We are living in times of great upheavals, in terms of both technology and society. Our traditional beliefs are increasingly being questioned, requiring new ways of thought to meet the challenges of the future. The science fiction genre is one literary form where such changes can be sketched out and rehearsed. As is the case with the novels of Cheon Seonran. The author, born in 1993, has been a renowned name in South Korea’s SF circle for many years, her books reaching a broad readership. A Thousand Blues won the 2019 Korea Science Literature Award, South Korea’s highest distinction for SF works.

       In this novel, Cheon thematizes the societal effects of uncompromising progress and its rigid optimization constraints, to which both humans and animals are subject. The story takes place in Korea in the not-so-distant future where robots, or rather humanoids, replace the population at an increasing scale, causing rationalization measures to run rampant and jobs to become precarious. One of the protagonists is a robot named Collie, who is used as a humanoid race horse jockey. During his initial assembly, he is mistakenly implanted with a chip that allows him to experience human emotions. This feature also affects his relationship with his horse, Today. The horse, however, physically exhausted from all the intense racing and no longer able to ensure consistent performances in the races, is no longer of value to its owners. The horse is meant to be euthanized, which Collie wishes to prevent. At his side is Yeonjae, a tech-savvy, socially isolated girl who loses her part-time job to a humanoid robot, along with her older sister, Eunhye, confined to a wheelchair since contracting polio.

       All three could be described as socially marginalized victims of progress. An operation which could offer Eunhye the ability to walk again, for example, is financially unfeasible. Here, Cheon touches on the topic of inclusivity. The author portrays her protagonists as people who fall through the cracks of capitalistic efficiency and are thus at risk of being left behind. And this does not only apply to people: animals, too, are commodified solely for profit, and even the humanoids serving people are compelled to submit to ruthless capitalist principles, only to be discarded in case of any malfunction.

       Though humans and robots are often pitted against one another, the author does not define their relationship negatively. In fact, it is humanoid Collie who, with his ability to empathize, brings the protagonists closer together, allowing them to overcome old family conflicts. Technology in the form of robots or artificial intelligence that understands and supports people shows its potential to shape progress and automation in a humane way. Collie is even able to feel something like happiness while riding his horse, feeling its heartbeat, “breathing in harmony” with the horse, and feeling alive. Significantly, Collie falls from his horse while staring longingly at the blue sky—a deeply human moment of contemplation and reflection. The sky may be read as a metaphor for joy and striving for something greater. Every one of us has their own personal vision of fulfillment, and hence, A Thousand Blues.

       The race track, a place where animals are expected to deliver increasingly faster results, can be seen as a symbol for the ever-quickening pace of life where a dehumanizing, profit-oriented rationale dictated by unconditional turbo-capitalism finds its maximum expression. Cheon uses her novel to plead for deceleration, for mindful progress with room for development, allowing each person their own speed and their own time.

       The language of the novel is clear and unadorned. Its excellent translation reads smoothly and allows the reader to effectively experience the plot and the characters’ perspectives. With narrative finesse, the book begins and ends with the humanoid Collie falling from his horse, the scenes told in time-lapse detail.

       A Thousand Blues is not a dystopian SF novel; it is rather a utopia that seeks to convey hope. In opposition to a rigid profit-oriented view of progress that creates division in society between the privileged and the socially disadvantaged classes, Cheon passionately advocates for the strength of humanist values: empathy, solidarity, and respect for all living things. Progress and automation can succeed in harmony with these values, an aspect that is particularly relevant in the current discussion on artificial intelligence.

 



Translated by Leanne Lockwood Cvetan



 

Sebastian Bring

Literary Translator, Korean to German