Hyun Ki-young (Novelist):
This novel does not use sharp, aggressive language, but instead defends the values of women—who have long been treated as "the other" and marginalised in a patriarchal society—through artful, refined storytelling. Centred on the protagonist Nimi, the intertwined stories of three generations of women in one family form what could be called "a chronicle of the joys and sorrows of Korean daughters." Through the great historical waves of colonial rule, war, industrialisation, and democratisation movements, the novel vividly portrays how they survived and how they died, their fates full of twists and turns. The narrative structure—meticulously weaving a web of blood relations around Nimi—is particularly outstanding. The novel's greatest strength, however, lies in its effortless command of language: rustic dialect for describing traditional society and intellectual, literary prose for depicting urban life. Both styles are used masterfully, bringing the contrast between the rural past and the urban present to life. The author's command of dialect is especially praiseworthy—it is no easy task to write Gyeongsang-do dialect with such richness and vitality.

Hwang Kwang-soo (Literary Critic):
It is rare to find a Korean novel that so completely captures the temporal and spatial gaps between two or three generations of women. Their conflicts and differences are often buried beneath a swamp of forgetting. Rather than forcibly stitching together two eras, this novel unfolds its river of fate with delicate textual power and profound insight. When this current breaks through institutional boundaries and flows into the labyrinth of tangled human relationships, Nimi writes letters to her beloved daughters. In her eyes, she sees a new enemy.

Hwang Hyun-san (Literary Critic, Emeritus Professor at Korea University):
This novel is brilliantly conceived, examining women's existence from both the axis of historical time and the perspective of contemporary reality. But what moves the reader more deeply is something else: the profound, visceral resonance between human beings and nature—a resonance that can only be born out of a life of poverty. Intellectual thought and poetic sensibility merge through nature, giving the novel's feminist core a tangible, authentic power.

★ Winner of the 6th Hangyoreh Literary Award by unanimous vote: In 2001, among four works that made it to the final round, Words of Water was selected for the Grand Prize by a unanimous vote of the judging committee. The judges stated that they were moved by Park Jeong-ae's unique feminist perspective—broad in vision, never rushing to impose any ideology—and therefore chose this work. The Hangyoreh Literary Award has produced writers such as Shim Yoon-kyung, Park Min-gyu, Choi Jin-young, and Kang Hwa-gil, who have reshaped the landscape of Korean literature. This book stands as one of the most representative feminist literary works in the award's history.

★ A history of Korean women's lives across three generations: Centred on the protagonist Nimi, the novel depicts the intertwined fates of three generations of women in one family—a "chronicle of the joys and sorrows of Korean daughters." Through the great historical waves of colonial rule, war, industrialisation, and democratisation movements, it vividly portrays how they survived and how they died, their fates full of twists and turns. With delicate textual power and profound insight, it examines the history of Korean women's suffering and resistance, combining historical depth with literary completeness.

Park Jeong-ae's Words of Water returns to readers in a revised edition.

With delicate textual power and profound insight, the novel examines the history of Korean women's suffering and resistance. Spanning three generations of women, it combines historical depth with literary completeness, moving countless readers and standing as a representative feminist novel that vividly depicts the survival struggles of Korean women.

Park Jeong-ae

She teaches story creation in the Department of Image and Culture at Kangwon National University. She writes literary works for readers of all ages. Exploring the world of stories is, for her, the most joyful, exciting, and fulfilling thing to do.

Works for adults: Words of Water, The Story of Grandma Deok-dong
Works for young adults: The Changing Seasons, The Girl Who Ate Dragon Meat
Works for children: I Need a Friend, A Friend from the Land of Dung, and others.

Awards: 2001 Hangyoreh Literary Award.