“Money represents the existence and irrationalities of humans!”

Money, which has complete grip over humans’ life and death, like living god

A novel by Jo Jeong-rae that compels readers to painfully confront the most pressing issue today!

Everyone is rushing to “sell their souls” and get excessive loans to make investments; a family that suffered from debt and making ends meet end their own lives; the gimbap Granny donates all her lifelong, hard-earned fortune; upstarts resort to expedients to give their fortune to a mere five-year-old. The bare faces of people surrounding money go to extremes. The ruthless irony of money being an important means of survival and a threat against survival… What exactly is money? Jo Jeong-rae, the novelist of our time, poses this sharp question to readers.

Writer Jo has been addressing the core issues penetrating Korean society today with his novels Taebaek Mountain Range, Arirang, and Han River—epic trilogy of modern South Korea—as well as with his full-length novels such as The Human Jungle, Grass Flowers are Flowers Too , and The Question of a Thousand Years . He has released a new full-length novel in four years: Golden Paper (in two volumes). In this work, which spans approximately 1,800 manuscript pages, human tragedy surrounding money unfolds, serving as a wake-up to the world becoming dehumanized by materialism.

Religion, power, blood, or morality are worthless in the face of it!

The bitter reflection of today’s modern individuals who are being swayed and worn out by incessant desires.

Lee Tae-ha, an attorney who has been building reputation for his righteousness and integrity, is confronted almost daily with lawsuits related to money.

Does blood lose thickness in the face of money? A daughter who files a lawsuit to claim her father’s inheritance intended for her mother; brothers engaged in a slugfest, rushing to their father's safe immediately after his funeral; and those who try to prevent their father from late marriage, out of inheritance concerns. Money can also strip individuals of their dignity if they don’t possess a certain amount of it. A restaurant owner in conflict with his building owner, who demands a four-fold increase in his monthly rent; an elderly man living alone, barely getting by each day, delivering cigarettes and alcohol from convenience stores to teenagers.

A life-threatening, frightening addiction: the “addiction to money.” The story of a woman who had a sudden break-up with her lover; the head of a family losing sanity after seeking to become rich overnight by winning the lottery; the final revenge by two men who fell into gambling and investing in virtual currency… The ruthlessness of money knows no boundaries, affecting all men, women, regardless of their age, status, or beliefs. A woman in her twenties faces repeated failures in the job market and takes on a high-paying part-time job caring for an old, physically disabled chairman; a middle-aged woman begins earning a living due to her husband who used to be an influential activist but now has cancer…

Centered on the protagonist, lawyer Lee Tae-ha, each episode, organized in the form of an omnibus, resembles a TV series. However, one can’t deny that many similar or even worse things happen in real life. The writer's sharp writing and delicate depiction of psychology maximize the reality of each story, drawing readers deeply into it.

How to maintain balance and live on

amidst the power of money and human dignity

In a world like this, the only person Lee Tae-ha, a lawyer struggling in solitude, can turn to is Han Ji-seop. Han used to be at the forefront of the democratic movement and entered the path of a politician, but grew disillusioned with the situation within politics, which lost its basics and joined forces with authority, and returned to farming. His ability to wisely stay balanced and create his own path instead of being swayed by competition and the greed of capitalism may show a possibility of a different life that the writer wants to suggest.

Seeing his clients moaning with money and their pains as well as the rollercoaster of their lives, Lee Tae-ha constantly asks himself and the world, “What the hell is money?” He recalls an answer by his philosophy professor back in college to a provocative question, “What is money in life?”: “Money represents the existence and irrationalities of humans!”

Beneath many social problems, conflicts, actions, happiness and unhappiness lies money. There are countless cases where one’s friendship, faith, human rights, and even lives are trampled upon by “money addiction” that harms oneself as well as others. The power of money that grows stronger by day, surpassing all other values amidst the worsening economy… At this point, the writer poses a serious question: How can we avoid becoming slaves to the power of money—a means of survival as well as a weapon threatening survival—and maintain the dignity and balance of being human?

Writer Jo, who adhered to the idea that "Literature must contribute to humans by providing them with a humane life" at every moment until the 50th anniversary of his literary debut, researched a variety of topics ranging from history and social issues to individual existence. His latest work, Golden Paper, is also an extension of such problem awareness, and he emphasizes that one can lead the right, one-time life only if one embraces the philosophy that "Money is nothing more than a tool and a means and cannot control humans".

Something we think about, worry about, and dream about every day, and can even save or kill us! Golden Paper will make readers stop the blind pursuit of “gold power” and offer a moment of insight and awakening for you and for us.