts of colonization and political upheaval that reverberate for generations.” – Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“One of the most moving graphic novels of the year.” – BookPage
“Another stunning masterpiece… Gendry-Kim’s stark black-and-white compositions couldn’t be more affecting: the ominous efficacy of all-black pages, unpredictable layouts with and without panels, and prodigiously empathic expressions throughout.” – Booklist Starred Review
Thursday, October 21, 2021 | 5 PM
| About the book |
The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017
About the Speaker:
Keum Suk Gendry-Kim was born in Goheung in Jeolla Province. She has written and illustrated graphic novels Grass, The Waiting, Jiseul, Jun, The Naked Tree, and Alexandra Kim, a Woman of Siberia; the autobiographical comic The Song of My Father; the three-volume children’s comic Coquinette; the picture books The Baby Hanyeo Okrang Goes to Dokdo and A Day with My Grandpa; and the children’s book My Mother Kang Geumsun. Grass (Drawn & Quarterly, 2019) appeared on Best of the Year lists from the New York Times and the Guardian, and received the Cartoonist Studio Prize for the Best Print Comic of the Year, the Big Other Book Award for Best Graphic Novel in 2019, the Harvey Award for Best International Book, and the Krause Essay Prize in 2020. The Waiting is her second book to appear in English translation.
