"Uncomfortably Happily by Yeon-sik Hong tells the story of its author's decision to leave 21st-century Seoul and move with his wife to a small house on top of a mountain... Charming and perhaps unexpectedly complex."--Guardian, Best Graphic Novels of 2017

When the gentler pace and stillness of the countryside replace the roar of the city, but your editor keeps calling

With gorgeously detailed yet minimal art, cartoonist Yeon-Sik Hong explores his move with his wife to a small house atop a rural mountain, replacing the high-rent hubbub of Seoul with the quiet murmur of the country. With their dog, cats, and chickens by their side, the simple life and isolation they so desperately craved proves to present new anxieties. Hong paints a beautiful portrait of the Korean countryside, changing seasons, and the universal relationships humans have with each other as well as nature, both of which are sometimes frustrating but always rewarding.

Uncomfortably Happily is translated by American cartoonist Hellen Jo from the acclaimed Manhwa Today award-winning Korean edition.

Author: Yeon-Sik Hong, Yeong-Sik Hong
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Published: 06/13/2017
Pages: 576
Weight: 2.4lbs
Size: 8.10h x 6.20w x 1.60d
ISBN: 9781770462601


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/20/2017
Booklist 07/01/2017 pg. 38

About the Author

Yeon-Sik Hong was born in 1971. He began apprenticing in a manga studio in 1990, and wrote his first short stories (in comics form) in 1992, but commercial projects kept him from his personal work for another decade.

In 2005, Hong and his partner tried to move to the countryside. Two years later, Hong began work on a graphic novel inspired by these experiences. Uncomfortably, Happily was published in two volumes in 2012: it quickly became a critical success, going back for a second printing and receiving the Manhwa Today Award.

While they'd still like to move back to the countryside someday, for now Yeon-Sik Hong and his partner are living on the outskirts of Seoul.