Grass
By Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
2019
Grass is a critically acclaimed graphic novel that tells the harrowing story of a Korean girl named Okseon Lee who was forced into sexual slavery as a comfort woman for the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. The novel begins with her impoverished childhood, showing the lead-up to the war from a vulnerable child’s perspective. It then goes on to follow her journey as an ordinary Korean growing up under colonial occupation to a survivor of state-sanctioned violence. Through intimate storytelling and stark, expressive artwork, Keum Suk Gendry-Kim recounts Lee’s abduction, the traumatic years spent in military brothels, and her long path toward sharing her truth.
This novel was based on extensive interviews and employed a unique visual style, namely layered brushwork, fluid ink lines, and careful pacing, to capture both the beauty of rural Korea and the brutality of war. The author’s work transforms personal memory into a broader reflection on violence, silence, and resilience. Grass explores themes of gendered trauma, systemic injustice, survival, and the enduring impact of war on individual lives. As both a historical record and an act of artistic witness, the book has become internationally recognized and is taught in literature, history, and human rights courses around the world.
About the Author:
Keum Suk Gendry-Kim is a South Korean comic book artist, illustrator, and translator celebrated for her emotionally resonant historical graphic novels. She studied Western painting at Sejong University and later sculpture and bookbinding at the Strasbourg School of Decorative Arts in France. After working in translation and publishing over a hundred Korean graphic novels in French, she began creating her own comics, often drawing from real-life testimonies. Her 2019 breakthrough graphic novel, Grass, was inspired by her earlier work on a short comic called Secret, based on survivor interviews, and earned her international acclaim as well as a Harvey Award for Best International Book.