The Specters of Algeria

A group of dramatists that commit what was a subversive act during the South Korean military dictatorships of the twentieth century – distributing copies of Karl Marx's only surviving play, The Specters of Algeria. The consequences of the brutal crackdown by the authorities would set the directions of the lives of two children of the group's members, Yul and Jing. Despite the deep connection between them, Yul would open up an alteration shop in Seoul and Jing would move to Europe. But now, Cheolsu, a dissatisfied employee at a community theatre, is unearthing the truth about The Specters of Algeria and questioning whether the human situation is as absurd as the play asserts.

Hwang Yeo Jung was born in Seoul in 1974. Her debut novel, The Specters of Algeria, won the 2017 Munhak Dongne Novel Prize. Hwang’s next novel, Please Call My Name, was published in 2020.