Greek Lessons by Han Kang is a hauntingly beautiful novella that delves deep into themes of identity, loss, and the intricacies of human connection. Known for her poetic prose and poignant storytelling, Kang once again captivates readers with a narrative that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

The story follows a young Korean woman who decides to learn Greek after witnessing the sudden death of her beloved older sister. As she immerses herself in the study of an ancient language, the protagonist embarks on a journey of self-discovery, grappling with questions of grief, memory, and the fragility of life. Kang's exploration of language as a means of healing and transformation is masterful, drawing parallels between the protagonist's pursuit of Greek and her own desire to find solace and understanding in the wake of tragedy.

Kang's prose is delicate and evocative, effortlessly capturing the protagonist's emotional turmoil and inner thoughts. The novella is a testament to Kang's skill as a writer, as she weaves together the personal and the universal in a way that feels profoundly relatable. The exploration of grief and the complexities of familial bonds will resonate deeply with readers who have experienced loss or grappled with their own sense of identity.

One of the standout aspects of Greek Lessons is Kang's ability to create a sense of atmosphere. The vivid descriptions of the Greek landscape and the use of mythology add an ethereal layer to the narrative, immersing the reader in a world that is both familiar and otherworldly. Kang effortlessly transports the reader to the protagonist's internal and external landscapes, inviting them to contemplate the interconnectedness of language, culture, and the human experience.

I admired Han Kang's latest book, "Greek Lessons," an examination of speech, language and the ways we do and don't communicate with those around us, more than I enjoyed it. A young mother who has lost her ability to speak takes evening classes in ancient Greek--the idea of learning a language that is no longer spoken aloud resonates with her. The lessons are taught by a man with his own physical struggle: he is losing his eyesight to the same hereditary condition that robbed his father of vision years earlier. Although they are physically in the same room during classes, Kang keeps these two unnamed protagonists separate for much of the story, which is told largely in flashbacks to the woman's Korean childhood and the man's experiences as an ex-patriot Korean growing up in Germany. When they are finally brought together by an accident late in the book, Kang's characters manage a tenuous connection to each other, born from a mutual sense of loss, alienation and vulnerability. I have to say that I preferred "Intimacies," Katie Kitamura's 2021 novel about similar themes of language, translation and communication; "Greek Lessons" often broke down into fragments of language that made it hard to get hold of and process. But maybe that ultimately was the point--I feel like this would definitely benefit from a second read but I'm not ready to head back to it just yet.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Hogarth for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

Poetic and abstract with rich prose, Greek Lessons is a dreamy meditation on connection, circling around two individuals, both hurting, both lonely. He's losing his sight, she's lost her ability to speak. Their stories dance around each other's as they go through their daily routines, intersected by the Greek Lessons of the title.

Kang supplements the conversations and inner thoughts, with exacting detail on the physical: the oppressive heat, the darkness of a stairwell, the chalk on a blackboard. The book rises to the sublime about 3/4 of the way through with a beautiful chapter that took my breath away. Just gorgeous.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i have a deep love and admiration for han kang’s prose in all previous works i’ve read, from the vegetarian to the white book (which is one of my favorite texts ever), but greek lessons fell short of my expectations. i am unsure if this is because of the lightness of the prose or the lack of narrative cohesion i felt throughout the book, but setting it down, i felt unfulfilled. it was as if i had missed some overarching theme or point, as if i had not reached the depth of emotion i am used to feeling with kang’s work, even though the prose itself was stunning and the imagery compelling. perhaps this is simply a book i am meant to re-read in order to catch that elusive point. perhaps it’s a matter of translation; of linguistic capability to understand or misunderstand (and looking back on the text now, maybe that is the point).

Really skillful and intriguing read. I could not put it down and absolutely cannot wait to read more from this author.

This book was so interesting and full of emotions. It surprised me that it was that way, as I was expecting a more composed story due to the plot.
I enjoyed the dual perspective and how the storyline merged in a non-obvious way, while still making you doubt your own impressions. My favorite piece is how no one is named, as if names are not important in comparison to the narrative and feelings present in the book.
The narrative is beautiful and the book has haunting lines, truly masterful quotes. It made my heart ache and soar in different moments.
It missed on being a 5 stars because there were pieces left uncovered that got in the way of my comprehension of the full story - for example, I’m not sure I fully understood how many characters were present in the book, or sometimes who the narrator was. If this was a plot point, then it’s my fault, but it did impact my enjoyment a couple of times.
Overall great book and one I’ll remember for a long time. I’ll definitely check out other works by Han Kang.
Thanks Netgalley and Hogarth/Penguin Random House for the advanced e-book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kang's previous novel "The Vegetarian" remains one of my favorite books of all time and I was happy to see this almost novella size book was soon to be published. Not as accessible or emotional as "The Vegetarian". this story is more a poetic exploration on what it means to have senses, and what it means when those senses are lost. The book is about two characters; a woman who has lost the ability to speak, and a man who is slowly losing his sight. Both of these characters spend much of the book pondering both speech and sight along with reliving memories and experiences that affected their lives and their adjustments to loss.

The two individuals meet in a class on Ancient Greek. The man is the professor and the woman is a student, she is drawn to learning this ancient language as perhaps a way she may be able to at last communicate. The two don't interact though until the very end of the book, and before that are simply two people lost in their thoughts and at times their navel gazing. The woman reminded me of the main character of "The Vegetarian"; she was beaten down by life, by Korea where men are favored over women and like the first character had a traumatic experience with a dog as a child. The woman has recently lost her mother and custody of her son, since she can no longer speak she has also lost her job as a professor. The man has not told his employer of his diminishing sight and his family is in Germany, he is all alone. Many of the man's thoughts concern a relationship with the child of his former optician, a person he fell in love with to a terrible conclusion.

I think parts of the book was not understandable to me even as I enjoyed the beautiful images and language. I think that is part of the "Greek Lessons". that perhaps many things fall into the old adage as "It's Greek to me." I also did not get a real connection with either character although I felt bad for their afflictions and fates. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

While Greek Lesson was only recently released in English, Kang wrote it prior to some of her big breakthrough English titles like The Vegetarian and Human Acts. You can tell reading this that it’s an earlier work because it doesn’t quite have the heft and vibrancy of her more recent books. However, this is still one of the best books I’ve read this year—a tender exploration of love, loss, and language written in meticulous prose. This is the story of a professor of Ancient Greek who is losing his sight and one of his Korean students, a mother in the midst of a trauma that has left her mute. Readers discover both nameless characters’ backstories as we watch them circle each other and finally come together. Read this book if you read for writing.

A powerful novel about the saving grace of language and human connection.

About this one -

📌 This is the fourth book I’ve read by Han Kang. I admire her writing and the depth of her powerful thought processes.
📌 This Novel was published before even she wrote Vegetarian in 2011.
📌 This story follows a young woman who signs up for Ancient Greek Language lessons after losing her voice. Meanwhile, her Greek Language instructor is losing his sight and the story circles around them.
📌 By switching between these two individuals Kang draws a parallel between their experiences and realities.
📌 If you enjoy philosophy and languages, you will enjoy this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an eARC of this book)

"Ink overlays ink, memory overlays memory, bloodstain overlays bloodstain. Serenity over serenity, smile over smile, bears down."

In Greek Lessons we follow two characters, a woman experiencing unexplained mutism who is taking a Greek class because she hopes being surrounded by an unfamiliar language will coax her to rediscover the language skills she has inexplicably lost, and the man who is teaching the Greek class. He is also facing his own challenges as he has had a lifelong impairment vision that will lead to blindness. We learn about each of their pasts and presents and towards the end, their stories become more intertwined.

I loved the almost poetic language of this book. It was so beautiful and impressive. I thought the musings on Greek words and phrases, as well as Korean, very interesting.

This book is hard to rate. I enjoyed the message and got through the book relatively quickly. I'm not a huge fan of stream of consciousness and that's what most of this book felt like so there were times where my attention wasn't there but I thought the two main characters were well developed and I understood their backgrounds and their motivations throughout the novel. The moments that showcased language, both Korean and Greek were my favorite parts.

Greek Lessons by Han Kang is a moving and lyrical novel about the unlikely bond between a man losing his vision and the woman who has lost her voice. The story is set against the backdrop of Seoul, and the two main characters find themselves drawn to each other at a moment of private anguish. Greek Lessons is a beautiful and moving exploration of human connection, and the novel left me feeling deeply moved and inspired.
The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and the story is one that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book to others who are looking for a moving and poignant read.

Greek Lessons shows two people living in ever-darkening worlds as they grieve separate losses. Concerned with differing kinds of loss, linguistics, philosophy, and forms, this short book is complex and full of seemingly endless layers that come together and pull apart and come together again. As soon as I finished, I wanted to begin again. Link tk.

GREEK LESSONS
Han Kang

GREEK LESSONS was my UTRB Book Club choice for April. I enjoyed reading it with the group we have, and I want to recommend it to you but with a few suggestions that I believe will increase your enjoyment of the book.

GREEK LESSONS is about two characters. A professor and a student. We get a bird’s eye view of them as individuals and what they struggle with individually and collectively.

GREEK LESSONS is a bit like an impressionist painting. It’s confusing and disorienting. If you’re just reading GREEK LESSONS with your eyes, you are missing something. If you are just listening with your ears, you are missing something.

*I RECOMMED having both a physical copy and a listener's copy if you decide to pick this one up.

It might have been accidental for this reading experience to translate in this way, but I choose to believe it was intentional.

There are so many questions asked and they often go unanswered. Leaving much up to interpretation. It is artful and delicate, the last line ending with a finality that could go unnoticed. Take note

It is part poetry, wholly philosophical, and gave me a new lens through which to experience the world. In GREEK LESSONS we explore what sharpens when we lose sight, what dims when we lose our voice, and what endures throughout.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Hogarth for the advanced copy!

Out NOW!

GREEK LESSONS…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/XY9DJfR6dmA

Greek Lessons is the third book by Kang that I read. I was hoping it'll blow me away, just like The Vegetarian did. At times I felt like I was reading Greek, which I can't read or understand, it took me a while to figure out what was going on, as time, locations and character stories are not clearly delineated. Eventually, I realised the novel was about two characters, who both had in common the fact that they lived in Germany with their respective families. One is a professor of Ancient Greek and is losing his sight. The other one is a woman in her late thirties, attending Ancient Greek lessons; she's lost her voice. The reasons can be guessed at - she's grieving her mother and has lost custody of her son - although the character herself mentions that it's more than that without disclosing much else.

I wonder if it's the writing style and/or the author's intention, I felt detached from the character's stories, and never truly felt their struggles in my gut. I'll blame it on my limitations.

I loved the previous two books I have read by Han Kang (The Vegetarian and Human Acts) so I jumped at the chance to read Greek Lessons. There is always a risk, though, when reading a book you have high expectations of that it will let you down. I am very, very, pleased to report that this was not the case with Greek Lessons, which I found to be beautifully written, wonderfully translated, and a true joy to read.

Why did I like it so much? Han Kang paints pictures of people who are not that pretty, or powerful, or purposeful. Often they are lost, unsure about their place in the world they are living in, a world which seems to have rejected them. Set in Korea, with its strict social rules, it must be suffocating to feel like this.

You can feel that suffocation, the weight on their shoulders. It makes the books compelling. I felt completely absorbed into Greek Lessons and the very small world of two people who find a way to help each other at a time they need it most. Will it be enough? Will it lead to a happy ever after? We are left not knowing, filling in the blanks of the future.

Which is another reason I enjoyed Greek Lessons. So many books I read tie everything up in a neat bow at the end, or lay everything out so there is no real room for interpretation- you can clearly see what the author wants to say. This is not the case here. It made me think. And left me thinking.

Which means I am left thinking about the book for days afterwards – years in the case of The Vegetarian. It is a wonderful feeling and a great credit to an author to make a reader feel that way.

Thank you to Hogarth & Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This novel explores grief, language through human connection with such depth and intimacy. It’s the first I’ve read of Kang’s work and I can imagine their other works are easily as good.

Please read other reviews because there are some that did such a lovely job of conveying what it is to read this book. Much better than I could.

This is a very short book, but if you're like me, one you'll likely find a slow read, as you roll the words over your tongue, savoring in the delights. You may, as I did, puzzle over the form, poetry to prose and back again, in a kind of symphony. You may feel disoriented at times as you're struggling to hold onto your ideas of form as it's shifting in the darkness, but if you surrender to it, you will find yourself rewarded.
I'll admit there were times when I felt this book eluded me, but in the end I still rate it a solid four, I recommend reading it in longer chunks and over a short time period, if not all at once. I regret trying to read this more casually, as I feel a more linear effort would have benefitted my experience, but life gets in the way of the right atmosphere and opportunities at times. I hope to revisit this beautiful book again soon!

I'm so thankful to have received both a physical copy and digital access to Han Kang's Greek Lessons leading up to its publication date of April 18, 2023. I thought this piece of literary fiction, translated at that, was so well done and I can't wait to run to my feed to see what my fellow readers think of this work of art. I am so thankful to Hogarth, NetGalley, and Random House additionally for the bookish love.