WORLD LITERARY ATLASBOOKS WITHOUT BORDERS · 2026
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Asia · A READING GUIDE

North Korea

Bandi is the pen name of a North Korean writer whose manuscript was smuggled abroad. His stories show political pressure bearing on ordinary family and community relationships. Bandi offers an entry through stories and poems written inside North Korea. Memoirs by Yeonmi Park and Chol-hwan Kang form a separate route through accounts by people who left the country.

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Books to begin with

An editorial selection · not ranked

Bandi

The Accusation

About the book

Seven stories depict everyday life under Kim Jong Il’s rule.

Original title: 고발 (Gobal)

EnglishTranslation

The Accusation

Grove Press · 2018

Translated by Deborah Smith

Edition source ↗
Edition cover: The Red Years — Bandi
English edition

Bandi

The Red Years

About the book

Poems about everyday life, survival and state control in North Korea.

EnglishTranslation

The Red Years

Zed Books

Edition source ↗
Edition cover: Friend — Paek Nam-nyong
English edition

Paek Nam-nyong

Friend

About the book

A divorce petition leads a judge into a marital conflict and his own family troubles.

EnglishTranslation

Friend

Columbia University Press

Edition source ↗
Edition cover: Dziewczyna o siedmiu imionach — Hyeonseo Lee; David John
Polish edition

Hyeonseo Lee; David John

Dziewczyna o siedmiu imionach

About the book

A North Korean defector recalls survival, changing identities and her efforts to rescue her family.

PolishTranslation

Dziewczyna o siedmiu imionach

Prószyński Media

Edition source ↗
Context and sources

Sources on authors and their connections to this country. Specific edition details appear beside each book. Polish and English originals are not labelled as translations.

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