Set in Korea in the 1920s, Capitalists Must Starve is a straightforward biographical novel, telling the story of labour organiser and activist Kang Juryong. It stays narrowly focused on her as it describes her marriage, joining an anti-Japanese guerrilla force with her husband, his death and the difficult position that leaves her in, moving to Pyongyang and working in a shoe-making factory, and getting involved with the labour movement.

The story lacks real dramatic tension, but it is fast-paced and eventful and Juryong is easy to identify with. There is also plenty in her relationships: with her family, her husband and his family, her fellow workers, the daughter of the family she lodges with, and guerrilla and union leaders. And the setting may be novel to many, perhaps to some Korean readers as well as to outsiders. Capitalists Must Starve avoids anachronism, but presents a modern perspective on what were already core topics of Korean literature a hundred years ago: rural life, urbanisation and industrialisation, colonial and labour politics, and the status of women.

June 2026

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