The Books Briefing: The New Literature of Burnout

The author Brontez Purnell’s short story “Early Retirement” focuses on Antonio, a struggling actor who is unfulfilled by his job. One night, Antonio drinks too much and blacks out in the middle of a performance, experiencing a “cool and complete dissociation onstage.” He is booted from the cast the next day.

Purnell’s story illustrates a common experience of disillusionment in modern-day work culture. As the professor . For Anna Wiener, who wrote the memoir about her time working in tech, . While she was initially allured by the industry’s promise of opportunity and a well-paying job in the aftermath of a recession, she eventually became disenchanted by the broader harm it caused. The writer Yun Ko-Eun’s satirical novel , Yona Ko, who works at a company that offers vacationers tours through disaster-ravaged areas. After being assaulted by her boss, she’s moved to a new team, which is charged with creating a man-made natural disaster to bump up business. No matter how unethical the work becomes, Yona continues with it, resigned to her role.