The Court Dancer
SynopsisPlot
Set during the dramatic final years of the Korean Empire, the new novel from Man Asian Literary Prize winner Kyung-Sook Shin features a mysterious dancer caught up in the dizzying sweep of history. Based on a remarkable true story, the New York Times bestselling author of Please Look After Mom brilliantly images the life of Yi Jin, an orphan who would fall under the affections of the Empress and become a jewel in the late Joseon Court. When a novice French diplomat arrives for an audience with the Emperor, he is enraptured by the Joseon Dynasty’s magnificent culture, then at its zenith. But all fades away when he sees Yi Jin perform the delicate traditional Dance of the Spring Oriole. Though well aware that women of the court belong to the palace, the young diplomat confesses his love to the Emperor and gains permission for Yi Jin to accompany him back to France.
Story
About this book
The Court Dancer is a historical novel by Kyung-sook Shin, set during the final decades of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. It follows Yi Jin, an orphan raised within the royal court who becomes a skilled traditional dancer and a favorite of the Empress. The story draws on a real historical figure and places her at the center of a period when Korea's centuries-old imperial culture faced mounting pressure from foreign powers.
When a young French diplomat witnesses Yi Jin perform at court, he becomes captivated and eventually receives the Emperor's permission to bring her with him to France. In Belle Epoque Paris, Yi Jin discovers a different kind of freedom. She begins working with another Korean student to translate and publish Joseon literature in French, building a life far from the palace hierarchy she once knew. Yet distance from Korea brings its own difficulties, including grief, homesickness, and a deep pull toward the world she left behind.
Shin, who won the Man Asian Literary Prize and reached the New York Times bestseller list with Please Look After Mom, grounds the novel in the political turbulence surrounding the late Joseon court. The book moves between Seoul and Paris, tracing how personal loyalties become entangled with imperial politics.
