First published in 1990, this is a sensational and highly controversial novel by one of Korea's most electrifying contemporary authors, which plows through contemporaneous Korean mores with aplomb.

Jang Jung-il was born in 1960. Self-educated, Jang's wide-ranging tastes led him to try his hand at various genres once he began his career as an author. Jang Jung-il is infamous—and has even been jailed—for his erotic and violent fiction. He continues to write, albeit with less controversy, given Korean society's increasing liberality.

Horace Jeffery Hodges is a retired professor of composition and culture at Ewha Women's University in South Korea. His translation of The Soil by Yi Kwang-su was recognized as a Notable Translation by World Literature Today.