Discovering Fiction: A Librarian's Quest for Stories Beyond Borders

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A woman sits at a wooden table in a dimly lit library, reading a large, aged book. She has dark hair tied back neatly and wears a button-up shirt. Multiple similar old books are spread across the table. The background is lined with bookshelves filled with stacks of worn, dusty books, contributing to the vintage and scholarly atmosphere. The soft light highlights her focused expression and the texture of the books.

Dear @rowohltverlag,

Greetings from Pyongyang! I am a librarian here, and I must ask—do books really exist that are not about agriculture, leadership, or coal production? I have heard rumors of something called "fiction" and even "mystery novels." Are these real? Do people actually read stories about other places and lives?

Our shelves are filled with the same books, year after year. Titles like Glorious Harvest Strategies and The Supreme Guide to Cement Production are in high demand (not by choice, I assure you). I once found a book about birds, and for a brief moment, I thought I had discovered a novel. But alas, it was just a guide on how to spot birds that are productive for the ecosystem. Not quite the gripping storytelling I had hoped for.

If books about faraway lands and people who aren’t engineers or coal miners truly exist, and if by some miracle you can send me one, I would be forever grateful. I promise to treasure it like a rare diamond and only share it in hushed whispers behind the bookshelves.

Curiously yours,
Ji-hye