Reviews
A novel that makes even the reader feel suffocated, with the protagonist's twisted thoughts filling the narrow room along with opium smoke. Is this what happens when you are consumed by desolation and depression?
Owls are animals that operate only in the dark. However, a blind owl is a being unable to see even that darkness. This is tantamount to the denial of its very existence. Through this tragedy, the author shows that humans suffer and are unhappy amidst the numerous contradictions and absurdities of life. Yet, it seems to suggest that this dark side is also a part of human existence. Perhaps the world we live in is not a place that can be perfectly understood, but rather a place where we live with
In the beginning of the book, I tried to distinguish between fiction and reality regarding the events the protagonist experiences, but by the halfway point, I wondered what the point was. Human absurdity stems from the inability to even distinguish between life and death; when one is confused about what is real and fake, fact and dream, and even whether one's own existence is real or not—just like the protagonist—is there any meaning in being able to differentiate between fiction and reality? I
Sadek Hedayat: Blind owl
*The Blind Owl*, the masterpiece of Sadegh Hedayat, known as the "Kafka of Iran." Born into a prominent family in Tehran, the author was a pioneer of modern Persian literature who developed a style by combining Iranian tradition with Western literary techniques, leading a short life that ended in suicide. This surrealist novel depicts a poor artist who, after secretly burying the body of a woman who was both his source of inspiration and despair, plunges into a world of mirages under the influence of alcohol and opium. This work, which brought Sadegh Hedayat worldwide fame, portrays the darkest inner landscapes of humanity. Although it remains a banned book in Iran nearly 80 years after its publication, it has never been forgotten by the public. It fully embodies the pain and solitude of the author, who was inevitably at odds with an era of oppression and could not reconcile with the fundamental absurdity of human existence. Furthermore, the vivid and terrifying descriptions of mirages and the fantastical prose represent the pinnacle of pessimistic aesthetics.
Korean title: 눈먼 부엉이
Korean author: 사데크 헤다야트
Korean publisher: 문학과지성사
ISBN-13: 9788932024080
Reviews
A novel that makes even the reader feel suffocated, with the protagonist's twisted thoughts filling the narrow room along with opium smoke. Is this what happens when you are consumed by desolation and depression?
Owls are animals that operate only in the dark. However, a blind owl is a being unable to see even that darkness. This is tantamount to the denial of its very existence. Through this tragedy, the author shows that humans suffer and are unhappy amidst the numerous contradictions and absurdities of life. Yet, it seems to suggest that this dark side is also a part of human existence. Perhaps the world we live in is not a place that can be perfectly understood, but rather a place where we live with
In the beginning of the book, I tried to distinguish between fiction and reality regarding the events the protagonist experiences, but by the halfway point, I wondered what the point was. Human absurdity stems from the inability to even distinguish between life and death; when one is confused about what is real and fake, fact and dream, and even whether one's own existence is real or not—just like the protagonist—is there any meaning in being able to differentiate between fiction and reality? I
