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But, in North Korea, it’s just the opposite. There’s one story. It’s written by the Kim regime. And 23 million people are conscripted to be secondary characters.

Adam Johnson

The urge to create a fictional narrative is a mysterious one, and when an idea comes, the writer’s sense of what a story wants to be is only vaguely visible through the penumbra of inspiration.
ADAM JOHNSON

Come Create Fictional Idea Inspiration Mysterious Narrative Sense Stories Visible Write
The death of dictator Kim Jong-Il has cast all eyes on North Korea, a country without literature or freedom or truth.
ADAM JOHNSON

Cast Country Death Dictator Eye Freedom Literature Truth
Still, I’d thought I’d had a unique look at North Korea, only to discover I was wrong.
ADAM JOHNSON

Country Discover Look Still Unique Wrong
To keep someone alive, you put them inside you, you put their face on your heart. Then, no matter where you are, they’re always with you because they’re a part of you.”
ADAM JOHNSON

Alive Always Face Heart Inside Matter Part Someone
But, in North Korea, it’s just the opposite. There’s one story. It’s written by the Kim regime. And 23 million people are conscripted to be secondary characters.
ADAM JOHNSON

Character Conscripted Country Job Opposite Secondary Story Written
The darkness inside your head is something your imagination fills with stories that have nothing to do with the real darkness around you.
ADAM JOHNSON

Darkness Head Imagination Inside Nothing Real Stories
I know it really sounds cheesy, but I did feel a duty to try to tell the stories of people who couldn’t speak for themselves.
ADAM JOHNSON

Cheesy Duty Fel People Sound Speak Tell Themselves Try Trying
There, as a youth, your aptitude towards certain jobs is measured, and the rest of your life is dictated, whether you’ll be a fisherman or a farmer or an opera singer.
ADAM JOHNSON

Dictated Farmer Job Measure Opera Rest Singer Youth
I thought that, with so much current attention focused on the topic of North Korea, I might share what I think are three books which cast a rare light on the elusive realm of North Korea.
ADAM JOHNSON

Attention Book Current Focused Light Share Thinking Topic
All the human actions we think of as essential to a character – had be censored by the self lest they be punished by the state.
ADAM JOHNSON

Action Censored Character Essential Human Punish State
All the lessons you need to learn in life, he said, will be taught to you by your enemy.
ADAM JOHNSON

All Enemy Lesson Life Need Taught
Imagine a world in which no writer has written a literary novel in sixty years.
ADAM JOHNSON

Book Character City Imagine Literary Novel World Written Year
Once the dust clears you will be standing tall, a champion, a victor. NOTHING will be able to knock you down once you’ve taken the biggest hits this life has to offer, so come on life, BRING IT!
ADAM JOHNSON

Biggest Champion Clear Dust Hit Knock Nothing Offer Standing Victor
Imagine a place where not a single person has read a book that is truly about the character at its center.
ADAM JOHNSON

Book Center Character Imagine Person Place Read Single Truly
. . . nobody every taught you loyalty . . .
ADAM JOHNSON

Every Loyalty Nobody Taught
What good’s a captive without her captor?
ADAM JOHNSON

Captive Captor Good Question

But, in North Korea, it’s just the opposite. There’s one story. It’s written by the Kim regime. And 23 million people are conscripted to be secondary characters.

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But, in North Korea, it’s just the opposite. There’s one story. It’s written by the Kim regime. And 23 million people are conscripted to be secondary characters.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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