No Hand Held Mine
Soom Kim
Translated by by Joon-Li Kim and Doo-Sun Ryu
Foreword by Alexis Dudden
An elderly Korean survivor recounts her harrowing experiences of sexual enslavement during World War II, while a contemporary woman struggles to free herself from a relationship that no longer sustains her. In No Hand Held Stories, acclaimed South Korean author Kim Soom juxtaposes these two seemingly unrelated narratives, revealing how women across generations embody resilience and compassion.
The book includes both nonfiction and fiction: “Granny Wild Goose” presents the testimony of former comfort woman Gil Won-Ok, shared through Kim’s recorded conversations with her, laying bare a life scarred by violence, betrayal, and endurance. In contrast, “The Root’s Tale” portrays a woman who discovers strength in solitude, offering a different yet equally powerful meditation on survival. Both heartbreaking and redemptive, No Hand Held Stories illustrates why Kim Soom is regarded as one of Korea’s foremost literary voices.
About the Author:
Soom Kim is a South Korean novelist acclaimed for her unflinching literary portrayals of historical trauma, particularly those involving marginalized voices in Korean history. She studied creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and began publishing fiction in the late 1990s. Her 2016 novel One Left was the first Korean novel to focus solely on the life of a former comfort woman, was based on extensive research and survivor testimonies, including those archived by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance. Soom Kim explores memory, silence, and the ethics of witness, cementing her reputation as a writer deeply committed to historical reckoning and literary compassion.