Overview

Inspired by Yeon-sik Hong s attempt to Uncomfortably, Happily is the story of a young couple finding their way. Burdened by unmet comics deadlines and high rent, our narrator and his wife know they must make a change. Convinced the absence of traffic noise will ease his writer s block, our pair welcomes the idea of building a life from scratch. Deciding on a home atop an uninhabited mountain, they excitedly embrace the charms of their new rural existence. From tending to the land and attempting grocery runs through snow, to the complexities of fighting depression in seclusion, the move does not immediately prove to be the golden ticket they d hoped for, and the silence of the mountain poses as much of an obstacle to output as the sirens of the city. Through it all, though, we see simple pleasures seep in and gain prominence over these commercial, and, often, comparatively trivial worries: the smell of the forest, the calming weight of enveloping snow, and the gratification of a stripped down life making art begin to muffle other concerns. Originally published in Korean to great acclaim and winning the Manhwa Today award, Uncomfortably, Happily uniquely explores our narrator s inner world. Hong propels the comic with gorgeously detailed yet simple art, sharing the story of two lives unfolding slowly, sometimes uncomfortably, yet ultimately, happily.

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9781770462601

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Reviews

This engrossing story of an artist couple who leave the noise and smog of the city behind for mountainside solitude is by turns delicate and raw, with artwork that ranges from the gently pastoral to the surreal and harrowing. Beautifully done. --John Porcellino</p> At first glance <i>Uncomfortably Happy</i> may look to be merely a sweet little story about youthful struggle, but page by page, it unfolds into a much more complex work. A book both dark and light, intimate, touching yet also exceedingly charming. All the stuff of real life. --Seth, author of <i>Palookaville</i></p> [<i>Uncomfortably Happily</i> is] equally surprising and exciting as it is unpretentious....this book [documents] the path to wisdom. --<i>Du9</i></p> It's a gripping graphic novel, whose subject matter is much vaster than might be suggested... We learn a lot about South Korea... and a way of life that is both more technologically driven and more traditional [than our own]. A beautiful discovery. --<i>Le Nouvel Observateur</i></p>

This engrossing story of an artist couple who leave the noise and smog of the city behind for mountainside solitude is by turns delicate and raw, with artwork that ranges from the gently pastoral to the surreal and harrowing. Beautifully done. John Porcellino</p> At first glance <i>Uncomfortably Happy</i> may look to be merely a sweet little story about youthful struggle, but page by page, it unfolds into a much more complex work. A book both dark and light, intimate, touching yet also exceedingly charming. All the stuff of real life. Seth, author of <i>Palookaville</i></p> [<i>Uncomfortably Happily</i> is] equally surprising and exciting as it is unpretentious....this book [documents] the path to wisdom. <i>Du9</i></p> It's a gripping graphic novel, whose subject matter is much vaster than might be suggested... We learn a lot about South Korea... and a way of life that is both more technologically driven and more traditional [than our own]. A beautiful discovery. <i>Le Nouvel Observateur</i></p>

This engrossing story of an artist couple who leave the noise and smog of the city behind for mountainside solitude is by turns delicate and raw, with artwork that ranges from the gently pastoral to the surreal and harrowing. Beautifully done. --John Porcellino At first glance Uncomfortably Happy may look to be merely a sweet little story about youthful struggle, but page by page, it unfolds into a much more complex work. A book both dark and light, intimate, touching yet also exceedingly charming. All the stuff of real life. --Seth, author of Palookaville [Uncomfortably Happily is] equally surprising and exciting as it is unpretentious....this book [documents] the path to wisdom. --Du9 It's a gripping graphic novel, whose subject matter is much vaster than might be suggested... We learn a lot about South Korea... and a way of life that is both more technologically driven and more traditional [than our own]. A beautiful discovery. --Le Nouvel Observateur This engrossing story of an artist couple who leave the noise and smog of the city behind for mountainside solitude is by turns delicate and raw, with artwork that ranges from the gently pastoral to the surreal and harrowing. Beautifully done. John Porcellino At first glance Uncomfortably Happy may look to be merely a sweet little story about youthful struggle, but page by page, it unfolds into a much more complex work. A book both dark and light, intimate, touching yet also exceedingly charming. All the stuff of real life. Seth, author of Palookaville [Uncomfortably Happily is] equally surprising and exciting as it is unpretentious....this book [documents] the path to wisdom. Du9 It's a gripping graphic novel, whose subject matter is much vaster than might be suggested... We learn a lot about South Korea... and a way of life that is both more technologically driven and more traditional [than our own]. A beautiful discovery. Le Nouvel Observateur

Uncomfortably Happily is a candid, engrossing tale of two comic artists looking for comfort in solitude and minimalist living, even as the twin shadows of poverty and stress loom. --The Atlantic Uncomfortably Happily by Yeon-sik Hong tells the story of its author's decision to leave 21st-century Seoul and move with his wife to a small house on top of a mountain... Charming and perhaps unexpectedly complex. --Guardian, Best Graphic Novels of 2017 [An] extraordinary comic-book memoir... Uncomfortably Happily bursts with irrational exuberance from every panel. --Slate Uncomfortably Happily is clever, charming, and worth a look if you are interested in a droll family story, graphic novels, or an introduction to a wide range of Korean modern culture. --Los Angeles Review of Books [Uncomfortably Happily is] brilliantly illustrated in black and white, which veers from minimal slices of everyday life to more intricate, elaborate flights of fancy to depict the husband's angst and existential self-pity. But for the most part, the book is full of levity... there is a simplicity and peacefulness in watching two people just try to make it work. --GQ The mix of pathos and buoyant humor -- as well as charming and three-dimensional characterization -- keep you engrossed. Plus, the artwork is fantastic, mixing cartoony, almost Lynda Barry-ish figure work with stunningly evocative and impressionistic landscapes. --Vulture This engrossing story of an artist couple who leave the noise and smog of the city behind for mountainside solitude is by turns delicate and raw, with artwork that ranges from the gently pastoral to the surreal and harrowing. Beautifully done. --John Porcellino At first glance Uncomfortably Happy may look to be merely a sweet little story about youthful struggle, but page by page, it unfolds into a much more complex work. A book both dark and light, intimate, touching yet also exceedingly charming. All the stuff of real life. --Seth, author of Palookaville This engrossing story of an artist couple who leave the noise and smog of the city behind for mountainside solitude is by turns delicate and raw, with artwork that ranges from the gently pastoral to the surreal and harrowing. Beautifully done. --John Porcellino At first glance Uncomfortably Happy may look to be merely a sweet little story about youthful struggle, but page by page, it unfolds into a much more complex work. A book both dark and light, intimate, touching yet also exceedingly charming. All the stuff of real life. --Seth, author of Palookaville [Uncomfortably Happily is] equally surprising and exciting as it is unpretentious....this book [documents] the path to wisdom. --Du9 It's a gripping graphic novel, whose subject matter is much vaster than might be suggested... We learn a lot about South Korea... and a way of life that is both more technologically driven and more traditional [than our own]. A beautiful discovery. --Le Nouvel Observateur This engrossing story of an artist couple who leave the noise and smog of the city behind for mountainside solitude is by turns delicate and raw, with artwork that ranges from the gently pastoral to the surreal and harrowing. Beautifully done. John Porcellino At first glance Uncomfortably Happy may look to be merely a sweet little story about youthful struggle, but page by page, it unfolds into a much more complex work. A book both dark and light, intimate, touching yet also exceedingly charming. All the stuff of real life. Seth, author of Palookaville [Uncomfortably Happily is] equally surprising and exciting as it is unpretentious....this book [documents] the path to wisdom. Du9 It's a gripping graphic novel, whose subject matter is much vaster than might be suggested... We learn a lot about South Korea... and a way of life that is both more technologically driven and more traditional [than our own]. A beautiful discovery. Le Nouvel Observateur

Author Information

Yeon-Sik Hong was born in 1971. He began apprenticing in a manga studio in 1990, and wrote his first short stories (in comics form) in 1992, but commercial projects kept him from his personal work for another decade. In 2005, Hong and his partner tried to move to the countryside. Two years later, Hong began work on a graphic novel inspired by these experiences. Uncomfortably, Happily was published in two volumes in 2012: it quickly became a critical success, going back for a second printing and receiving the Manhwa Today Award. While they d still like to move back to the countryside someday, for now Yeon-Sik Hong and his partner are living on the outskirts of Seoul.

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