Name: Cursed Bunny
Rating: 3.843511450381679 (131 reviews)
ISBN: 9781916277182

Bora Chung

Cursed Bunny is a genre-defying collection of short stories by Korean author Bora Chung. Blurring the lines between magical realism, horror, and science-fiction, Chung uses elements of the fantastic and surreal to address the very real horrors and cruelties of patriarchy and capitalism in modern society. Anton Hur’s translation skilfully captures the way Chung’s prose effortlessly glides from being terrifying to wryly humorous. Winner of a PEN/Heim Grant.

Cursed Bunny

From a rising star of Korean literature, CURSED BUNNY is a collection that will shock and surprise readers with each new tale. Translated by the acclaimed Anton Hur, Chung’s stories are wildly unique and imaginative, by turns thought-provoking and stomach-turning, where monstrous creatures take the shapes of furry woodland creatures and danger lurks in unexpected corners of everyday apartment buildings. But Chung’s rare, haunting universe could be our own, illuminating the ills of contemporary society. “The Head” follows a woman haunted by her own waste. “The Embodiment” takes us into a dystopian gynecology office where a pregnant woman is told that her baby must have a father or face horrific consequences. Another story follows a young monster, forced into underground fight rings without knowing the force of his own power. The titular fable centers on a cursed lamp in the approachable shape of a rabbit, fit for a child’s bedroom. CURSED BUNNY is a book that screams to be read late into the night and passed on to the nearest set of hands the very next day.

Stories

Short stories that are intriguing but eerie. Fun to read but only 1-2 stories became memorable for me. Love the cover though. 

Prajina Lamichhane

oh lawd from the first story i was ready to throw up. aseops fables for the modern woman. i really enjoy short story collections and this one was no exception. bora chung and anton hur both have such mastery of the language i feel inadequte even writing this review. toward the end we start getting repetitive on the morals and scars was the weakest of the bunch imo but still a delight to read. 

Gelaine Trinidad

I find myself thinking about some stories pretty often, even though I read most of them last year. 

I particularly liked the ones related to curses.

Abigail

Loved it.

I find myself thinking about some stories pretty often, even though I read most of them last year. 

I particularly liked the ones related to curses.

thea

Buku yang menarik👀 Horror, science fiction, magic.. semuanya ada dibuku ini dan terbagi menjadi beberapa kumpulan cerita pendek yang bikin tegang, terkejut dan merinding! 💀
Setiap cerita akan dimulai dengan kalimat-kalimat yang bikin kita bergidik & takut dengan apa yang akan terjadi nantinya.. penulis hebat banget bisa bikin emosi yang kita rasakan seperti sedang naik rollercoaster🎢

Cerita pertama bikin ngeri & jijik.. Cerita kedua bikin kita mempertanyakan hal-hal tentang medis.. Hingga saat sudah selesai membaca, aku sadar semua inti ceritanya itu mengerikan☠️
Setiap cerita memiliki tema yang berbeda, ada yang balas dendam, cinta, trauma, keserakahan, ketakutan, atau keinginan mengerikan yang sebenarnya kita inginkan. Semuanya tentang sisi gelap para manusia.. Aku harus berhenti beberapa saat baru bisa lanjut ke part selanjutnya karena ga habis pikir manusia bisa sejahat ini🙃
Bikin aku bertanya-tanya juga apa yang ada dibenak si penulis ketika beliau membuat cerita ini?

Ranah sastra Asia kembali dikejutkan kehadiran Cursed Bunny. Buku tersebut merupakan kumpulan cerita pendek karya penulis perempuan asal Korea Selatan, Bora Chung. Setelah pertama kali diterbitkan di Korea Selatan pada 2017. Kesuksesan Chung dalam menulis Cursed Bunny terbukti dengan masuknya buku tersebut ke daftar pendek atau shortlisted International Booker Prizes 2022. Cursed Bunny masuk daftar tersebut bersama dengan lima karya sastra lain dari berbagai negara. Cursed Bunny berisi kompilasi 10 cerita pendek yang ia tulis dalam rentang waktu sekitar 20 tahun ke belakang. Cerita berusia paling tua yang ada dalam buku tersebut ia tulis pada 1998. Sementara itu, cerita paling baru ia tulis pada 2013. Awalnya Chung menyodorkan lebih dari 40 cerita pendek karyanya kepada penerbit. Namun, akhirnya hanya 10 cerita yang dipilih penerbit untuk dimuat menjadi Cursed Bunny. Setiap kisah dalam cerita pendek di Cursed Bunny memiliki pondasi yang dibangun dari berbagai peristiwa nyata di negaranya dan di berbagai wilayah lainnya di dunia, khususnya Asia. Dengan sangat mahir Chung meramunya menjadi fiksi yang memiliki tak hanya satu genre, tetapi berbagai genre yang sangat mengejutkan, menyesakkan dada, dan tak jarang membuat frustasi. Chung menggabungkan genre horor, fantasi, fiksi ilmiah, hingga surealisme dalam cerita pendeknya yang sangat padat dan tak bertele-tele. Judul : Cursed Bunny Pengarang : Bora Chung Halaman : 396 Penerbit : Haru Tanggal Terbit : 4 Okt 2022 Isbn : 9786235467023 Bahasa : Indonesia

- Seru parah, page turner~
- Makin dibaca, makin ngeri, makin tertarik buat menyelami kisah-kisahnya
- Terdapat 10 cerita pendek di dalamnya
- Dengan gaya yang absurd, surealis, abu-abu + tambahan adegan ngeri di beberapa bagian, penulis berhasil menyuguhkan cerita anti-mainstream dengan pesan baik didalamnya.
- Menurutku ga terlalu banyak kejutan, tapi di setiap kisahnya selalu suka dgn cara penulis menceritakan alurnya dengan detil, bikin kita bisa merasakan apa yang para tokoh rasakan.
- Setiap ceritanya, dibandingkan dengan memakai nama untuk identitas tokohnya, penulis lebih milih dengan sebutan/julukan. Menurutku, dengan begini makin berasa kemisteriusan setiap ceritanya
- Terjemahannya nyaman banget dibaca 👍🏻
- Urutan judul cerita dari yang paling aku favoritkan
1. Kelinci Terkutuk
2. Bekas Luka
3. Perangkap
4. Si Kepala
5. Menstruasi
6. Rumahku Istanaku
7. Selamat Tinggal, Cintaku 
8. Jari-jari yang dingin
9. Reuni
10. Penguasa Angin dan Pasir

completely fascinating, i don't think i've read a collection quite like this. thinking a lot of thoughts !

Shaz

Haritlak Thawikasikam

Disgustingly good, very satisfying. Don't read the first chapter while eating. This is a big warning

Grace M

“... If I could make a wish
I want to be just a little happier
If I become too happy
I will miss sadness”

Folklore for a new age. Snare, Reunion, and of course Cursed Bunny were true standouts in this smart, eerie collection of stories.

Grotesque, unnerving & page turning. This collection of stories feature vibrant characters and deeply unusual storylines. 

Bora Chung has created such a singular and compelling writing style and maintained it through each and every one of these stories until the last page. 

jaz ☁️

Grotesque, unnerving & page turning. This collection of stories feature vibrant characters and deeply unusual storylines. 

Bora Chung has created such a singular and compelling writing style and maintained it through each and every one of these stories until the last page. 

Really surprised by how good this short story collection was - one of the best I’ve read overall. All the stories were unique but different from each other, yet the collection still felt cohesive. The snare and The frozen finger were stand out stories for me.

Every story knocked the air out of my lungs. In gruesome understanding of human fears and the trauma of family Chung really got her point across. My favourite story was Snare

Florence

I think it makes a difference that I listened to this versus read it. However, there are some stories that stuck out more than others. I have spoke about the concepts of stories with friends though so I think that speaks to this book’s impact on me. However, it’s not a five star read. Just a book I enjoyed. 

Cursed Bunny

Reviews

Highlights