Greek Lessons, Han Kang
‘Now and then, language would thrust its way into her sleep like a skewer through meat, startling her awake several times a night.’
Enigmatic and tender, Han Kang’s Greek Lessons feels abstract and aloof, suited to readers intrigued by lack of clarity, unconventional narratives, and the structures of linguistic systems.
Two individuals’ senses are dwindling: a young woman has lost her voice and a teacher of Ancient Greek is slowly losing his sight. The former’s understanding of language is beyond the ordinary, and she has lost her grip on words once before, as if overwhelmed by her own linguistic powers. She endeavours to take Ancient Greek lessons in the hope it will spark her voice once more. From her classroom in Seoul, she meets her Ancient Greek teacher who is suffering from a similar affliction.
The two feel a sense of connection between one another, pulled together by the tides of an ineffable shared experience and deprivation. Despite this loss of their respective senses, they find new modes to communicate. Kang probes the question: how do we communicate and forge meaning beyond words, symbols, and objects?
The language is both poetic and elevated, yet the characters feel held at arm’s length, slightly distanced and detached, as if existing in a realm just out of the reader’s reach. This novel borders on the philosophical; it lives somewhere above ground, playing with ideas that we as readers may not always be able to fully comprehend.
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