2021 National Book Award Longlist
The strikingly original, thought-provoking work teems with human and non-human beings. This trilogy offers some of the most rigorous and surprisingly poignant reflections on posthuman existence being written today.
An heir to the throne undergoes a dramatic biological transformation that will alter his destiny; humans, reduced to a subordinate condition, become the pets of enormous dragons; humanoid robots—the sole survivors of a planet turned to ice—question whether organic life ever truly existed on Earth.
These are just some of the stories collected in The Origin of Species, populated by human and non-human beings struggling to survive the threats posed by evolution—whether biological, technological, or social. The tales explore quantum physics and time travel, futures ruled by virtual reality games, and the metamorphosis of the body.
Straddling the line between science fiction, fantasy, and myth, the works of award-winning author Kim Bo-young have garnered a devoted following in South Korea, where she is widely recognized as a trailblazer and a source of inspiration. This volume brings together her most celebrated stories—profound, rigorous meditations on posthuman existence.
Author Kim Bo-young’s Note:
“Please, don’t try to fit the story into a world you’re familiar with, see everything as a metaphor, and try to replace the words you see with others.”
English edition by Kaya Press, and Italian edition by Add Editore:
