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A Gentleman in Moscow
By Amor Towles, translated into Korean by Seo Chang-ryeol 

Published by Viking in 2016, Korean translation by Hyundae Munhak in 2018

Suppose you are leading a noble’s comfortable life in a posh Moscow hotel suite. One day, you are sentenced to house arrest at your hotel, and if you try to leave, you will be shot. What would you do? In 1917 Russia, in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is suddenly forced to move into the hotel’s servants’ quarters. There’s no end in sight to the house arrest for the sophisticated gentleman who used to enjoy the best food and wine.

However, Count Rostov does not give in to his changed circumstances. He remains calm and dignified, telling himself that “the wise man celebrates what he can.” Through a number of unexpected incidents, Count Rostov comes to take custody of a little girl and continues living in the hotel for 30 long years.

As COVID-19-incurred social distancing kept me home for prolonged days, I was reminded of the gentleman in Moscow who kept himself tidy, elegant, and jovial even in the stuffy attic. We human beings cannot but be influenced by our circumstances and adversities. When we are kept in a small room, we have difficulty doing extensive thinking, and when we are poor, it is hard for us to be generous to others. At a time when we have to stay at home due to the pandemic, it is greatly encouraging and comforting to read the story of a man who does not succumb to human weaknesses but adamantly remains optimistic, cheery, and warm to others.

For those of you who may be skeptical of my recommendation, let me add that the book has been recommended by former US president Barack Obama and Bill Gates. You may think the book is too long, but that is what makes it a perfect read now with the end of the pandemic tunnel not yet in sight.

Written by Jeong Eun-sil, Assistant Director, KF Invitation & Fellowship Department

Next month’s “KF Culture Walk” will be written by Soo Yeon Kim, an assistant director in the KF’s Korean Studies Department.

[Previous Articles]

ㆍAugust 2020: The Great Game, recommended by KF Chief Auditor Moon Sung-ki

ㆍJuly 2020: The Horse Thieves, Roads of Time, recommended by KF Executive Vice President Kim Seong-in

ㆍJune 2020: Loonshots, recommended by KF Executive Vice President Kang Young-pil

ㆍMay 2020: Rise of the Robots, recommended by KF President Lee Geun