Hyun Woo, your work always makes me sit down and think for a while. I don't think I've ever read fiction about the Desert Fathers, though it reads like a old retelling of an older legend and not modern fiction. This is such a complex and beautiful piece, transporting me not just to the setting but into the character's thoughts without any hesitation; I don't know how you do it.
Excellent. The story felt "prehistoric", or maybe "early historic" is a better term. Like a myth from the Mesopotamian kingdoms. And after seeing Eric's comment and looking up the Scetis Valley myself, I guess that makes sense. There were a few parts in the first third where I lost track of who was talking, but a quick reread solved that.
No idea why, but that bit in the middle about Miriam's radiant beauty reminded me of a line from Seneca: "A woman is not beautiful when her ankle or arm wins compliments, but when her total appearance diverts admiration from the individual parts of her body."
What an insight from Seneca! Thank you for the wonderful quote. The time I had in mind was 3rd-5th century AD, but I hope that this story could be read as "supra-historic", in that the theme and the experiences of the characters should not be considered to be limited to a specific age. Hopefully, I managed to make it happen.
Wow, this is certainly unique. It has that enchanting aura of an old time where lessons are deep.
At first, given my biases, I thought I was reading the unravelling madness of the main protagonist as he struggles to keep his faith but he was indeed sincere and I felt ashamed lol.
I have never heard of the legend but I loved the simple setting and the subtle philosophies you covered. Also, clever references 😉 unless I misjudged it.
This is certainly not your usual take although I must admit the thorn bush scene was something I expected of you after your previous work. It made me smile.
Not to disagree with you—since I mean this with compliments, not criticism in the least—but this seems to me to be a VERY "Hyun Woo Kim" story: a complex narrative of symbols and hidden meanings, which only become clear once the story has fully unfolded and it can be read again with narrative hindsight. That richness is a remarkable sort of thing to pull off, and you seem to do it so instinctively. Well done, Hyun Woo. (and today I learned about the Scetis Valley, so that's another plus).
I feel so flattered to read your comment and appreciate your compliments, Eric. Maybe you are right that I do it instinctively, since I often simply write from start to end. While I did intentionally walk away from my usual settings, conflict structure, and sentence styles in this story, I guess some features remain nonetheless. Thank you again!
Hyun Woo, your work always makes me sit down and think for a while. I don't think I've ever read fiction about the Desert Fathers, though it reads like a old retelling of an older legend and not modern fiction. This is such a complex and beautiful piece, transporting me not just to the setting but into the character's thoughts without any hesitation; I don't know how you do it.
Thank you! The thing is, I don't know how I do it either. I wrote above that it could be instinctive, but a better term might be intuitive or infused.
Excellent. The story felt "prehistoric", or maybe "early historic" is a better term. Like a myth from the Mesopotamian kingdoms. And after seeing Eric's comment and looking up the Scetis Valley myself, I guess that makes sense. There were a few parts in the first third where I lost track of who was talking, but a quick reread solved that.
No idea why, but that bit in the middle about Miriam's radiant beauty reminded me of a line from Seneca: "A woman is not beautiful when her ankle or arm wins compliments, but when her total appearance diverts admiration from the individual parts of her body."
What an insight from Seneca! Thank you for the wonderful quote. The time I had in mind was 3rd-5th century AD, but I hope that this story could be read as "supra-historic", in that the theme and the experiences of the characters should not be considered to be limited to a specific age. Hopefully, I managed to make it happen.
Read and received--I'm cutting it close to the wire again, so sorry!
No worries!
Wow, this is certainly unique. It has that enchanting aura of an old time where lessons are deep.
At first, given my biases, I thought I was reading the unravelling madness of the main protagonist as he struggles to keep his faith but he was indeed sincere and I felt ashamed lol.
I have never heard of the legend but I loved the simple setting and the subtle philosophies you covered. Also, clever references 😉 unless I misjudged it.
This is certainly not your usual take although I must admit the thorn bush scene was something I expected of you after your previous work. It made me smile.
Thank you for sharing this piece Hyun Woo Kim
Glad you liked it. Thanks. Meanwhile, it seems that I have proved myself to be too much of a sadist to my characters🤣
Not to disagree with you—since I mean this with compliments, not criticism in the least—but this seems to me to be a VERY "Hyun Woo Kim" story: a complex narrative of symbols and hidden meanings, which only become clear once the story has fully unfolded and it can be read again with narrative hindsight. That richness is a remarkable sort of thing to pull off, and you seem to do it so instinctively. Well done, Hyun Woo. (and today I learned about the Scetis Valley, so that's another plus).
I feel so flattered to read your comment and appreciate your compliments, Eric. Maybe you are right that I do it instinctively, since I often simply write from start to end. While I did intentionally walk away from my usual settings, conflict structure, and sentence styles in this story, I guess some features remain nonetheless. Thank you again!
This is so fantastic! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Alice! I am happy to hear that.