The illness you had can last a long time and sometimes it can damage the valves in your heart,” she said. Indeed,” said the teacher quietly. “There are many varieties of bad. There is the bad that takes pleasure in pure badness, the bad that pledges obedience to corrupt authority, the bad of the vicious, the bad of the cowardly, the heroic bad of those boys and teachers who—” Teacher Kang described the thatched huts in the moonlight, the eerie outline of a scarecrow, and the wind rustling through the trees. Dr. Park’s friend was the head of the pediatric department. He was a bony man in his forties called Dr. Ri who smoked the same Chollima brand of cigarettes as Jun-su’s dad. Han-na had brought him a gift of food. He accepted it wordlessly, but closed his eyes and nodded in a way that left no doubt about how welcome it was.

BBC Sounds - The Sorcerer of Pyongyang by Marcel Theroux BBC Sounds - The Sorcerer of Pyongyang by Marcel Theroux

Jun-su realized that the answer was yes, very much yes; but he was also worried that it was a trap.

The Sorcerer of Pyongyang

Like songbun,” said Jun-su, whose mother had initiated him early into the secrets of his country’s caste system. This time while they were waiting for the needles to do their healing work, Jun-su didn’t close his eyes. “Have you read The Amazing Tincture?” he asked. The Dungeon Masters Guide, formerly his talisman, now causes his downfall: it leads to a detention centre and torture by the Thought Examination Committee, until he finally confesses to accusations of counterrevolutionary activities. His past life takes on a surreal, impossible quality during nine gruelling years in the brutal reality of a penal colony. Still, the power of constructed reality is omnipresent: “Even in prison, Jun-su hadn’t let go of the fantasy that the Dear Leader was a loving parent who cared for him. He would tell himself that if Kim Jong-il knew what had befallen the youthful poet whose verses he had praised, he would be outraged and rehabilitate him immediately.” Someone can choose to serve - this is a beautiful thing. But being made to serve - this is slavery.”

The Sorcerer of Pyongyang by Marcel Theroux | Hachette UK The Sorcerer of Pyongyang by Marcel Theroux | Hachette UK

A soldier with a rough voice read loudly from a piece of paper. “Kang Yeong-nam, the people’s court finds you guilty of spying. The sentence is death.”Now he was about to turn up at Jun-su’s school and give some on-the-spot guidance. He would congratulate the students on their hard work in the countryside. He might even single out individuals for praise. Jun-su felt a pang of misgiving that he hadn’t spent more time laboring in the fields. He hoped the Dear Leader would understand that his health problems had made it impossible. In the foyer of the building—just as in Jun-su’s building—was a glassed-in booth where the chief of the building’s People’s Unit stood guard. In Jun-su’s building, this was nosy Kim Song-hwa, a slight yet formidable woman in her fifties with an impressive coiffure, who observed all the comings and goings of the residents and also gleaned information from a network of informants—mainly people who were too old and infirm to do anything but spy on their neighbors. The author (son of Paul Theroux and the apple that smartly didn’t roll all that far) utilized his own travels to the area, extensive interviews with North Koreans and equally extensive research to craft a story as immersive as it is heartrending.

The Sorcerer of Pyongyang by Marcel Theroux BBC Radio 4 - The Sorcerer of Pyongyang by Marcel Theroux

It took two evenings for Bong Chon-ju to clear the village of the skeletons. In the final hut, he discovered a trapdoor that led down to a warren of underground tunnels. Clearly, they needed to be explored. Beside the road, a long banner declared: WE WILL SAFEGUARD WITH OUR LIVES THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE WORKERS’ PARTY OF KOREA. Born in Kampala, Uganda, Theroux was brought up in Wandsworth, London. After attending a state primary school he boarded at Westminster School. He went on to study English at Clare College of the University of Cambridge and international relations at Yale University. Currently he lives in London and is married. His French last name originates from the region around Sarthe and Yonne in France. It is quite common in Francophone countries and is originally spelled Théroux. His paternal grandfather was French Canadian.

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I’ve got a book,” said Jun-su, getting up. He moved jerkily across to the bedding cupboard and slid the mysterious book out of its hiding place. North Korea + Dungeons & Dragons was the mindset I entered this book (although never played and barely know what’s the game about) but it was much much more and much different from everything I expected!! Teacher Kang kept the book for about a week. He told Jun-su he was reading it with the aid of a dictionary, and updated him about his progress, but refused to give any details until he’d finished.