The Ginseng Hunter

Zusatztext “Remarkable. . . . A story of quiet humanity in the midst of overwhelming inhumanity.” — The Christian Science Monitor “A psychologically affecting portrait of desire and guilt. . . . A scathing reminder of the perils that communism continues to wreak in pockets across the world.” — Chicago Sun-Times “This brave book! written in starkly vivid prose! is timely on several levels. . . . We seldom get a window into North Korean lives. The view is painful! but well worth it.” — The Free Lance-Star “Evanescent…. [Shows] the beauty and power of the ginseng root! the respect of the hunter for the thing he hunts.” — Los Angeles Times Informationen zum Autor Jeff Talarigo Klappentext A Chinese ginseng hunter lives alone in the valley, where he spends his days preparing for winter. He is scarcely aware of the larger world until shadowy figures, floating bodies, and rumors of murder begin to intrude on his cherished solitude. Then, on a trip to Yanji, he meets a young North Korean prostitute. Through her vivid tales, the tragedy occurring across the river unfolds, and soon the hunter realizes that the fates of the young woman and four others rest in his hands.An unforgettable look at life along the fragile border between China and North Korea, The Ginseng Hunter is a confirmation of Jeff Talarigo's talent for finding humanity in the most unexpected places. The Old Century's Final Spring High up in the coniferous forest, the redwoods, with bodies as straight as a neck of ginseng, look down on me; their fragile, pale green leaves bow from stubby arms. I am humbled. This early morning, the first week of hunting season, is the same as all the other mornings. Only among the giant redwoods, some five thousand feet above my farm, am I able to push aside the worries that accompany me up from the valley below. I slow to a hunting pace, sometimes covering less than one hundred yards in an hour. If I concentrate too hard on looking for the root, I may miss its presence one step away; however, if I allow my thoughts to disperse, like seeds of a dandelion in a soft breeze, the root will call out to me. Moving along the path, I tread more cautiously for I know that under the forest floor the wars are fierce. What is seen on top may be serene, but beneath there is a battle for survival going on among the roots and weeds, all fighting over water and iron and copper and calcium and magnesium. Day after day. Bloodroot and jewel weed, galax and hepatica, ginger and wild yam. Ginseng must compete with all of them. It is this constant tension that gives the ginseng root its gnarled appearance--the wrinkles speaking of character more than of age. It is for this reason that every mature root I find is a celebration, a sign of survival. This is my religion: everything I take from nature must be given back, to continue the cycle of life. In the coniferous forest, the root draws energy from both the sky and the earth. Only when man ingests the ginseng root is the cycle complete. I stop in the middle of the path, and from a half-dozen steps away I can see a plant. A foot high, it is young, less than ten years old, but more than the seven years needed to reach maturity. Finding the root leaves me as excited as when I was a boy. My routine has remained unchanged: study the plant; review how best to approach it; estimate the angle and width of the circle I must make around it in order to begin digging; and unknot a red cloth from my belt. All the while, I keep an eye on the root as if it may dart away at any moment. Then I push a small stick into the ground, near the root, and mark it with the cloth. Sprinkling water near the plant, I knead the ground with my palms, pausing to feel its energy. The root of a mature plant stretches more than a foot in length. The leaves, with soft hair on...

Product details

• Authors: Jeff Talarigo
• Publisher: Anchor Books USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 07.04.2009
• EAN: 9780307275233
• ISBN: 978-0-307-27523-3
• No. of pages: 192
• Dimensions: 132 mm x 203 mm x 10 mm
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature