During the early weeks of the Korean War, Captain Lee, a young South Korean officer, is ordered to investigate the kidnapping and mass murder of North Korean ministers by Communist forces. For propaganda purposes, the priests are declared martyrs, but as he delves into the crime, Lee finds himself asking: What if they were not martyrs? What if they renounced their faith in the face of death, failing both God and country? And should the people be fed this lie? Part thriller, part mystery, part existential treatise, "The Martyred" is a stunning meditation on truth, religion, and faith in times of crisis.

About the Author
Richard E. Kim (1932-2009) was born Kim Eun Kook in Hamheung, Korea. After an honorable discharge from the Republic of South Korea's army, he migrated to the United States, where he rose to prominence as an academic and a writer of novels, including The Innocent and Lost Names. Heinz Insu Fenkl is the director of the creative writing program at the State University of New York, New Paltz. Susan Choi is the author of A Person of Interest, The Foreign Student, and American Woman, a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize.

Reviews
Written in a mood of total austerity; and yet the passion of the book is perpetually beating up against its seemingly barren surface ... I am deeply moved -- Philip Roth



Book Information
ISBN 9780143106401
Author Richard E. Kim
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Penguin Classics
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 198g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 130mm * 16mm