[_list: Books from Korea] Vol.23 Spring 2014 by LTI Korea Library

Vol.23 Spring 2014

Special Section

Children’s Picture Books Interviews

Children’s Book Author Kwon Yoon-duck Novelist Choi Jae-hoon Spotlight on Fiction

The Gaze at Broad Daylight by Lee Seung-U Poetry

“Pale Shadows of Old Love” by Kim Kwang-kyu Theme Lounge

SNS, the Double-edged Sword

ISSN 2005-2790

CLASSIC STOrIeS

Foreword

Dreams Come to Life Through Picture Books

by Kim Inae Sujung

The world is growing smaller. We can travel to a country on the other side of the world in just one day. There are plenty of ways to talk to someone anywhere in the world if you set your mind to it. We can easily access information from all over the world. It seems there is no place we cannot reach, and nothing we cannot learn in this world. But is that really true? There are times when we really do not know anything about something that is closest to us-something we think we know better than anything else. Something we do not know, but we think we do, is children. It has been said that the lamentation, “Children these days . . .” was found on a Sumerian clay tablet written 5,000 years ago. Those same words are uttered today. Adults who were once children themselves lament that they do not understand children today. Why is it that children are so misunderstood? How can adults so completely forget the fact that they, too, were children once? Are children not the most important subject for us to study, understand and communicate with? Is it not important to understand how children are prone to be lonely, sad, greedy, vulnerable, and fearful–and how we were once the same way? We should remember that when we were young, how easily we were pleased with little things, how willingly we offered to share what was ours with another, how quickly our psychic wound healed, how fast we made friends, and how we could always discover new energy and hope. On the other hand, we should also acknowledge how heartless, one-sided and oppressive adults can be. If we can be faithful protectors and mentors to our children, should we not be more devoted to these tasks than to anything else? Would the world not be a better place if adults and children came to understand each other better, forgiving the negative and embracing the positive? Could misunderstandings and quarrels between tribes and nations not be resolved in the same way? Children’s book writers are those who dream such dreams and children’s books reveal the dreams of writers. In this special issue, we present you with the dreams of Korean children's book writers. Today, Korean picture books are drawing worldwide attention. More and more Korean illustrators are receiving the Bologna Ragazzi Award or Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) awards. Among them, we would like to introduce six young artists in this issue. Through unique and experimental works, they show us where we are as a society, how children and adults can come to understand each other, and how they find the desired direction for the future. Through their ingenuous illustrations, you can see how children’s dreams bloom and fade. You can find the beauty of a tranquil city in their illustrations influenced by Eastern traditional painting. At the same time, you can sense an apocalyptic warning in incredibly detailed images, depicting a dark future. You can meet a lovable child, moved to tears after hearing about other children in the world who lead difficult lives. You can read a touching story about a father who devotes himself to raising his children, and a son who reminisces about his affectionate father. From time to time, _list has introduced picture books of Korea in previous issues, but this special issue is special indeed. You won’t be disappointed.

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Vol.23 Spring 2014

Contents Spring 2014 Vol. 23

Reviews

38 Fiction

01 04 06 08 10

Foreword News from LTI Korea Bestsellers Publishing Trends Trade Report

Special Section

Children’s Picture Books 12 13 16 19

Highlighting the Best of the New Picture Books Are Art! Putting a New Spin On Stories for Kids Two Vanguards of Illustration

Interviews

The Man on the Tip of the Tongue Mi of April, Sol of July Why Didn’t I Die? The Taste of Summer Blue, High Ladder Then What Shall We Sing? Incense The Barbaric Miss Alice Punch Stranger than Paradise The Well-being of My Neighbor Travelers of the Night Noodles

60 Nonfiction You Must Be Tuckered Out

Prominent Female Journalists of Korea, 1920-1980 The Sociology of Convenience Stores Hollywood Science Homoscience

64 Children’s Books Moonlit Night

A Girl and Her Dog Called Cloud Big Fish Cat School: The Secret of Ankor Wat Singing Bottle

Spotlight on Fiction

45 The Gaze at Broad Daylight by Lee Seung-U

22 Children’s Book Author Kwon Yoon-duck 28 Novelist Choi Jae-hoon

Excerpts

26 Flower Grandma by Kwon Yoon-duck 32 Seven Cat Eyes by Choi Jae-hoon

Theme Lounge

34 SNS, the Double-edged Sword

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Vol.23 Spring 2014

Vol.23 Spring 2014 A Quarterly Magazine for Publishers

PUBLISHER

Kim Seong-Kon

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Kim Yoon-jin

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Jung Jin Kwon

EDITORIAL BOARD

Bok Dohoon Literary Critic Kang Yu-jung Critic Kim Ji-eun Children's Book Critic Kim Mansu Professor, Inha University Pyo Jeonghun Book Columnist

OVERSEAS EDITORIAL ADVISORS

Choi Kyeonghee University of Chicago Bruce Fulton University of British Columbia Christopher P. Hanscom UCLA Theodore Hughes Columbia University Kim Yung-hee University of Hawai'i David McCann Harvard University Michael J. Pettid SUNY-Binghamton University Janet Poole University of Toronto Dafna Zur Stanford University

DOMESTIC EDITORIAL ADVISORS

Brother Anthony Sogang University Steven D. Capener Seoul Women's University Horace J. Hodges Ewha Womans University Charles Montgomery Dongguk University Emanuel Pastreich Kyung Hee University

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Park Jangyun

68 Recommended by Publishers

MANAGING EDITORS

Park Mill Alex Jisoo Baek

EDITORS

Kim Stoker Shannon Doona Heit

ART DIRECTOR

Choi Woonglim

DESIGNERS

Jang Hyeju Kim Mijin

PHOTOGRAPHER

Lee Kwa-yong

PRINTED BY

NAMSANPNP

Poetry

58 “Pale Shadows of Old Love” by Kim Kwang-kyu

New Books Steady Sellers

73 Lee Mun Ku’s Gwanchon Essays

Overseas Angle

74 76 78 80

Conveying Cultural Nuance in the Chinese Translation of Gwanchon Essays Seoul: First Impressions of a Book-loving City The Transcultural Bridge Between Korea and Spanish Speaking Countries The World of the Text

Meet the Publishers

Date of Publication March 21, 2014 list_ Books from Korea is a quarterly magazine published by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.

82 Seoul Selection 84 Hollym Corporation Publishers

All correspondence should be addressed to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea 112 Gil-32, Yeongdong-daero (Samseong-dong) Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-873, Korea Telephone: 82-2-6919-7714 Fax: 82-2-3448-4247 E-mail: list_korea@klti.or.kr www.klti.or.kr www.list.or.kr

Afterword 86 The Korea That I Discovered and Grew to Love 87 Contributors 88 Featured Authors 91 Index

Cover Art © Noh In-kyung Mr. Tutti and 100 Water Drops, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp., 2012

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Vol.23 Spring 2014

News from LTI Korea

Seoul Metropolitan Library

Exhibition Marks 120 Years of Korean Literature Translation Last autumn, LTI Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Library jointly held an exhibition titled, “Bringing Korean Literature to the World: 120 Years of Korean Literature Translation.” Held from October 15 to 27, 2013, the exhibition displayed some 400 works of Korean literature that have been translated into 36 languages. Ranging from the first translation of an ancient Korean text in the 1880s to contemporary works, the exhibition offered a one-stop overview of the last 120 years of Korean literature in translation.

Korean Literary Event Held in New York 1

2 1. Seo Hajin, Lee Kiho, and Haïlji 2. "Korean Literature Night"

From November 14 to 15, 2013, LTI Korea held a two-day forum in New York with authors Haïlji, Seo Hajin, and Lee Kiho. LTI Forums are held in various publishing industry centers around the world, in order to publicize Korean literature by promoting communication and exchange between local publishers, authors, and translators. Last year’s forum consisted of two events: “Meet the Authors: An Evening of Korean Literature” at Columbia University on October 14 and a North American Workshop on Korean Literature (NAOKOL) featuring an author panel session on 2 October 15. At this year's “Meet the Authors: An Evening of Korean Literature,” authors Haïlji, Seo Hajin, and Lee Kiho read excerpts from their respective works, The Užupis Republic, A Good Family, and At Least We Can Apologize. Their readings were followed by a Q&A session with the audience. The NAOKOL panel session the following day took place in the form of a seminar, with around 20 Korean studies scholars from North America and Columbia University graduate students in attendance.

EU Translators' Workshop From December 12 to 13, 2013, LTI Korea held an “EU Community” gathering of European translators at Sapienza University of Rome. The EU Translators' Workshop is a professional seminar where specialist translators of Korean literature talk about issues related to the translation and localization of Korean literature. The Rome event was the second meeting of the community, following the inaugural gathering in Frankfurt in 2011. Ten translators of Korean literature from the European region met to discuss the practical problems of distributing translated works of Korean literature in each of their countries, as well as prospects for the future.

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EU Translators' Workshop

Korean Authors at the Guadalajara International Book Fair From November 30 to December 4, 2013, LTI Korea and novelist Yi Munyol, poet Kim Ki-taek, and picture book author Suzy Lee attended the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the largest event of its kind in the Spanish-speaking world. This year's fair also hosted a special introductory event to Korean literature. Yi Mun-yol’s Geumsijo and Kim Ki-taek’s Gum have recently been translated into Spanish and published as El Fénix Dorado and El Chicle, respectively. At the book fair event, they each gave readings of their work and met readers. Yi Mun-yol held a talk with Mexican poet León Plascencia Ñol about Korean literature on “the contemporary development of writing in East Asia.” Picture book author Suzy Lee, invited by the book fair's organizing committee, spoke at the Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (FILustra) event about her work, with a focus on Mirror. FILustra is an event where picture book authors from around the world talk about their respective spheres of work, providing participants a chance to learn about the latest trends in book illustration.

2 1. Korean authors read from their work 2. Suzy Lee reads to children in Guadalajara

LTI Korea Translation Awards Ceremony Held

2 1. 11th Korean Literature Translation Award winners with LTI Korea's President Kim Seong-Kon 2. LTI Korea awards ceremony at the Korea Press Center

On November 27, 2013, LTI Korea hosted a ceremony at the Korea Press Center for the 11th Korean Literature Translation Award and the 12th Korean Literature Translation Award for New Career Translators. The 2013 awards were given to translators in four language categories. Winner of the English category was Charles La Shure of the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies for his translation of Kim Young-ha’s Black Flower. The Spanish category award went to Song Byeong Sun, professor in the Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Ulsan for Nueve Pares de Zapatos, his translation of Yun Heunggil’s The Man Who Was Left as Nine Pairs of Shoes, while the Chinese category winner was Jin Hezhe, professor in the Department of Korean Language at Harbin Institute of Technology for his translation of Lee Mun Ku’s Gwanchon Essays (冠村随笔). The Czech category prize went to Miriam Löwensteinová and Marek Zemanék, both professors in the Department of Korean Studies at Charles University in Prague for Odkazy Tří Královtsví, their joint translation of Monk Iryeon’s Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms). The Korean Literature Translation Award for New Career Translators was awarded to translators from seven language groups. The works designated for translation as part of the new career award were Ha Seong-nan’s short story “Traversing Afternoon” for Western languages and Ham Jeung-im’s After Dinner for Eastern languages.

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Bestsellers

What We’re Reading

Yellow House

Seoul Poems (Vol. 2)

Fiction

Life Lessons

Nonfiction

Yellow House

Father’s Laughter

Life Lessons

Park Wan-suh; Illustrator: Rhee Choul-won Yolimwon Publishing Co. 2013, 300p, ISBN 9788970637778 This short story collection is a warm and candid depiction of daily life as experienced by the late author while living in her “Yellow House.” The stories are interspersed with exquisite illustrations. Told by an old couple well-versed in style and taste, the stories are filled with a constant hope for life and the warmth of nostalgia.

Ha Kye-yeol, Sanzini 2013, 176p, ISBN 9788965452287

Venerable Pomnyun Sunim Hankyoreh Publishing Company 2013, 276p, ISBN 9788984317413 The author is a renowned activist who has campaigned to fight famine, disease, and illiteracy; he is also an advocate of human rights, peace, reunification, and the environment. He encourages readers to play an active role in tackling today’s social issues.

Seoul Poems (Vol. 2) Ha Sang Wook, Joongang Books 2013, 288p, ISBN 9788927804727

Through pithy language befitting the poet’s former career as a designer, short but impressive images depict everyday life in Seoul. No longer than two or three lines in length, Ha’s poems bring the dreary city to life.

Mi of April, Sol of July Kim Yeonsu, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2013, 360p, ISBN 9788954622905

This is the fifth collection of short stories by Kim Yeonsu, one of Korea’s best-known writers. The stories in this collection follow a narrator carefully recounting their life to an unknown audience. Kim’s stories whisper that the real story of life begins only when we accept that we cannot properly understand the life of another.

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Ha Kye-yeol’s second anthology of poems conveys his experiences in the chaos of everyday life in clear and simple language, while the photographs, taken by the poet himself, depict those experiences visually. The poems and photographs create a unique effect as they meld into a kind of landscape, demonstrating that anyone can become a poet.

Kang Shin-joo’s Lesson on Emotions Kang Shin-joo, Minumsa 2013, 528p, ISBN 9788937488351 As the subtitle, “Learning 48 Faces of Humans with Spinoza” suggests, the book attempts to examine the various human emotions based on the ideas put forth by the philosopher Spinoza. Kang Shin-joo, an upand-coming philosopher interested in popularizing the humanities, analyzes the representative fictional characters in 48 classic literary works.

Heart to Heart Lee Oisoo, Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. 2013, 296p, ISBN 9788934964964 Lee Oisoo has carved out a special position as a Korean writer. With more than 420,000 Twitter followers, Lee actively communicates with his readers. His books usually sell more than 400,000 copies. Heart to Heart is a compilation of discussions between Lee and fellow novelist Ha Chang-soo, with topics ranging from art and life to the world and outer space.

These totals are based on sales records from eight major bookstores and three online bookstores from October to December 2013, provided by the Korean Publishers Association. The books are introduced in no particular order.

Inside the Mind of Suh Cheonseok

It's OK

The Bath Fairy

Children's Books Letters for My Daughter

Comic Maplestory 67

It’s OK

Han Sung-hee, Woongjin Think Big Co., Ltd. 2013, 284p, ISBN 9788901158594 The author, a psychoanalyst with 33 years of field experience under her belt, has compiled 31 psychological reflections that she wants to share with her daughter. She asks her daughter to refrain from trying to be good at everything and stresses that a sense of anxiety is merely proof of life.

Song Do Soo; Illustrator: Seo Jung Eun Seoul Cultural Publishers, Inc. 2013, 196p, ISBN 9788926395387 Since the first volume came out in 2004, the books in this comic series have smashed bestseller records. While reading about the adventures of various distinctive characters defending Maple Island, children learn about friendship, courage, and consideration for others.

Choi Sook-hee, Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd. 2005, 28p, ISBN 9788901052922

Inside the Mind of Suh Cheonseok Suh Cheonseok, Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. 2013, 435p, ISBN 9788934964421 Suh Cheonseok is a psychiatrist who has gained great popularity through the television show, “Suh Cheonseok's Mind Center.” The book endeavors to go beyond empty messages on healing and consolation and present a true understanding of the human mind based on objective research and the philosophical principle that “real consolation starts with knowing one's self and understanding others accurately.”

An Incomplete Life (Vol. 9) Yoon Tae-ho, Wisdomhouse Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 256p, ISBN 9788960866201 The ninth installment of An Incomplete Life completes the publication project of the popular serialized webtoon, which holds the record for earning top reviews from readers over the longest period of time. The comic artist juxtaposes the fierce competition of the Korean board game baduk with the cutthroat struggle of office workers for survival in a dog-eat-dog world. The series has fondly been called “a textbook on life” and “a bible for office life.”

The Twenty Questions Detective and the Magician (Vol.2): Attacks on Cats on the Street Heo Kyobum; Illustrator: Ko Sang-mi BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 192p, ISBN 9788949195810 This is the sequel to The Twenty Questions Detective and the Magician, which won the inaugural Story King prize. The detective, who solves cases in 20 questions or less, has a hidden past that is revealed. The plot deals with the plight of abandoned cats and dogs.

The Birth of Ilsu Yoo Eun-sil; Illustrator: Seo Hyun BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 124p, ISBN 9788949121543 This children’s book was selected for the IBBY Honour List. Ilsu’s parents had high expectations of him when he was born, but he grew up to be very ordinary. He is already an adult when he finally comes to terms with his own identity in this book packed with humor and satire.

Through stories of animals, this picture book encourages children to be brave and do whatever they set out to accomplish. Well loved for its bright colors and strong visual impact, It’s OK has been on bestseller lists for nine years.

Don’t Be Angry and Talk Politely An Miyeun; Illustrator: Suh Huijeong Sangsangschool 2008, 24p, ISBN 9788996023449 This picture book teaches children to express themselves effectively by helping them to understand their own feelings and the feelings of others.

The Bath Fairy Baek Heena, Bear Books 2012, 44p, ISBN 9788993242706 An old woman and a young girl meet and kindle a friendship against the backdrop of an old bathhouse. Overcoming their age difference, they come to understand each other’s loneliness and help each other in times of trouble in this gentle tale.

Mr. Confucius’ Bakery: Story in Liberal Arts for Beginners Kim Seon-hee; Illustrator: Kang Gyeongsu Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. 2012, 159p, ISBN 9788934956082 This book presents the virtues outlined in Confucian philosophy in a way children can easily understand through dialogue between Confucius and a little boy called Hwan-hee.

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Publishing Trends Tongue. In “The Birth of Violence,” Baek presents a familiar view of a partially razed slum, the environment where he grew up. In “Nineteen-Eighties-Style Barricade,” and “A Just, Eternal, and Allencompassing Peace,” strange scenes are interjected into everyday life, transforming the world into something odd and surreal. The title story of the collection entices the reader; there is something behind the new door that Baek is opening. Readers of this collection will welcome the long-awaited return of the prodigal writer. by Uh Soo-woong

The Man on the Tip of the Tongue Baek Min-seok Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 256 p, ISBN 9788932024684

Fiction

Return From a SelfAppointed Exile The major news to hit literary circles in late 2013 was the return of novelist Baek Min-seok. Baek quit writing and went underground, only to reappear after 10 years. His fans are calling it “the return of the prodigal son.” Baek was an icon of Korean literature in the 1990s. He debuted in 1995 with the short story “Candy Whom I Loved,” and went on to publish eight novels and short story collections. The voice of the first generation to grow up watching television, he juxtaposed his dazzling prose with a disturbing imagination. But in 2003 he simply disappeared, no longer publishing or making public appearances. Ten years later, he has made his comeback, publishing the short story collection, The Man on the Tip of the Tongue (Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd.). In his matchless style, Baek displays the transformation between his last work and his return in “The Emoticons of Love and Hate.” Here, Baek admits he was never someone who was able to express feelings beyond simple pleasure, sorrow, pity, and happiness (＞.＜ -.,- ㅜ.ㅜ ^.^), but after undergoing a paralysis of emotions, he found it difficult to express anything beyond the basic (•.•). He was frustrated to see people around him freely showing the breadth of their emotions, using symbols like (^(oo)^) or (∼.^). Telling his story with levity and wit, he recounts the severe trials and tribulations he underwent 10 years ago— disease and death in his family, frustration and self-loathing as a writer, and his self-treatment for depression. He says that in the final years of his self-imposed exile, he was filled with dirty, ugly thoughts that no emoticon could express. Fortunately, the door has closed on that awful period of his life and he is able to enjoy writing once again. Although Baek still usually remains expressionless (•.•), from time to time he lets out a (^.^). He says, “I realized that I myself am the most important reader of my work. I will bend my pen to the paper and pay no heed to judging committees, editorial boards, readers, or anyone else.” In total, there are nine stories in The Man on the Tip of the 8 list_ Books from Korea

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1. The Spirit of Books: Rumor and Truth on Books

That Changed the World Kang Chang-rae, ALMA Publishing Corp.

2013, 376p, ISBN 9791185430010

2. The Revolt of Books That Were Never Classics Jang Yoo-seung, Geulhangari 2013, 361p, ISBN 9788967350796

Nonfiction

What Good Are Books? There has been a sharp rise in the number of books about books. If everyone read books and held them dear, why would they be under discussion? The proliferation of these books seems to indicate that books in general are under existential threat. Although The Spirit of Books: Rumor and Truth on Books That Changed the World (ALMA Publishing Corp.) and The Revolt of Books That Were Never Classics (Geulhangari) are also books about books, they are markedly different from their counterparts. They are neither collections of reviews, nor past histories or predictions as to the fate of books; rather, they discuss how and in what context books are valued. The Spirit of Books reinterprets the classics, revealing hidden truths. The Revolt of Books That Were Never Classics introduces old texts that were never regarded as great literature.

Skeptical of the government campaign, “Read Many Books,” Kang Chang-rae responded by writing The Spirit of Books. Kang questions if people can really come to love reading just because books cultivate the mind, or if certain books should be prescribed as a form of mental exercise. Kang, of course, refutes this idea, saying that reading must be enjoyable. Critical of injunctions to read the classics for their ancient truths and transcendent values, he takes Plato and Confucius as his subjects and discloses unknown facts. It is an interesting work that contains many unexpected anecdeotes. Although Kang does not state exactly how reading can be made enjoyable, at the very least, it is a joy to read his book since it is filled with exciting stories about the classics. In The Revolt of Books That Were Never Classics, author and classical scholar Jang Yoo-seung provides commentary on individual books from the Joseon period. The author vividly explains the value that these books had before they fell out of circulation. By sheer luck (or lack thereof), they didn't fall into the hands of Korean craft paper collectors and were doomed to spend centuries as inconsequential sheaves of paper. He intersperses his accounts with examples of how the books were produced, circulated, and consumed during that era. Of course, a familiarity with the background of these books does not suddenly make them valuable treasures. As Jang states, books that were previously regarded as nothing may now get a slightly warmer reception, but an effort should be made to welcome both contemporary publications as well as discarded books of the past.

Kim is an author who knows how to uncover the intrinsic energy and vitality of adolescence, as well as the hopes and dreams of the young. Another up-and-coming writer is Choi Seokyung, born in 1994. Choi, winner of the 3rd Munhakdongne Youth Literature Prize for her book, Know-it-all, is now a university student. She says she wrote the first draft of the book during her second year of high school. The book tells the story of three young people, and grownups are described as people who do nothing more than pretend to “know it all.” The poet Ahn Do-hyeon described the novel in his review as, “providing relief by making a mockery of the insincere kindness and boastful nature of the older generation.” Thanks to prolific young writers who are actively including the voices of young people in their work, the traditional approach of trying to instill morals or teach through reading is slowly loosing its grip on youth fiction. by Shin Soojin

by Kim Bum-soo

Children's Books

New Trends for Young Adult Fiction For most people in Korea, the teenage years are an especially problematic and angst-ridden time. With the dread of looming university entrance examinations, power struggles between friends that result in bullying, and the endless uncertainty about the future, there is a whole host of worries weighing down on the everyday lives of adolescents. As if singlehandedly attempting to tackle all of the social pressures faced by Korean youth, many young adult novels with teenage protagonists deal with loaded topics such as school violence, running away from home, and suicide; recently, however, young writers in their 20s have been creating a new wave in young adult literature. The author at the forefront of this new trend is Kim Hyejung. When she was still a middle school student, she had already written The Runaway Diaries, and she has continued to write refreshing young adult fiction, with five new books published in 2013 alone. Among these Dorothy in My Pocket (Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc.) and Time-Shift (Prunsoop Publishing Co., Ltd.) are fantasy books for children. The remaining three are novels for young people: Our Egg Tart (Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.) is a tale about the adventures of girls in the fifth grade who figure out their dreams for the future and put them into action; Ten-Ten Movie Club is a portrayal of the efforts of a group of young school dropouts trying to make a film; and Let’s Love is the story of a group of unremarkable middle school boys who go to great lengths to find girlfriends. All these titles have received enthusiastic reviews.

1. Our Egg Tart Kim Hyejung; Illustrator: Choi Hyewon Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd. 2013, 192p, ISBN 9788901161174 1

2. Know-it-all Choi Seokyung Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2013, 180p, ISBN 9788954622578 3.

Dorothy in My Pocket Kim Hyejung; Illustrator: Bae Seul Gi Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. 2013, 164p, ISBN 9788934965589

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Trade Report

Seeing China Through Korean Eyes

Dream of China Cho Young Nam Minumsa, 2013, 426p ISBN 9788937488016

Chinese publishers have recently shown great interest not only in Korean literature, educational comics, children’s books, and self-help books, but also in Korean titles that describe and analyze China through the eyes of a foreigner. Bac k i n 2012 , D ancing with the Dragon, written by Cho Young Nam, professor in the Graduate School of International Studies at Seoul National

University, received wide attention from Chinese publishers. Even though the book was targeted at a very specific group of readers, Cho sold the rights to his book to a publisher in China at a higher-thanexpected fee. Cho’s next book, Dream of China, examines China’s preparations to embark on its next stage, its role in the global arena, and the driving force for its fastgrowing economy following years of successful state-led economic growth. S h or t l y a f t e r D r e a m o f C h i n a w a s published in Korea, China’s Xinhua News Agency requested an interview with Cho, indicating the keen interest in his view on China. Several Chinese publishers expressed their interest in buying the rights to the book shortly after Xinhua’s interview came out. In the end, the publication unit

of Renmin University of China inked a deal to buy Cho’s book, and it is now being translated into Chinese. According to the author’s request, Renmin ha s commissioned a professional translator to produce a smooth translation of the Korean text, suitable for well-educated, e l it e C h i n e s e r e a d e r s , i n o r d e r t o appropriately localize the marketing of the title for the Chinese market. The success of Cho’s books illustrates t he heightened attention on Korea n nonfiction in overseas markets outside of the self-help category. Hopefully even more Korean titles by experts in foreign politics and culture will be published abroad, offering sharp insights into specific regions. by Michelle Nam

Korean Nonfiction Reaches Beyond Asia There has been a steady stream of reports about translated Korean fiction being published abroad. Unlike fiction, there have been few reports about how Korean nonfiction titles have made headway in overseas markets, or about the prospect of another Korean Wave being built upon such titles. But as a matter of fact, exports of Korean nonfiction titles have achieved meaningful milestones in their own right. The overseas translation rights for Kim Rando’s Youth It’s Painful, published in 2010, were sold in eight languages. The Chinese version, published by Guangxi Science & Technology Publishing House Ltd., has sold more than 600,000 copies in two years. The rights for Kim’s sequels, You Become an Adult Af ter Wavering One Thousand Times and Future: My Job, have also been sold to publishers in many different countries including China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand. Kim is solidifying his position as an internationally recognized author by offering public lectures in Korea, China, Thailand, and other markets. Other Korean nonfiction titles have also made inroads into overseas markets. The rights for Kang Se-hyoung’s Being Slow Is Not Being Late were sold to Beijing Xiron Books Co., Ltd., a Chinese publisher. Nam Insook, a high-profile 10 list_ Books from Korea

Vol.23 Spring 2014

mentor for Asian women in their 20s and 30s, has already had many of her books published in foreign markets; her latest title, Man & Woman Winning Together, was translated and published in China, Taiwan, and Malaysia. In addition, upon publication of their works in Korea, a growing number of nonfiction writers have sold their Thai and Chinese rights, including: Kim Mi-Kyung’s Dream On, a bestseller in the self-help category in 2013; perspective designer Park Yong-Hu’s Design Your Perspective; and Draw Your Own Big Picture by Jeon Og-Pyo, who emerged as a best-selling author when over a million copies of his The Winning Habit were sold. Recently, more Korean nonfiction authors have signed deals for simultaneous publications in foreign markets. This is a major breakthrough that illustrates the high quality of Korean nonfiction content, and will play a key role in expanding the nonfiction market. Notably, Korean nonfiction titles are being exported not only to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, but also to English-language markets. For instance, Venerable Haemin’s The Things We Can See Only After We Stop is slated to be published by Penguin U.S. The Buddhist monk’s bestseller sold more than 2.5 million copies in Korea,

and its rights have been sold to publishers i n f ive c ou nt r ie s i nc lud i n g C h i n a , Taiwan, and Japan. Penguin’s decision to publish this book is widely regarded as the first major step toward promoting the excellence of Korea’s nonfiction content beyond regional and cultural boundaries. Attention is now being pa id to how Penguin will present Venerable Haemin’s clear and heart-warming words of wisdom to readers in the forthcoming English edition. by Sue Yang

1 1.

The Things We Can See Only After We Stop

Future: My Job

Venerable Haemin; Illustrator: Lee Young-cheol Sam & Parkers. Co., Ltd. 2012, 292p, ISBN 9788965700609 Kim Rando and Lee Jae Hyuk Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2013, 416p, ISBN 9788954621915

Special Section

Highlighting the Best of the New

Children’s Picture Books

Korea has quickly become the next big thing in the picture book publishing industry. With a spate of young authors and illustrators winning awards for their innovation and style at international children’s book fairs, the future of Korean illustrated books looks bright.

Korean picture books have been drawing steady attention at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, one of the largest stages for picture book artists. Ever since participating in the book fair as the guest of honor in 2009, Korea has continued to bring home awards every year. In fact, picture book experts around the world seem to regard Korea as an experimental stage on which to break through the recent stagnation of the global picture book market. Iwona Chmielewsk a’s Eyes, published by Cha ngbi Publishers, Inc., was the winner of the Ragazzi Award for Fiction at the 2013 Bologna Children’s Book Fair. It was the author’s second Ragazzi since 2011, when she won the Ragazzi for A House of the Mind: MAUM. In its 50-year history, no other author has ever received the Ragazzi twice. Such an accomplishment is a global acknowledgement of Korea’s expertise in picture book publishing, since the entire process of publishing Chmielewska’s work, from planning to publication, was carried out in Korea. Impressive news also came from the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB), another global picture book fair. Noh Inkyung’s Mr. Tutti and 100 Water Drops won the Golden Apple Award and Lee Gihoon’s The Tin Bear won the Children’s Jury Award. These accomplishments by Korean picture book artists came right on the heels of Cho Eunyoung’s Run Toto! winning the Grand Prix and Yoo Juyeon’s One Day winning the Golden Apple Award at the 2011 BIB. This special section will focus on young Korean artists who have been actively engaged on the global stage. First, we feature Cho Eunyoung and Yoo Juyeon, the two women who received the Grand Prix and the Golden Apple Award respectively at the 2011 BIB. Their work is noted for multilayered meaning and symbolism, expressed through traditional East Asian ink and brush paintings. 12 list_ Books from Korea

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Then we profile three male artists who are each gaining recognition in their own right: Pak Yeoncheol, Kang Gyeongsu, and Yoo Jun-jae. Park Yeoncheol, the author of Why Did Pinocchio Steal a “MacGuffin”?, was selected as Illustrator of the Year at the 2007 Bologna Children’s Book Fair and participated in the book fair in 2013, holding a special exhibition sponsored by LTI Korea. Both Kang Gyeongsu, the author of The Stories Shouldn’t Be True who received the Ragazzi Award in 2011, and Yoo Junjae, the author of My Ball, held a special exhibition at the 2014 book fair with LTI Korea. These authors cross the border between fiction and nonfiction, using the modern methods of collage and textile art with sophistication. Finally, we examine the works of Noh In-kyung and Lee Gihoon, winners at the 2013 BIB. Noh’s Mr. Tutti and 100 Water Drops, in which everything except Mr. Tutti and his bicycle is portrayed through pixels of various concentrations and shapes, was highly praised for its unique lyricism. Lee’s The Tin Bear is a captivating work in which the reality of Seoul is recreated in a remarkable way, philosophically combining a dystopic imagination and an ecological perspective. It is our hope that the dynamic works by these young artists will highlight the present and the future of Korean picture books. by Kim Ji-eun

Special Section

Children’s Picture Books

Picture Books Are Art! The new generation of young writers is proving themselves to be different from their predecessors, no longer concentrating their efforts on spreading traditional culture and history or writing picture books to teach children life lessons.

In the fall of 2011, it was announced that two picture books from Korea had received the Grand Prix and the Golden Apple Award at the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB). In the spring of the same year, a picture book from Korea also received the Ragazzi Nonfiction Award and an Honorable Mention at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Koreans with an interest in picture books, such as picture book writers, editors, researchers, and readers, cheered at the news. The two young female authors that won the awards probably didn’t fully comprehend how much joy and confidence they had inspired. Their awards confirmed that previous accomplishments at Bologna weren't merely due to chance or luck. Rather, it substantiated that Korean picture books had gained new clout through its new wave of writers. For the up-and-coming generations of artists and writers, creating picture books is about expressing the way children see the world. It is also more important for these new writers to find their own methods of expression. In other words, picture books are a kind of personal expression, not a tool for education or a medium for conveying serious issues. This

new generation of picture books is worthy of being called art, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that today’s picture book authors have played an important role in gaining that recognition. Cho Eunyoung The winner of the Grand Prix was Cho Eunyoung’s Run Toto!, a book depicting humans and horses as seen through the eyes of a girl who goes to the racetrack with her grandfather. According to the judges, the book “shows different styles in a fresh and expressive way. It tells a story that catches the attention of readers, enriching each page with a surprising layout indicating a great personality.” Run Toto! is indeed striking for its free forms, vivid colors, and bold layout. The faces and gestures of the diverse types of people who flock to the racetrack are portrayed with great originality. And how free and dynamic the horses look, standing at the starting line! They don’t even look like horses. One of them looks like a hyena, another like a bulldog, and another, like a huge shield. Take a look at the racing scene, which is twice as large list_ Books from Korea

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Special Section

“If art is something that exposes the dark sides of society with honesty through expressions of individuality, inspiration and beauty, it must also be something that boldly reveals the unfortunate but true realities that children face.”

Run Toto! Cho Eunyoung, Borim Press 2011, 40p, ISBN 9788943308179

as the other scenes. The running horses look like exploding firecrackers. But it’s not just the artistic illustrations that make this book memorable. A running theme throughout the book is the desire for money. About two thirds of the book is full of the faces of people who exhibit this desire. The narrator, a young girl, has never seen a horse before. Feeling excited, she tries to imagine what a horse looks like, but that’s not what everyone else is doing. Everyone else “looks at something, writes something down, or thinks about something,” and then “looks at the electronic scoreboard.” Finally, the race begins and horse number nine, who the girl names Toto because it looks like her toy horse, wins. The girl is happy, but her grandfather, who didn’t win any money, doesn’t look so happy. The girl’s excitement, curiosity, and feelings of fondness towards the horse are not well received by her grandfather. All that exists at the racetrack is a desire for money and the reality of disappointment. The girl visits the racetrack every week with her grandfather, but she’s no longer excited or curious about the horses anymore. “The horses all look the same” to her now. The story is a satire of Korean society, which is on the edge of imploding with its desire for money. Korean society does not teach children other values. Children only learn that they must study hard in order to have a well-paying job. In a society like this, ingenuous imagination, basic curiosity, 14 list_ Books from Korea

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and affection cannot thrive. The last scene of the book shows in a glance the gloomy situation faced by children in Korea today. Explaining that she can no longer recognize Toto, the horse she once named, because all of the horses now look the same, the girl stands looking forlorn with her toy horse in her arms. The story is not one that inspires children's hope and dreams, nor is it one that brings adults pride. Some readers have expressed perplexity at the book's message, saying, “The book gives the reader a lot to think about,” or “It’s a difficult read,” which is probably the same reason the book was rejected by every publisher the author visited. This underscores how significant it is that this book was published and went on to receive a prestigious international award. If art is something that exposes the dark sides of society with honesty, through expressions of individuality, inspiration, and beauty, it must also be something that boldly reveals the unfortunate but true realities that children face. In that respect, Run Toto! could well be called art. Yoo Juyeon One Day, the recipient of the Golden Apple Award, can be considered art in another sense. The book depicts the journey of a little bird through the ink and brush strokes of traditional Asian painting. The judges praised the work by saying, “Limited colors and stylized shapes flow in a poetic space that

recreates a simple narration with almost musical rhythm in a quiet atmosphere. The illustrator conveys a whole world of emotion with minimal elements.” The bird sets out in search of something new and different, but in the end, it does not experience great adventure or enter a fantastic new world. Rather, the bird goes from the tree it was sitting on to the middle of a city and sees the roofs of houses huddled together, tangled electric wires, cranes on construction sites, concrete jungles, and elevated highways. In most picture books, this type of environment would be portrayed as hostile to little birds. This book is no different. It seems to be warning children not to be in a rush to imitate adults, with nature symbolizing childhood and the city symbolizing adulthood. The book imparts the message that one should stay in their safe, comfortable childhood, because the world of adults is scary and dangerous. However, although that’s what is said in words, the illustrations say something else. They convey a message that is different from what is seen on the surface. The illustrations, “with a touch of modernity on traditional ink and wash painting,” depict the city in an enchanting way, showing how fascinating the world of adults looks in the eyes of children. The roofs look like waves and the cranes seem to be dancing. The concrete jungle brings to mind secret caves, and the elevated highways become a rainbow leading up to heaven. Typically dichotomous thinking, separating nature from civilization and children from adults, crumbles in this book. Such power lies in the illustrations that unfold, as the judges explained, through “poetic space” and “musical rhythm.” The author says that she didn’t go from publisher to publisher with the manuscript in hand because she “knew that they wouldn’t publish a picture book that wasn’t bright and cheerful and didn’t think she would be able to make the

changes that publishers would request.” It’s a good thing that the book was able to be published true to the author's original intent. Prompted by her artistic accomplishment, more and more experimental picture books that have been noted for the author’s individuality have also been published in Korea. by Kim Inae Sujung

One Day Yoo Juyeon, Borim Press 2010, 64p, ISBN 9788943308162

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Special Section

Children’s Picture Books

Putting a New Spin On Stories for Kids Author-illustators with unique perspectives are creating provocative visual and narrative content. During the mid-90s, illustrators and authors of children’s books in Korea usually represented the aesthetics and traditions of Korean culture through their work. For instance, in Sori’s Harvest Moon Day, the renowned children’s writer and illustrator Lee Eok-bae portrays the charming story of Sori’s family traveling to their hometown during the Harvest Moon holiday. The book includes an illustration of people waiting in long lines to board buses heading to their hometowns. This picture is a modern interpretation of traditional genre paintings, reminiscent of a Goguryeo era mural or a classic work of art depicting a traditional procession. However, recently published works represent varied, colorful themes and techniques with cartoon, textile, and animation artists permeating the children’s book industry and bringing more diverse styles with them. Kang Gyeongsu and Yoo Jun-jae are two such innovators. Wit and Substance: Kang Gyeongsu Kang Gyeongsu earned an award in nonfiction at the 2011 Bologna Children’s Book Fair for his work The Stories Shouldn’t Be True. The International judging committee noted, “The illustrations clearly depict a poignant childhood impacted by historical tragedies, injustices, and violence…the work voices a unique perspective that has not yet been represented in popular media.” When readers open the book, an ordinary boy who loves to draw pictures appears. While dreaming of becoming an artist, this ordinary boy lives a peaceful and unremarkable life in Korea. On the subsequent pages, children from various distant 16 list_ Books from Korea

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countries fill the book. Readers are greeted by Hassan from Kyrgyzstan, Paneer from India, Kizambu from Uganda, Elena from Romania, and many other children from around the world. But the facial expressions and attire of these children are unusual. They seem to be around the same age as the Korean boy who dreams of being a painter, but their faces convey sadness. The book proceeds to introduce the plight of these children: being forced to join a guerilla army as a child soldier, mining for coal in an underground shaft, dying from malaria due to the lack of funds to purchase medicine, and living in a sewer that reeks of human excrement. The boy is silent and then he asks, “This can't be true, right?” Through Kang’s work, young readers confront heartwrenching realities that shouldn’t be true. The writing is simple and restrained while the thick, coarse pastel strokes on craft paper illustrate the horrendous realities as seen through the eyes of children. Kang, known for picture books that advocate human rights, was originally a cartoonist. He drew cartoons for nearly a decade before joining the world of children’s literature. For this reason, his picture books are characterized by his juxtaposition of simplicity and hyperbole, while still maintaining a humorous undertone. Such talent is best shown in his work The Big Fart, published in 2014. In The Big Fart, animal friends such as the elephant, the rhinoceros, the lion, the anteater, the baboon, the squirrel, and the ant begin their morning on a vast African plain. On this particular day, the elephant, suffering from indigestion, lets out a huge fart. Suddenly all of the animals are thrown into the air. In the

order of their respective proportions, the rhinoceros, the lion, the anteater, the baboon, and the squirrel are able to stop themselves from being blown away. However, the tiny ant cannot stop itself. It is thrown far across the sky into the trunk of the elephant that created the entire problem. The elephant cannot stand the tickling in his trunk and sneezes, which in turn causes the rhinoceros to be thrown up into the air. There is no end to the domino effect and resulting commotion caused by the elephant’s big fart on this African grassland. Kang grabs his readers’ attention by combining a short and simple writing style with a storyline that gradually reaches its climax. The facial expressions of the animals as they are thrown into the air, along with the relieved expressions of the animals that are barely able to come to a halt, create a hilarious dynamic. Kang captures the comical expression of each animal with exceptional skill. He worked with pencil sketches to complete the background, but used paper collages to depict the animals. This method highlights the texture of each animal against a flat backdrop. Due to the restrained text, combined with illustrations that consist of simple shapes and lines, Kang’s stories endure even after the reader has put down the book. His books are not just stories of far away countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Uganda, or of an elephant passing gas on the savannah. Kang’s book ultimately conveys that just like the chaos theory, where a tiny action such as a butterfly fluttering its wings can cause a hurricane, there is nothing too small, unrelated, or inconsequential in the world. A Heartwarming Protagonist: Yoo Jun-jae Yoo Jun-jae, who studied textile arts, received much acclaim for My Ball, published in 2011. He stumbled into illustration when he was offered the chance to design the cover of a magazine while working as a fashion designer. In 2003, he illustrated the text for My Brother Who Went to Mars, but it would be awhile before he would write and illustrate his own picture books. Yoo submitted illustrations of his childhood memories of his father to Pocket Book, a magazine that sporadically publishes the collected drawings and portfolios of illustrators. This was a turning point for Yoo. An editor noticed his work and urged him to create a picture book based on the illustrations. After considerable deliberation, Yoo agreed. My Ball is an autobiographical story. An adult narrator looks back on his life and, through the medium of baseball, remembers the times he spent with his

1. The Stories Shouldn't Be True Kang Gyeongsu, Sigong Junior 2011, 36p, ISBN 9788952760661

2. The Big Fart Kang Gyeongsu, Sigong Junior 2014, 38p, ISBN 9788952780058

father. Similar to many other fathers of the time, Yoo’s father was a reticent and earnest man, a hard-working breadwinner who had little time for fun. The first pages of the book depict this. “My father met my mother through a matchmaker. They were married after going on three dates at Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium.” The story goes on to explain, “My father was always busy. Even when I woke up early in the morning, it was difficult to see him.” Readers are able to sense Yoo’s childhood understanding of his father through his portrayal of a man without a mouth or a man with a long commute from work. The only time Yoo’s father becomes chatty is when he watches baseball games on television. Thus, the son comes to love baseball just like his father. The son's desire to be like his father dominates most of his childhood. However, eventually we all grow up. Our fathers no longer look as great as they once did to our childhood eyes and we no longer watch baseball with our fathers. Just as our fathers have their own lives, so do we have our own paths to choose. By incorporating silk screen a nd lit hograph-ba sed illustrations, Yoo depicts his childhood memories through

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Special Section

1. Inside Mom’s Dreams Yoo Jun-jae Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2013, 40p, ISBN 9788954620796 1

symbols and imaginatives scenes. On its own, silkscreen gives off a stiff appearance, so Yoo used various printing plates as his base and finished off by printing the silkscreen over them. By keeping the final image in mind, and printing the image over and over again, Yoo’s illustrations of his memories of his father appear dim and faded. The writer who wrote about his love for his father is now a father himself. Yoo shows the love he has for his own daughter in Inside Mom's Dreams, published in 2013. A mother scolds her sleepless child who must attend kindergarten the next day, “You are in trouble if you don’t fall asleep by the time I count to ten.” “Don’t open your eyes.” “What kind of child stays up this late to play?” Yet, the daughter cannot fall asleep. Wanting to keep playing in whatever way she can, the young child wants to explore her mother’s dreams. Instantly, the child is able to

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2. My Ball Yoo Jun-jae Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2011, 52p, ISBN 9788954615969

jump into the world of her mother’s dreams. The child eats sandwiches the mother makes, rides airplanes and chases down clouds, tries on lipstick, saves her mother from being eaten by a lion, and visits her father who has traveled all the way to the stars in order to draw a heart in the sky. The daughter's fierce love for her family can be detected when, in order to protect them from falling snowflakes, the girl holds up an umbrella large enough to cover the family home. Through silkscreen and collages, Yoo creates a variegated space bursting with color and possibilities. He is faithful in depicting the unique ability of every child – the ability to blur the boundaries of reality and fantasy. Yoo is no doubt an amazing illustrator, but he must also be an amazing father to be able to understand a child’s heart in such a vivid way. by Han Mihwa

Special Section

Children’s Picture Books

Two Vanguards of Illustration

At the 2013 Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB), the spotlight was on two young Korean artists: Noh In-kyung and Lee Gihoon. Noh and Lee displayed the originality and artistic value of Korean picture books at the event, one of the biggest picture book festivals in the world. Noh In-kyung For her debut, Noh In-kyung received the Award of Excellence at the 2000 International Digital Art Festival. After studying visual design at Hongik University in Seoul, she went on to study at Accademia di Belle Arti Milano in Italy. Among her works, Soso Cancellina was the first to draw attention internationally. For this book, Noh was selected as Illustrator of the Year at the 2012 Bologna Children’s Book Fair. In Soso Cancellina, Soso, who cleans up words in books, receives a phone call from “Anne of Green Gables.” Anne tells her that she can’t stand the part in the book where her hair gets dyed a strange color and requests that it be taken out. Soso uses her vacuum cleaner to remove the dyed hair. As she does, she encounters many words, each of which tries to convince her why it shouldn't be removed, so Soso collects the words and brings them to her room. Through her work, Noh shows her affection for small segmented units: one line, one word, one letter. The author says she is a relatively slow reader, which adults pointed out to her when she was young. But when she reads, she enjoys the feeling of walking along a line of words, so she thought that

she should create a character who “walks on words.” That’s how “Soso the book cleaner” came to be. Soso Cancellina is remarkable for its various images using typography, and the idea of using the Korean script Hangul, a phonogram, by breaking it up like pixels. Above all, the character’s desire to remove parts she doesn’t like is quite lovable. In Mr. Tutti and 100 Water Drops, which received the BIB Golden Apple Award, Noh presents an even more developed pixel art technique. All the illustrations in the book, other than the bicycle, the elephant, and the water drops, are composed of pixels. The trees and the clouds are made up of countless pixels. Children growing up in the digital age are very familiar with pixels. Mr. Tutti, made up of elegant, witty brushstrokes, appears against a backdrop of these countless pixels. When a drought falls and there’s no more water for the children, Mr. Tutti travels far and wide to find water. He returns riding his bicycle, carrying 100 water drops. But the return trip is rough and Mr. Tutti must struggle not to spill a single drop of water. Noh said that as she created Mr. Tutti, she thought of her list_ Books from Korea

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Special Section

1. Mr. Tutti and 100 Water Drops Noh In-kyung Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2012, 56p, ISBN 9788954618618 2. Soso Cancellina Noh In-kyung Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2010, 34p, ISBN 9788954613521

father working hard each day for his family, remembering his long silence after returning home from work, and tried to imagine what his day was like, something he never talked about. While reading this book, children often count to see if there really are 100 water drops, and to see how many pixels there are in the trees and fruits. It’s also interesting to see how the pixels in each image have different shapes. The clear blue of the water drops, amid the black and white of all the other pixels, draws attention to the father’s efforts to safeguard the “precious water drops for the family,” which is both precarious and moving. Lee Gihoon Lee Gihoon, who received the 2013 BIB Children’s Jury Award, is noted for his philosophical works with an apocalyptic feel. The meticulous details and massive scale, making full use of the physical space in the book, catch children’s eyes immediately. That this book would win the highest praise from the fussy children’s jury of Bratislava was not anticipated by the adult judges. What is it about his picture books that appeal so strongly to children? Lee was also selected Illustrator of the Year at the 2010 Bologna Children’s Book Fair. With an affinity for picture books without words, he has continued to push the boundaries of his field. His major works, The Tin Bear and Big Fish, are both picture books without text. Lee felt early on that the tragedies he seeks to communicate are best conveyed through pictures without words, and he clearly demonstrates the power of images accompanied by silence. 20 list_ Books from Korea

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The Tin Bear is a story about humans and nature. Being greedy, humans turn the earth into ruins and leave for the Golden Planet. Before leaving, animals place acorns in the huge tin bear's body. Left behind on the lifeless earth, the tin bear realizes that the last seeds of life lie within himself. To bring the seeds to life, he pours water into his tin body. A noble beauty is found in this act as he tries to cultivate life, even as his own body becomes corroded. A boy who’s also been left on earth, now a concrete desert, puts his trust in the tin bear and eagerly awaits the restoration of life. Various aspects of a megalopolis are superbly recreated in this book. The city that appears in this book could be Seoul, New York, London, or Tokyo.

Big Fish, Lee’s latest work, is intriguing in a different way. If The Tin Bear is a book about the future of civilization, Big Fish is an allegory about humanity's past. Based on flood narratives from around the world, this book solemnly depicts the tragic end of “humans that coveted water.” Big Fish, the main character of the book, is a fish that produces water. Whenever there’s a drought, humans scramble to get their hands on Big Fish. In the end, Big Fish is captured by force. The curse of Big Fish is to spurt out water endlessly. Through pictures, Lee deftly conveys without a single sentence, how this gentle beast comes to express its anger against humans. Works by these two authors show why Korean picture books are leading the field's experimental efforts, both technically and philosophically. Keeping an eye on their work will be the most meaningful way to estimate the future of picture books around the world.

by Kim Ji-eun 1. The Tin Bear Lee Gihoon, Ligem 2012, 50p, ISBN 9788992826846 2. Big Fish Lee Gihoon, BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. 2014, 50p, ISBN 9788949101736

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Interview

Keeping It Real

Children's Book Author Kwon Yoon-duck Kwon Yoon-duck has made her mark on the picture book world with her bold foray into realistic subject matter once thought too serious for children. With original illustrations inspired by traditional East Asian painting techniques, Kwon’s thoughtful artwork complements her playful expression of how a child sees the world. Kim Youngwook: It’s been almost 20 years since Man-hee’s House was published in 1995. You were an activist for community art from the late 1980s to early 90s. How has that experience informed your work with children’s books? Kwon Yoon-duck: After graduate school, I chose to focus on community art rather than fine art painting or the applied arts. That decision was based on my belief that there should be no boundaries between art and everyday life. I wasn’t very happy at the time about how the industry moves art, how pictures are hung primly in art galleries. I wanted for anybody to be able to enjoy art in their daily lives, so I started drawing with the general public in mind. During that time I also grew to believe that children’s books should not ignore the very real problems that exist in society. Children’s book authors should be able to pierce through the web of society cast by the state, power, and institutions—and create something new. I remain confident that children’s books have the power to change society. Flower Grandma stands for that.

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Kim: Flower Grandma also became the subject of a documentary that was shot over the course of the five years you were working on the book from 2007 to 2012. How did that come about? Kwon: At the time, I was writing to Japanese publishers about publishing Flower Grandma in Japan when a friend of mine, a documentary writer from Jeju Island, introduced me to her nephew, director Kwon Hyo. When I was first approached with the project, I had my doubts, but it seemed like a good idea to have a record of the process, so I agreed. I didn’t think back then that it would become a 90-minute feature film. Kim: Could you tell me how you came to make the book about Sim Dal-Yeon? Kwon: I was involved in a collaborative project between Korean, Chinese, and Japanese authors called Picture Books for Peace, and I wanted to do a story about the women who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II, so I read the transcripts of oral testimonies. Sim Dal-Yeon’s testimony was the one that painted the 22 list_ Books from Korea

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1. Man-hee's House Kwon Yoon-duck Gilbut Children Publishing Co., Ltd. 1995, 34 p, ISBN 9788986621105

5. Man-hee’s Letter Bugs Kwon Yoon-duck Gilbut Children Publishing Co., Ltd. 2011, 108p, ISBN 9788955821659

2. Flower Grandma Kwon Yoon-duck Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. 2010, 35p, ISBN 9788958284826

Mommy, I Like These Clothes

Tools at Work

There Dangles a Spider

Pikaia

My Cat Copies Me

Kwon Yoon-duck Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2013, 148p, ISBN 9788936454449 Kwon Yoon-duck Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2005, 30p, ISBN 9788936454104

Kwon Yoon-duck Gilbut Children Publishing Co., Ltd. 2010, 56p, ISBN 9788955820997 Kwon Yoon-duck Gilbut Children Publishing Co., Ltd. 2008, 40p, ISBN 9788955820836 Kwon Yoon-duck Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2003, 38p, ISBN 9788936454036

Interview

"During that time I also grew to believe that children’s books should not ignore the very real problems that exist in society."

Kim Youngwook and children's book author Kwon Yoon-duck

most specific picture for me. Afterwards, I met the transcriber, and later Sim Dal-Yeon herself. I found that even though Sim was not formally educated, she was a born storyteller, but Sim says that when she first came forward as a "comfort woman," she was confused and could not express herself properly. She had become withdrawn from blaming herself for the tragedy and avoided contact with other people. While she has not gotten the apology or restitution she deserves, she has regained her positive energy by working in pressed flower crafts, as suggested by a nonprofit organization, which was also featured in the book. Kim: I understand that many mock-up books of Flower Grandma were made for Japanese publishers. There must have been some negotiation there. Was there a scene or detail you felt you absolutely could not compromise? Kwon: I think that children have the right to know what’s going on in the world where they live. That is the only way they can be prepared to face the inequality of society. By learning about the wrongs of history, they will learn how to cope with the injustices of the world and still hold onto their dreams. With Flower Grandma, the scene I defended to the end was the floor plan of the “comfort station,” where the sex slaves were raped by Japanese soldiers. Ultimately, my purpose was not just to expose the issue of sexual slavery, but also to emphasize the fact that this kind of tragedy can repeat itself at any time, in any part of the world. Kim: In the book, the victims’ faces are drawn, but the Japanese soldiers’ faces are blurred. What was your intention with this? Kwon: I think that the soldiers were also victims, in a way, to the ideology or system of military totalitarianism. I do not think they enlisted and committed evil deeds because they personally wanted to. So that’s the reason that I drew the uniforms, but left the faces as a tan-colored blur. I wanted to call attention to how anonymity acts as a shield for the mindless spread of evil. This kind of thing should never happen again, but there will be people who are capable of such atrocities when they are clad in uniform, when they are at war. We need to know the true faces of those who commit these crimes. It is only then that those who repent 24 list_ Books from Korea

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can hope for our forgiveness. Kim: Let me ask you something a bit different. Working on children’s books must remind you of forgotten memories from your own childhood. What sort of memories have resurfaced for you? Kwon: Memories of the past make up who I am now whether I like it or not, consciously or unconsciously. I draw upon that past in one way or another when I’m working on a children’s book. For me, it’s things like flowers, lace, feathers, marbles, bits of glass, jewels. These are the things I admired as a child, and I liked to draw the beautiful princess dresses that girls wore in comic books when I was growing up. I love Angela Barrett’s work because of her attention to the smallest detail in clothing or interior decorations. Kim: Your first work, Man-hee’s House, shows the interior of a hanok, a traditional Korean house, laid out in a single horizontal line when you open the book. The old furniture and household objects are drawn similarly to how they appear in traditional Korean folk paintings, with great attention to detail. I felt this perspective was quite unusual. Could you elaborate on that? Kwon: I always wanted to show what a hanok looks like in a children’s book. But it didn’t seem like there was much point in showing it as is. I gave it a great deal of thought and decided to show how tradition lives on in our culture today. I was living with my in-laws at the time and they had that kind of house, with a mixture of old and contemporary objects. In the book I wanted to give the impression that the objects were telling their own stories and I wanted to show how time affects the relationship of the family by changing the position of objects in subtle ways. So I made full use of the very subjective, multiple point perspective. Our eyes are not like a camera; they are attached to our faces. The typical perspective is not the right way to express something as we see it with our eyes. When we’re looking at something we turn and twist and sometimes even hop up and down to get a better look. I thought that composing the frame so that the objects were scattered here and there from a multiple point perspective, as if the onlookers were turning their head this way and that, would give the reader a more playful sense of space.

Kim: My Cat Copies Me has already been published in the U.S., France, and Spain. The little girl and the cat’s identical poses are presented side by side of an invisible vertical line, and the color scheme feels very restful. You’ve studied gong bi hua, Chinese landscape painting, and even Buddhist painting; have any of these techniques found their way into this book? Kwon: The little girl in this book stays home by herself all day and imitates her cat, but tells everybody else that the cat copies her. When I was illustrating this book, I did not use shading, which makes things appear as they do in reality. Instead, I drew upon the coloring methods of Buddhist painting, using delicate motifs and bright colors. Kim: Working on the Picture Books for Peace project, you must have had many encounters with Chinese and Japanese authors. How do you think Korean children’s books are different from Chinese and Japanese children’s books, from an artist’s point of view? Kwon: It’s a matter of taste, but I feel like Chinese painting emphasizes elaborate technique and a very tight structure and Japanese painting feels very intricate. Korean painting, on the other hand, is more relaxed. Or to put it another way, it feels comparatively free from rules and is relaxed in a way that suggests intentionally avoiding perfection.

of their skin. Pikaia takes a close-up look at cockroaches’ feelers and wrinkles and asks if humans have the right to exterminate them. At the same time, the question is just how honorable we humans are. Just as nations, systems, and social norms made by man all work to fit us into the type of human being that adapts successfully to a capitalist regime, we are wielding the same kind of violence upon nature, as the scene of the fallen trees shows. I wanted to convey the familiar in an unfamiliar way, to say that ironically, Pikaia survived so long because it was not a superior life form. Kim: To wrap up, what kind of books do you want to write in the future? Kwon: I am interested in structural injustice and the power relationship between countries, and I believe that children’s books should contribute to building new values by calling attention to that injustice and absurdity. With this in mind, I am working on a book that deals with the historical Jeju 4.3 massacre. I would also like to do a book on the Vietnam War. I went on a monthlong research trip to Vietnam, but I have set it aside until I am able to fully process the material. It is only then that I think I will have fully told the story of Flower Grandma. by Kim Youngwook

Kim: In There Dangles a Spider, it feels like different colored spaces of many sizes are being pulled in different directions. I felt there was an abstract conciseness to the way the screen was divided, so to speak. What was your main point of focus there? Kwon: Those are lyrics from the “Tail Song” from Jeju Island; the song lyrics are full of wordplay, so I wanted the pictures to reflect the abstractness of the poetry. And the lyrics gave me many colors to work with: the black crow, the white rabbit, the blue sky, and so on. I was most concerned with how to express those things abstractly, while ensuring that the colored spaces would convey a sense of rhythm that complemented the lyrics. Kim: Man-hee’s Letter Bugs also deals with wordplay and playfulness. Where did these wonderful ideas come from? Kwon: I got most of my ideas when my son, Man-hee, was young. Once, on the first day of sunshine after lots of rain, he said that he couldn’t bear the grating sound an umbrella makes when it drags on concrete. His reaction to such a specific sound gave me an idea, so we made up a game using bright vowels and dark vowels, onomatopoeia, and mimetic words. Kim: Honestly, Pikaia was shocking. It made me wonder if you wanted this book to tell the stories you held back in Flower Grandma. It felt like you were addressing the human condition. Kwon: In this book, the reader, who may very well be an adult, is asked to look at something familiar in an unfamiliar way. I wanted to create an unsettling feeling by asking whether it is normal and right to spray cockroaches, or step on them to kill them. Cockroaches may not have bones in their bodies, but they have evolved so that their bones are actually on the outside

Overseas publications by Kwon Yoon-duck

Kwon Yoon-duck (b.1960) is a leading first generation children’s

writer and illustrator who pursues her own worldview. She studied landscape painting and fine brush painting in Beijing during the late 1990s, and investigated Buddhist and colored paintings during the late-2000s. Kwon wrote and illustrated Man-hee’s House, There Dangles a Spider, My Cat Copies Me, Flower Grandma, and Pikaia.

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Excerpt

Flower Grandma by Kwon Yoon-duck

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Flower Grandma Kwon Yoon-duck Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. 2010, 35p, ISBN 9788958284826

A few days later, a line of soldiers formed outside the door. One of them came inside...and then he left. Then another came in, and left again. She couldn't count how many of them came and went in one day. What happened inside that little room? Thirteen-year-old Flower Grandma's undergarments were stained with blood. How did Flower Grandma survive through those days?

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Interview

The Man Who Loved Moebius Novelist Choi Jae-hoon

Truth and falsity, fiction and reality, stories inside stories, and stories outside stories all meet and are reconstructed in Choi Jae-hoon’s work. It is both “stranger than fiction” and a smorgasbord of “too strange to be false”-reality, storytelling, and imagination that goes beyond even the wildest fiction.

Suh Heewon, “To sleep is to die, and to dream”

∞ Prologue All types of love exist in the world. There are even people that are in love with shoes, stockings, corpses, and baseball bats. Love operates in mysterious ways, so it’s not surprising to meet a man in love with Moebius. Or more accurately, a man in love with the Moebius strip. Enthralled by the curious ribbon that is both many and one, one and many (try cutting the strip laterally), Choi Jae-hoon’s writing resembles the object of his love. That is to say, it is twisted.

Suh Heewon: You didn’t become a novelist right away. You majored in business administration, but went on to study creative writing after graduation, rather than work at a company. Then afterwards, you worked at your alma mater on the administrative staff. Fast forward a few years, you quit your job to devote more time to writing and then got your first book published a year later. How did you come back to literature from the brink of worldly success? Choi Jae-hoon: I wasn’t very interested in fulfilling my own desires. I thought, isn’t it enough to let life take its natural course? I could’ve just been someone who liked reading, but my military service changed me. I became more realistic about what I wanted to do, so to speak. Living a highly controlled and disciplined lifestyle made me look back at my life and desires. When I went back to school, I started reading more than ever, mostly classics. I would make lists of books to read and kept my own notes on them. Suh: There’s a saying in Korea, “One becomes a man when he goes to the army.” Going to the army is thought of as the first step to entering the real world. You’ve said that you first experienced society in the army and spent the time there reflecting on yourself. This must be the kind of perspective that differentiates an artist. As someone who got his start in art through voracious reading, what books made an impression on you in your youth? Choi: Like most people, I was strictly a reader at first. I thought

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Baron Quirval’s Castle

From the Sleep of Babes

Choi Jae-hoon Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2010, 304p, ISBN 9788932020525 Choi Jae-hoon Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 372p, ISBN 9788932024578

3. Seven Cat Eyes Choi Jae-hoon Jaeum & Moeum Publishing Co. 2011, 378p, ISBN 9788957075418 4.

Sept yeux de chats Choi Jae-hoon Editions Philippe Picquier 2014, 326p, ISBN 9782809709810

Interview

"When I quit my job, I looked at my bank account and decided I could do nothing but write and still live off my savings for two years. So for one year, I just wrote." writer Choi Jae-hoon and critic Suh Heewon

that writing was for people with a special gift. The book that first made me think that I too could write was J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. I think there’s a kind of trigger in that book that brings something out in the reader. I later learned that the book is a favorite among assassins. I thought that was a striking coincidence. You could say that that book assassinated my other self, the me that was living peacefully, and the person I am now survived to write books. Suh: How did you begin your life as a writer? Choi: I began learning about fiction and started writing in earnest when I entered the creative writing department. But I had very different ideas about writing from what we were taught. I was an oddball. Remember, that was the era of Shin Kyung-sook, Jo Kyung-ran, Ha Seong-nan. It was all about the descriptive novel, and that was how we were told to write. I was more interested in the fiction of writers like Baek Min-seok. When I quit my job, I looked at my bank account and decided I could do nothing but write and still live off my savings for two years. So for one year, I just wrote. The next year, I began writing to submit. “Baron Quirval’s Castle,” the first story I ever published, was the first one I wrote after quitting my job. That was when I wrote stories like “The Hidden Cases of Sherlock Holmes,” “Her Knot,” and “Maria, You Know What, Maria.” Suh: Since becoming an author, you’ve published a collection of short stories and two novels. The reception you’ve received from readers and critics has afforded you such prolificacy. You don’t describe the psychological or situational in your writing, but rely on the narrative at all costs, and this narrative has a geometrical structure, or as you’ve call it, “odd.” How do you plan your novels and work out your thought process? Choi: I don’t have any special method, nothing very different. When I have an idea I don’t write it up immediately. I keep it in mind and turn it around in my head as much as I can. I twist the narrative in different ways, do research, and focus my thoughts. Sometimes I’ll cut everything up according to 30 list_ Books from Korea

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character and narrative thread. I line up everything in my head and then put it all together again in a completely different way. I only write after I’ve exhausted those possibilities. Suh: You say it takes genius to immediately hash out a story from an idea and that you’re hopelessly lazy and talentless. But is there only one kind of genius? If there is such a thing as genius by inspiration, then there must be such a thing as genius by planning. Inspiration appears and vanishes like a muse, but planning must look like a person who is dead set on working through everything without fail. What kind of blueprint do you use in your planning, then? Choi: If I had to name a blueprint I would have to say, I saw the etchings of Maurits Cornelis Escher when I was very young. Then in university, I learned his name and was able to properly view his works. What I saw was the static space that was constantly in movement, the way life moves endlessly only to come full circle, both perpetual motion and motion that converges to nothingness. I’ve read that Escher worked in a mathematical way to achieve this kind of space. So do I. The critic Nam Jin-woo once wrote about me, “He paradoxically creates chaos through the play of pushing the intellect.” That’s the kind of world I want to depict. Chaos in differential calculus, chaos in equilibrium, the infinite flickering of nature. All of my characters stand in an Escherian space, so to speak. Suh: Escherian space. The progress of a novel depends on the narrative. Can there be a narrative of chaos, a labyrinth without an exit? One of the greatest mazes known to man, the labyrinth of Daedalus, was designed to imprison the half-man, half-bull Minotaur. Ariadne ties a string to her lover, Theseus, however, and helps him escape safely. Ariadne’s thread is an excellent metaphor for narrative. Without narrative, the sentences of a novel turn into a labyrinth. The reader is lost and forgets what they have been reading. In that sense, there can be fiction that is like a maze, but not fiction that is a maze in itself. What is it that you want to achieve with fiction?

Choi: I don’t think about conveying meaning through fiction. When I was a child, I wanted to be an artist. I gave up that dream when I realized that dreams and talent aren’t the same thing. What I’m doing is painting a kind of picture out of the narrative and the sentences. I want to show the reader a picture of the chaos that’s the result of my thoughts. Suh: A Moebius band-like narrative, multi-layered plot, multiple personalities, and closed circuit-like mazes are all elements that characterize your fiction and also ref lect your experience as a Korean writer. Korea is the soil that nourished the boy that was impressed by Escher and turned him into the writer Choi Jae-hoon. What are your thoughts about being labeled a Korean writer who writes from a Korean perspective? Choi: Korea moved towards a modern, democratic, capitalistic society in a very compressed time frame. The subsequent societal changes have been dramatic and cutthroat competition has become the norm. If things like our strength in IT or the Korean Wave are the positive manifestations of that energy, then the negative manifestations of that energy are how barren our inner emotional lives are, our mindless pursuit of trends, our humanitarian crisis. We didn’t have the time to acclimate to such change, to assign meaning to it. I think we should keep an eye on how this will play out in the future. Korea could be the poster child for a future society where speed is everything. Suh: You count Seven Cat Eyes as your favorite work. It’s a novel composed of four connected stories, the writing is equally eclectic. Can you tell me about it? Choi: When I wrote Seven Cat Eyes, my intent was to express everything that I had in my writing. To put my whole self into the blender, turn it on, and see what happens. The result is 100 percent Choi Jae-hoon juice, so to speak. (Laughs) People don’t believe it when I say so, but I didn’t have a particular message when writing this novel. I was more concerned with the feeling. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the title as well. I think, or rather, what I feel, is that the number three means balance. Three cats, six eyes. What’s the other eye, then? That eye is the eye of balance, an outside perspective, or the perspective of the unconscious. I looked at myself and my thoughts through that perspective. Now I’d like to write about something that gets under my skin from the outside, not something that comes out of me. Suh: I was intrigued by the last scene of your latest work, From the Sleep of Babes. The narrative is divided into dreams and reality; the character driving both narratives embarks on a journey to solve a mystery, but the end waiting for him is his own sudden death rather than a solution. Like Detective Erik Lönnrot in the Borges story “Death and the Compass,” the protagonist of From the Sleep of Babes rushes to the scene to solve a murder mystery only to become the victim of a premeditated crime. What was it that you wanted to say with this ending?

to offer it as a kind of salvation, so I had the main character get hit by a car and crucified, formulaic as that is. My goal was to create a kind of portrait of the modern person. People are beings that deviate from the balance of nature. Man made God to compensate for the freedom and loneliness that comes with that deviation. Religion is a gym for the soul, comfort for humans who don’t have anything else to turn to. From the Sleep of Babes is the culmination of my thoughts on these ideas written in narrative form. Did you enjoy reading it? ∞ Epilogue Did I enjoy it? Before answering, I should elaborate on “Death and the Compass” by Borges. In the story, Detective Erik Lönnrot chases Red Scharlach, a criminal who has sworn to kill him. The brilliant Lönnrot interprets signs left by the killer, following crime scenes to get closer to the man committing the murders. Lönnrot figures out that the three murders were committed in times and places that correspond to a perfect triangle, and rushes to the scene of the last crime. There he meets a waiting Scharlach and realizes that he has fallen into a trap. Sensing that the end is near, Lönnrot asks Scharlach to build him a different kind of labyrinth, should he ever hunt him again. The last sentence of the story is worth quoting: "The next time I kill you," said Scharlach "I promise you the labyrinth made of the single straight line which is invisible and everlasting." Choi Jae-hoon is a Scharlach of our times. As the criminal genius promised, his labyrinth is made with a straight line: an invisible, everlasting labyrinth. The man’s love affair with the Moebius strip, that simplest yet most philosophical of complex mazes, appears to be here to stay. The pain of his struggles, however, is no doubt a blessing for his readers. by Suh Heewon

Choi Jae-hoon (b.1973) made his literary debut when he won the new writer’s award from Literature and Society in 2007. His works include Baron Quirval’s Castle, Seven Cat Eyes, and From the Sleep of Babes.

Choi: For me, the death itself was not important. I wanted list_ Books from Korea

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Excerpt

Seven Cat Eyes by Choi Jae-hoon Recipe for Revenge 1

Schubert: String Quartet No.14 in D Minor, D.810, “Death and the Maiden.” The Munch painting of the same name graces the cover of the CD. The naked maiden and the skeleton man kissing as they embrace each other. The maiden’s flesh glows pink. Red tresses cascade down the supple curves of her back and shoulders. Her demurely closed eyes seem to be fluttering. The wan skeleton man looks pitifully frail next to the buxom maiden. His bony claws can barely contain her sturdy waist. He tries to retreat, pushing his hips awkwardly backward. The maiden has thrown her sleek arms around his neck, however, and shows no sign of letting go. Her plump breasts press firmly against his bony ribcage. The man flips the CD over to examine the back. He adds up the time of all the movements, checking each carefully with a latex-gloved fingertip. 38 minutes 28 seconds. He glances at his watch and turns to look out the window. The clouds have just parted to show the pale face of the crescent moon. That’s a bit long…The man turns around, fanning himself with the CD. Another man is lying down on the single bed pushed against the wall. His posture is as unnatural as that of a corpse on a slab, lying straight on his back facing the ceiling. A briefcase lies ajar next to the pillow, showing the portable respiratory equipment crammed inside. The tube connected to the aluminum oxygen tank coils over the man’s chest and disappears inside his open mouth. The f luorescent light glints in his pupils, drooping eyelids giving them the appearance of being sliced in half. “You like Schubert?” The man slides the disk inside the portable CD player on the desk without bothering to wait for an answer. He presses play and the air fills with the sound of faint static. Majestic cello strains signal the beginning of the first movement. The man stands with his hands behind his back, listening to the string quartet. He taps his left finger smartly in time with the music. “There was also a movie called Death and the Maiden, perhaps you’ve heard of it? A Roman Polanski movie starring Sigourney Weaver. I think they called it The Truth in Korea. Supposedly it was better for the box office that way. What kind of title is that, though? …Stupid, really. No death, no maiden, just the truth.” The man comes over and plops down on the bed next to the prone figure. The movement sends a tremor through the other man’s body like a raft rocked by the waves. “The movie is set in some South American country that just became a democracy after years under a fascist regime. The main character used to be a student activist and she has post traumatic stress disorder now from all the torture she suffered. While blindfolded, she was raped and subjected to electric shocks over and over again by this torturer. He always put on Schubert’s

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“Death and the Maiden” while he was doing it. They really did that in South America, you know. The victims could never bear that music afterwards, all their lives. Pavlovian reaction.” The man fixes his eyes on the dark mildew stains in the corner where two of the walls and the ceiling met. “The regime was finally overthrown and she gets married to another activist, a lawyer. Except she’s not over what happened to her. She’s afraid to go anywhere and lives like a recluse in this lonely house by the sea. I guess it would be surprising if she was okay after all that. Anyway. There’s this terrible storm one day, and her husband gets a ride home from this doctor because his car broke down. The husband invites him in for a drink and she’s in the bedroom, listening to them talking. You see where this is going? Yes, she’s positive this doctor is the same guy who tortured her. She never saw his face, but she recognizes his voice, the way he talks, the sound of his laugh. What really cinches it is a tape of “Death and the Maiden” in his car. Time for revenge. I never miss a movie about revenge if I can help it.” The speakers play on, the melody of the two violins zipping across the small room as nimbly as a pond skater on water. “She waits until he falls asleep to tie him up, and now it’s her turn to interrogate him. Holding a gun to his head. She just wants one thing: his confession. So poetic. But the doctor refuses to acknowledge he did anything. He insists that he had nothing to do with the military regime, that he was living abroad at the time. The husband doesn’t know who to believe either, because he knows his wife has a history of hysteria. So who’s telling the truth? The “trial” goes on all night, but the doctor won’t admit doing anything. She finally tells him he’s getting the death penalty anyway and drags him to this cliff on the seaside. The doctor is staring down at the waves crashing on the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. The sun is coming up when he finally confesses the truth. All of the atrocious things he did, the sweet taste of power in the torture chamber, how much he missed it all. Now we’re just waiting to see if she carries out the sentence. She doesn’t say anything, just…lets him go. “I don’t like this ending at all. The truth, what does that change? I’m not saying it’s useless. I’m just saying it’s like a painting in the museum. Like the "Mona Lisa," "Starry Night," "The Kiss"…It’s a beautiful thing, for sure. You go to see it and experience the aura. Experience a little uplifting of the soul. Of course it’s going to be plunged in the gutter as soon as you exit the museum, but still. But scars are different. Scars are just for you. They’re there to remind you to never forget how you got this scar. She should have pushed the doctor off that cliff. It’s the only thing to do. The only decent thing you can do for an old friend like a scar.” The man twists his head to look down at the other man lying in a frozen position. A reflection of his face appears in the dry pupils under half-open eyelids. “You can’t move a muscle, can you? Or close your eyes. Don’t worry. You’ve just had an injection of a muscle relaxant. It’s used in surgery with anesthesia to cut the muscles off from the nervous system. Much easier to cut and slice and dig around the human body when the muscles are relaxed. You’re still conscious, though, aren’t you? You can hear well, too. Why don’t you just relax and enjoy the Schubert? I’m going to push you off the cliff anyway when this masterpiece is over.”

After a short pause, the second movement starts. A doleful tune oozes over the f loor and wraps itself around the man’s ankles. “Andante con moto. Slowly, but with motion. 26 minutes, 58 seconds to go. In the meantime, let me tell you about myself. I assume you want to know something about the person who’s going to kill you, am I right? Don’t worry; I shan’t waste your time with all the boring details.” The man rolls up his left sleeve and shoves his arm in front of the captive’s face. A long, jagged scar runs across it. “See this? I’m just going to tell you about this scar.” He rolls his sleeve back down and buttons the cuff. “I was nine when I had my first seizure. I was thumbing through The Brothers Karamazov at the bookstore. Dostoyevsky. I was always a precocious child. Now that I think back, that precociousness was my body setting up a defense mechanism of sorts. I had to learn how the world works earlier than others. Anyway, I was holding that book in my hand when I lost consciousness, and when I woke up I was in the emergency room. They said the ambulance crew brought me there because I suddenly collapsed and was having a seizure. I had nine stitches above my right eyebrow where I fell and banged my head on the corner of the bookcase. I was still in a daze. The confusing part was my mother’s reaction. She didn’t say a word, not when we were listening to the doctor’s explanation, not on the way home while she held me by the hand. I remember I was touching the bandage on my forehead, and I looked up and saw the sad lines around her mouth. “I learned the reason that evening. Mother sat me and my younger sister down and explained what had happened to Father. He choked to death on his own vomit because he had an epileptic attack when he was home alone. Not because of carbon monoxide poisoning from a coal heating briquette, like she had told us before. We just nodded. It didn’t change the fact that he was dead, anyway. But we kept quiet because Mother was being so serious. There were no funny questions when she started giving first-aid instructions. Lay him on his side so the spittle doesn’t go down his throat, clear the area of any dangerous objects, loosen any buttons or belts or tight clothing, stay by his side until the seizures stop, etc., etc. And she made my sister promise to never leave my side when she wasn’t home to watch me. My sister just pouted. Mother was away almost every day because she cleaned houses. “Actually it’s quite rare to die of an epileptic attack. That’s exactly what happened to Mother with Father, though, so it’s understandable that she was so vigilant about it. The sight of me must have been a living reminder of her husband left alone in his room, choking to death, and all the guilt she carried afterwards for that. Which became my sister’s to carry from then on. Once she came home from work early and found me alone in the house. It was bad luck that my sister had chosen that day to go play with her friends. Mother used the bamboo duster on her calves until they were black and blue and kicked her out of the house. On a snowy day, without any proper clothes. I lay on my stomach reading Notes from Underground and I heard her crying from outside the window. Mommy, I’m sorry, Mommy, I’m sorry, Mommy… “My sister and I are fraternal twins, born on the same day to

the hour. But we were different from each other. A lot different. She was always laughing, good with people—she and Mother could be fighting one minute and she could have her laughing the next—she was passionate about the normal teenage things, like boy bands, and she would always try out new things even if she didn’t have the patience to finish them…She was born to light up a room wherever she went. It helped that she was a beauty, unlike me. Grandmother Samshin must have had a cataract in one eye when she was blessing us. She gave all the good stuff to my sister, and all the crappy stuff to me. Stuff like epilepsy.” The man taps his foot in time with the rhythm of the music, checks the digital screen of the player for the time elapsed. “Mother’s first-aid lesson turned out to be handy. For some reason, I was always having seizures when it was just the two of us at home. It made her quite protective of me. I could be eating dinner, watching TV, having a bath…and I’d go out like a light, just like that. Like a fuse blowing out. And when I came to my senses there she would be, looking down at me with her clear eyes. She’d smile and say, "Hi there." Those words were like a message of rebirth to me. That I had a new fuse, that it wasn’t my time yet. She looked like a saint to me, with the halo of the fluorescent lamp hanging on the ceiling above her head. She was so dazzling it hurt my eyes to look at her. I would be lying there on the ground, twitching like a bug somebody stepped on, and she would be sitting there quietly, watching her other half foaming at the mouth, eyes rolling back into his head, limbs flailing, shitting his pants when he lost control of his sphincter. I wonder what she thought of it all? “I’m sure she must have had her share of complaints. She was just a kid who should’ve been hanging out with her friends, and she was stuck at home all day because of me. My guardian angel from the day we were born. I was thankful for her, and I felt sorry for her. But there was always something dark and sticky lurking under the surface of my human feelings. Spreading like some cancerous growth, taking over my entire body…Oh, I knew him well.” The man gazes at the cover of the CD. The maiden’s arm seems to tighten around the skeleton man’s neck, choking him. A glimpse of fear wells up in his dark, empty sockets. [……] translated by Cho Yoonna

Seven Cat Eyes Choi Jae-hoon Jaeum & Moeum Publishing Co. 2011, 378p, ISBN 9788957075418

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Theme Lounge

SNS,

the Double-edged Sword In the past, information spread through traditional media such as television and newspapers, but with the advent of social networking services and widespread Internet connectivity, most anyone can access and disseminate so-called news and share opinions with the world. Writers explore the ways new media affects the lives of the young and disaffected.

SNS and Chirashi Advertisement: Dangerous Rumors, which opened on February 20, 2014, is a Korean film that turns the spotlight on the seamy underbelly of the Korean Internet. The original title in Korean is Chirashi, a word most Koreans are familiar with but merits explanation for readers from different cultures. The term chirashi, also sometimes used to refer to the stock market, is used in this case to refer to discreetly circulated newsletters of blind items, typically concerned with defaming public figures such as celebrities or politicians. In Korean, the word chirashi means “flyer.” While a flyer can be an advertisement for anything, in Korea, the Japanese loanword chirashi usually refers to cheap flyers handed out on the street. Nowadays the word is increasingly used to refer to blind gossip rather than its more prosaic meaning. To be fair, spreading gossip and sharing rumors is practically a human instinct. The problem is that this “instinct” has gained lightning speed and devastating power, thanks to social networking services (SNS). Unlike the pre-Internet days, when gossip was spread by word of mouth, gossip in the digital world spreads at a speed that has nothing to do with its veracity. At some point, people began sharing chirashi on SNS such as Facebook or Kakao Talk (a popular Korean instant messaging app) and the effects have been monstrous. Conversely, the increasing number of celebrity lawsuits

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brought on by rumors spread via SNS attests to the relentless efficiency of such new media. Internet connectivity in Korea is remarkably fast and widespread. When asked what they find the most inconvenient when traveling in another country, the overwhelming response of Koreans was the speed of the Internet and Wi-Fi. Constantly being connected and able to access information at record speeds has paved solid ground for social networking services to take root in Korean culture. What has been the Korean response to this phenomenon and how has it been reconstructed in Korean culture?

Cool Media and Detached Relationships “Hanseon knew about Sujin’s comings and goings in New Jersey through Facebook and he could also keep tabs on what kind of people she was meeting. From time to time he would drop a comment of some sort on her posts. But those occasions dwindled over time and Sujin’s posts about her daily life became less frequent as well. A week passed with no news from Sujin. She was not answering his calls. She replied to texts long after he sent them, only to say that she was busy now and would contact him later. Hanseon began entering Sujin’s information in Google. Things like her name, national identification number, address, and phone number. It was almost too easy to find out who she was marrying and where. Her friends were sharing the news on Cyworld, Twitter, and Facebook. At first, he had only set out to collect information about the wedding, but the search engine dredged up her activities in America as well. She had gone out with a white man with the last name of McGuiness, a man who had been divorced once.” (Kim Young-ha, “Trip”)

Kay packed, Summer went on Facebook, Dan read a collection of poems by Lorca in Spanish, and Lena stayed in her room and talked continuously on the phone.” For young people, going on Facebook has become merely another way of killing time. Or perhaps it is more accurate to call it a habit, so they “sit gazing into their iPads for hours, going home to make instant noodles when hunger strikes, go back on Facebook, and later in their beds, bored and unable to sleep, message a friend asking if they are awake.” To them, Facebook is more than just a plaything to pass the time, rather it has become a means of communication. Apple Kim once said in an interview, “curiosity, envy, and marvel are the sentiments that rule the world of SNS.” Presumably these are the emotions that fuel the SNS addiction of her characters of In Heaven. In this respect, the use of Twitter in Oh Hyun-jong’s Sweet, Cold is even more shocking. A girl and a boy meet in a cram school for students retaking their university entrance exams and later plot to kill the girl’s mother over Twitter. As it is necessary that no one should be able to trace their relationship, they do not follow each other and exchange messages in code. They agree that

In Kim Young-ha’s short story “Trip,” from the collection None the Wiser, a university lecturer keeps in touch with his girlfriend through Facebook when she goes to study in the U.S. but stops commenting on her posts as their relationship fizzles out. He obtains important personal information about her with ease on social networking sites like Facebook and Cyworld, such as the news of her upcoming nuptials. But that is only the beginning. He also finds out about the men she went out with after breaking up with him and digs up the personal details of the divorced man she dated before meeting her fiancé. In some ways SNS serve as a voluntary Panopticon. Personal news shared at one time or another is swept up in a stream of data and trickles down to strangers. In the world of SNS, people compete for exposure, spending a lot of time and energy sharing what they eat, wear, and think in a limited number of characters. This kind of exposure, however, can hardly show what an individual is actually like. Social networking services have degenerated into a space for curating one’s image, including one’s political opinions. Conservatives and progressives alike fill SNS word limits with sensational phrases. They are compelled to share, not because they have important information, but because SNS exist as a place where they must log on and literally create their identity. Novelist Apple Kim's In Heaven depicts the 20-somethings of this generation: “The four hung around the house killing time until night fell.

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Theme Lounge

Sweet, Cold

In Heaven

Oh Hyun-jong Minumsa, 2013, 202p ISBN 9788937473029 Apple Kim Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2013, 349p, ISBN 9788936434069

3 1

3. None the Wiser Kim Young-ha Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2010, 300p, ISBN 9788954611763

The brevity of writing on SNS also affects how people now approach serious literature.

tweeting the mention, “the bonfire dances,” will serve as their signal that the murder has begun. For them, Twitter is a public space where they can remain anonymous behind coded messages. This kind of SNS usage also appears in film. In The Five, a movie adapted from a webtoon, chat rooms are used for conspirators to plot and monitor their crimes. Instead of calling or texting each other, members simply share their progress in a group chat. Far more realistic is the use of SNS in movies like A Very Ordinary Couple. Here, couples use SNS to share their love for each other online. Twenty years ago, jilted lovers stalked their exes by hacking the password to their voice mail, but in the 2010s people hack their ex’s social network accounts in order to get information on who their ex is dating, such as their age, email, and phone number, as depicted in Kim Young-ha’s story. But does this kind of connection bear any resemblance to human contact? What if, thanks to the digital footprint we are leaving on SNS, we are unnecessarily leaking our personal information around the web? Is it possible that we are entrusting too much of our memories to digital signals that, in the end, can be obliterated by the click of a delete button? We live in an age where people can steal the ID and profile pictures of others and pass them off as their own, a form of digital identity theft that has become a legitimate social problem. The perpetrators of these crimes routinely profess that they stole the images because their online image was more important than portraying who they really are.

The Power of Speech and SNS According to a story run by The Economist, there are studies that have shown that the more people used Facebook, the more it lowered the satisfaction they felt about their own lives. Voyeuristically following others’ lives on Facebook resulted in increased feelings of jealousy, social anxiety, loneliness, and depression. Indeed, it is nothing short of absurd that so many of

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us seek validation from how many “likes” we get. The brevity of writing on SNS also affects how people now approach serious literature. To readers accustomed to reading only short spurts at a time on the small screens of their phones, long and complex sentences can begin to look like nothing more than incomprehensible blobs of text. Nonetheless, the power of speech on SNS cannot be overlooked. When this power is used negatively, it may only be good for mongering gossip or leaking personal information, but when it is used positively, SNS does provide a very important platform for free speech. The political influence of SNS was most dramatically illustrated, of course, by the Jasmine Revolution. The call for truth overwhelmed oppression and spread throughout the world on SNS. Closer to home than the Jasmine Revolution, the political impact of SNS can be witnessed in Korean politics as well. The confessions and testimonials on political correctness that flood Korean SNS are sometimes held up as representative of the voice of the Korean public. Lately, however, the general consensus is that Korean SNS are now dominated by a few loudmouths and their disputes. Rightly so, considering that moderation is a virtue few seem to be concerned with on SNS. Only the most provocative tweets from the extreme right or extreme left garner any attention, while people with moderate or skeptical views find themselves increasingly marginalized. The same principle applies to Facebook, where people “friend” those with similar political views. The opinions they share on SNS are more often about seeking confirmation than exchanging different points of view. SNS, however, are still developing as tools of communication. The relationships we cultivate online may turn out to be poison or panacea, depending on how we wield the double-edged sword of SNS. by Kang Yu-jung

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Reviews Fiction

Prodigal Son Returns The Man on the Tip of the Tongue Baek Min-seok Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 256 p, ISBN 9788932024684

“I saw God on the tip of my tongue. God was walking in silence with his hair on fire. God did not look like any man that I knew. Nobody I knew had flaming hair like his. Nobody walked on the tip of tongues bearing fire on their head. Never had I met anyone who walked in such absolute silence as God. No one had hair that burned so perfectly.” (“The Man on the Tip of the Tongue”) Baek Min-seok ’s collection of short stories, The Man on the Tip of the Tongue, feels like the mature confession of a prodigal son who has put his wild, young ways behind him. Out of the nine stories in the collection, this is particularly true of the title story. "The Man on the Tip of the Tongue" tells the story of god and man. It is not the story of an almighty god rescuing helpless men, however, but of a fake god created by men and the men that are rescued by that fake god. This collection marks the return of the prodigal son of the Korean literary world, Baek Min-seok, after 10 years of silence. During those years, enormous changes have come to pass in the world and countless stories have been written, but the general consensus is that few have succeeded in replacing Baek Minseok’s singular brand of subversion. Since the 1990s, many novelists have written works that are directly or indirectly

indebted to Baek, but most of them have merely served to point out how irreplaceable of an author Baek Minseok is. For this reason, his most recent collection has been hailed by many as his “release.” At first glance, “The Man on the Tip of the Tongue” reads like a travelogue of India, but the scope of exploration represented transcends the boundaries of earthly countries. Pursuing the dry record of grotesque landscapes, the reader soon realizes that this world, seething with silent desires, is none other than purgatory. The story is an exploration of that old sanctum of anthropology, the desire towards deities. A lso included in the collection is a story called “The Emoticons of Love and Hate.” Call it an apology for disappearing and not writing for 10 years, but Baek's use of emoticons (read horizontally, as is Korean practice) may well hold up as an example of 21st century writing. The author certainly makes use of digital parlance fluently in this story. It is revealed that he was once incapable of expressing emotions other than those of joy, anger, sadness, and pleasure as expressed by the most basic emoticons: >.< -.,- ㅜ.ㅜ ^.^. But then he experienced a numbing of emotions that made it difficult for him to make faces other than the most basic expression of: •.•. It caused him much despair that readers around him freely

expressed emotions as evolved as (^(oo)^) or (∼.^). Perhaps it would be too much to call this the literary sublimation of the despair and hatred he experienced as an author during the time of his selfimposed retirement, compounded by illness and death in his family, as well as a long battle with depression, but it is definitely a jocose example of how a once frighteningly serious author has begun to include humor and wit in his arsenal. Ot her storie s in t he col lect ion include the familiar landscape of slums from the author’s childhood in “The Birth of Violence,” as well as unusual situations inserted into ordinary life to surreal effect in “Nineteen-Eighties-Style Barricade” and “A Just, Eternal, and Allencompassing Peace.” by Uh Soo-woong

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Reviews Fiction

Revising the Unwritten Mi of April, Sol of July Kim Yeonsu Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2013, 360p, ISBN 9788954622905

Writing a novel is more about planning, physical endurance, and diligence than it is about inspiration. For author Kim Yeonsu, writing novels is a process of selfdevelopment. After multiple revisions, Kim's finished stories read like the intimate words of an accomplished raconteur. There are 11 stories in Mi of April, Sol of July. Among them, I would like to highlight the story, “What Can Be Written in Blue Ink.” The protagonist of this story is a 40-year-old novelist who, while undergoing cancer treatment, meets an 83-year-old fellow patient with an IV running into his arm. Unsolicited, the old man begins to share his life story with the protagonist. The elderly gentleman is Jung Daewon, a novelist and North Korean defector who once attended Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang but eventually graduated from Seoul National University. Rather than being interested in Jung’s unique experience of having attended university in both North and South Korea, the protagonist is fascinated by this old

Before He Chooses Death Why Didn’t I Die? Choi Jin-young, Silcheonmunhak 2013, 248p, ISBN 9788939207103

Choi Jin-young’s first novel, The Name of the Girl Who Passed By You was awarded the 15th Hankyoreh Literary Award in 2010, bringing her great recognition. The main character, who runs away from her violent father and helpless mother, wanders around the world trying to find her “real mother.” Following Endless Song (2011), Choi’s third novel, Why Didn’t I Die?, features a main character who is as strong and controversial as the character in her first novel, “Wondo is like the snuck-out garbage thrown in a secluded place in a black plastic bag.” He is found pocketing money from the bank where he works and after his business fails, his wife and daughter leave him and he is on the run. Although he “has lost everything in the blink of an eye,” and thinks it would be better if he just died, he does not commit 40 list_ Books from Korea

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suicide. This is not due to his attachment to life, rather he postpones his death while reviewing his life in order to look for “the decisive moment…the one moment when my life went wrong.” In his first memory, his father killed himself in front of six-year-old Wondo. After that, subsequent memories follow: his mother’s neglect of her own son since she was too busy volunteering for orphans and the aged; his friend Jang Minseok from the orphanage, who got all his mother’s love and affection instead of Wondo; and women whom he had loved. These memories, which are as painful as dying, ironically wind up delaying Wondo’s suicide plans. Wondo’s inner voice stands out in bold letters, effectively emphasizing his confused mind. by Choi Jae-bong

man’s writing. Jung tries to revise his story, which was written in red ink, with blue ink, but fails to write down a single new word. Perhaps this story is an allegory for life. Although we strive mightily, there are just some things that we cannot write down. Life cannot be fully understood through the mind or the heart, no matter how hard we struggle, but during our time on Earth we make touching efforts to come to grips with it. In his story, Jung writes, "Life's truths are a light drizzle that can only be seen against a dark sky." by Uh Soo-woong

Reviews Fiction

Award-winning Stories Collected The Taste of Summer Ha Seong-nan Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 368p, ISBN 9788932024493

Three out of the 10 stories included in Ha Seong-nan’s collection of short stories, The Taste of Summer, are major literary awardwinning pieces. Ha Seong-nan is a leading Korean writer, representative of Korean aesthetics in literary short fiction. Including the award-winning pieces, the stories that appear in this collection share several motifs. The first noticeable motif is the existence of an economically incapable head of household. “The Time of Alpha,” “Rhetorical Expressions from that Summer,” and “April Fools’ Day in 1968” are good examples of this first motif, along with “Needless to Mention a Pig.” In “The Time of Alpha,” a father quits his teaching job and idly wanders the entire country, supposedly to run a new business, and in “Rhetorical Expressions from that Summer,” a father leaves his family for a small town in the country and opens a store there. After his family experiences an emergency, they go to see him at his store in the small town and observe their father alone while he boils summer potatoes on a

small stove. Another motif is the doppelgänger. This motif is used effectively in “The Story of Two Women” to depict the main character’s compassion and guilt about the May 1980 uprising in the southern city of Gwangju, as well as in “Why Did She Go to Suncheon?” in order to bring attention to social problems such as kidnapping and human trafficking. The final motif is food: peaches in the title story; curry in “Curry on the Border”; and pork belly in “Needless to Mention a Pig.” Food is also a reference point for subtle but clever wit hiding throughout this collection of stories. by Choi Jae-bong

Struggling with Faith and Love Blue, High Ladder Gong Ji-young Hankyoreh Publishing Company 2013, 376p, ISBN 9788984317475

Blue, High Ladder is the newly released novel by popular Korean writer, Gong Ji-young, published four years after she released The Crucible (2009). The Crucible deals with the horrible sexual assault of menta lly disabled young students committed by their teachers, and the conspiracy and solidarity of a self-serving group to conceal their crime. The Crucible was made into a film and caused quite a stir in Korean society. The main character in Blue, High Ladder is Jung Yohan, a young Catholic monk who has finished theological school and lives in a monastery. Jung begins questioning and experiencing internal conflicts when his soul is stirred by the appearance of an attractive woman, Sohee. His fellow monk, who espouses and applies religion in social situations, inf luences

him wit h numerous idea s about t he fundamental goal of religion in relation to current Korean society. Through Yohan’s struggle between religion and earthly love, the author deals with weighty topics, including religion and reality, death and redemption. As Yohan repeatedly experiences death and loss, which are difficult for him to understand, he often raises the question “Why, Lord?” In the story, the suggested answer to this question is, “Love means to love even that which does not reciprocate!” This nihilistic answer is Gong Ji-young’s own voice, a result of her long-standing humanistic and religious conflicts from having returned to her Catholic roots. by Choi Jae-bong

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Vol.23 Spring 2014

Reviews Fiction

Unlived Memories Then What Shall We Sing? Bak Solmay, Jaeum & Moeum Publishing Co. 2014, 260p, ISBN 9788957077931

None of us have memories of the time before we are born. Yet emerging Korean author Bak Solmay’s first collection of short stories, Then What Shall We Sing?, is a unique effort to remember those times, including a traumatic event which involves a massacre. The collection is comprised of a total of seven stories, but its title story is arguably the most important. Bak was born in Gwangju in 1985, five years after the Gwangju Massacre took place in May 1980. The protagonist is essentially Bak’s stand-in; the young woman was born and raised in Gwangju, but didn’t witness the massacre of the approximately 200 pro-democracy demonstrators by former President Chun Doo-hwan’s militar y regime. The stor y revolves a round her encounters with non-Koreans in Berkeley, California and Kyoto, Japan, who are somehow aware of what happened in Gwangju in 1980. One of the people she meets is a woman named Hannah, whose

Dystopia after Death Incense Paik Gahuim, Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 255p, ISBN 9788932024554

In author Paik Gahuim’s fantasy novel, Incense, death does not end suffering. Life goes on in a forest called Nemus, and people continue to be selfish and cruel, unaware that they are dead. An intense exploration of sin, death, and redemption, Incense is an illuminating account of some of the darkest of human experiences: rape, murder, and revenge. Highly flawed and troubled characters fill the narrative, including an exploited prostitute from Amsterdam, a corrupt Korean politician, a Korean pedophile, and an Englishman who constantly suffers from traumatic childhood memories. They form a rather dysfunctional, and later, almost vicious community, where the cruel continue to torment and the tormented continue to suffer. For those who are not aware that they are dead, there is no motivation to change. It is like 42 list_ Books from Korea

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the endless Samsara, except there is no Nirvana. Life after death-you are just who you are and the same problems and agonies continue, with no end. In its haunting meditation on salvation a nd sacr i f ic e, Incen se a l so i nc lude s references to the Bible, especially the Messiah. Paik’s characters–some cruel, some foolish, some beautiful, and all blind to their fate–bring to mind the dying words of Jesus in his hour of suffering on the cross: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” The novel’s original Korean title, Hyang, is a homonym for “incense” and “direction.” Both meanings complement the riveting, complex narrative, which revolves a round repeated deat h a nd m i s t a k e s , obl i v ion, a nd c h a r a c ter s lost in d irection, bot h litera l ly a nd metaphorically. by Claire Lee

mother is Korean and father is American. The other is a Japanese man in his 60s who runs a bar in Kyoto. Then What Shall We Sing? is one of the most unique literary approaches to the Gwangju Massacre to date, as well as a compelling tale of self-discovery and identity. Though she writes about her own hometown, Bak manages to explore a rather universal theme: the meaning of learning about the time before we were born–our history–however tragic and foreign it may be. by Claire Lee

Reviews Fiction

Violence Carries On The Barbaric Miss Alice Hwang Jeong-eun Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2013, 164p, ISBN 9788954622745

Someone walks precariously across the flat ground, as if they were climbing up a steep hill. Meet “Alicia,” a homeless transwoman. The stench of her body odor clings unattractively to our nasal membranes. Alicia, however, does not care for anything as trifling as our well-being. The character of A licia was born after the author caught a glimpse of a transwoman in Osaka, Japan. The mere image of her back was so powerful that the author was inspired to create a compelling character that tries and fails to escape from “the focus of violence.” The village of Gomori is A licia’s childhood home. The greatest concern of the villagers, including Alicia’s father, is to make sure they are compensated for the redevelopment projects set in their neighborhood. It is a place where ginkgo trees grow thick in soil enriched by the entrails and bones of dogs butchered for meat. It is in t his biza rre a nd desolate environment that Alicia and her beloved

younger brother are raised by violence. The siblings are exposed every day to the violence of their own mother, which is “ like heated steel, hot a nd strong enough to change the temperature of its surroundings.” Then there is the secondary violence of their father and neighbors who turn a blind eye to their mother’s abuse. Alicia’s brother’s attempt to escape violence results in the discovery of the boy’s corpse. Later, an adult Alicia sees her mother’s face reflected in her own. Like the bedtime stories she once told her brother of a young boy named Alice who had fallen down a bottomless rabbit hole, the siblings cannot escape from the circle of violence. “How far have you come?” the narrator repeatedly asks throughout the story. The question is all the more chilling as we try to recall whether we too have turned away from the inconvenient stench of violence, enabling violence by our tacit withdrawal. by Jung Seo Rin

Who Dares to Condemn Her? Punch Lee Jaechan, Minumsa 2013, 256p, ISBN 9788937488238

“I’m a 5.” Thus begins the f irst sentence of L e e Ja e c h a n’s nove l, P u n ch, ne at ly encapsulating the protagonist’s coolly succinct grasp of reality. In Punch, the rating of 5 is the lowest on a scale of 1 to 5 when it comes to assessing a person. The 18 -yea r-old na rrator, a high school girl facing university entrance exams, is all too aware that one’s place in society is determined by the painfully shallow standards of going to elite schools, having money, and being pretty. So she nonchalantly tells herself she is “forever cursed to bear the shame of being a 5, from brains to looks.” To the protagonist, her home, school, a nd societ y a re places f lowing wit h invisible blood, best summed up in words like violence, oppression, hypocrisy, and

absurdity. Her lawyer father lines his pockets in exchange for covering up the corruption of the elite. Her mother tries hard to fix her so-called defective daughter, who is neither a good student nor a beauty. Her parents’ religion has long forsaken the command to love thy neighbor, being too occupied with satisfying their own greed. Utterly torn to pieces by the standards of society, the protagonist decides to leave her parents in shreds as well; she hires a hit man to kill them. Pa r r icide , mu rder for h i re — t he theme is a heavy invitation into an abyss. Nevertheless, Lee consistently steers the narrative toward the cheerful, with vivid images and rhythmic sentences, befitting a novelist whose first foray into writing was as a scriptwriter. While the teen’s methods are shocking, she feels no guilt, anxiety, or confusion. Still, the reader cannot possibly condemn her in the name of ethics or morals.

Somehow, we silently applaud the “punch” she throws toward the indifference of society that we have long since learned to accept. by Jung Seo Rin

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Reviews Fiction

Truth Is Subjective Stranger than Paradise Lee Jangwook, Minumsa, 2013, 276p ISBN 9788937473043

The novel Stranger than Paradise offers a unique narrative structure with each character’s point of view accessible to the reader. The book reads like a road trip movie telling the story of two men and a woman traveling in a car. K im a nd Choi a re t he t wo ma le characters and Jeong is Kim’s wife. They all attended the same university and are on their way to attend the funeral of their mutual female friend, “A,” who was a fellow member of the film club during their college days. While they are traveling to the small, provincial town for her funeral, each of them reminisces about A, ref lecting on things that had happened between them. All three had once loved A, but each has a bitter memory of their love not coming to fruition. They all think they know A, yet when they share their stories about her, their recollections vary. In fact, even their views on the events that take place during their trip are completely different. Stranger than Paradise does not provide

a clear-cut picture. Author Lee Jangwook constructed the narrative by telling it from the perspective of each character: first Kim, then Choi, and finally Jeong. The strange questions that arise from each person’s viewpoint overlap as their stories unravel. Readers will have a hard time figuring out whose recollection comes closest to the truth. In actuality, it does not matter whether or not each individual’s story is correct since every recollection and testimony has, in its own way, a kernel of truth. There is a twist at the end of the novel, which overrides all the testimonies: there was a camera observing them the whole time. Like the viewf inder of a camera suspended overhead by a crane, it completely alters the perspective of the three characters. by Kim Young-burn

Our Neighbors, Ourselves The Well-being of My Neighbor Pyo Myoung-hee, Kang Publishing Ltd. 2014, 251p, ISBN 9788982181887

The Well - being of My Neighbor is a collection of seven short stories that ref lects how one is mirrored by one’s neig hbors. Aut hor P yo Myounghee suggests that in a contemporar y society where everyone has resorted to individualism, one can eventually discover his or her true self based on the nature of their tenuous connection to their neighbors. The protagonists in each of the stories endure their hardships while living mostly in solitude. In a sense, they live absolutely isolated lives. However, they begin to examine themselves through their encounters with their neighbors and subsequently contemplate what it means to be a neighbor. It is moving to read the passages where a character, accustomed to isolated city living, makes a connection, albeit weak and fragile, with a neighbor. In the title story, “The Well-being of 44 list_ Books from Korea

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My Neighbor,” Bin, the protagonist, is a college lecturer who is barely able to eke out a living. He lives alone on the second floor of a multiplex apartment building. Bin is ver y sensitive to air pollution because he has a weak respiratory system. In the end, it is none other than cigarette smoke that eventually connects him with his neighbor. One day Bin finds himself subject to severe discomfort because of the smoke seeping through the pipes on his balcony. The unbearable cigarette smoke reminds Bin of his frequently stolen mail, and he begins to suspect the man who lives below him as the possible culprit. Bin rummages through his neighbor’s mail in order to learn more about him and through this initial suspicion, Bin gets to know his neighbor. The author states, “Your neighbors are the people most closely linked to your life. Therefore, their problems can become the mirror with which we can examine our own lives. Because I live alone, I view my neighbors in our communal residence as

a kind of family and evaluate my own life accordingly.” by Kim Young-burn

Spotlight on Fiction

The Gaze at Broad Daylight (Excerpt) a story by Lee Seung-U translated by Paul Jonghan Yoon

The Gaze at Broad Daylight 1 “Here, then, is where people come to live; I’d have thought it more a place to die in.” Malte Laurids Brigge begins his notebook with this sentence. This young man—sickly, lonely, impoverished, and hypersensitive to memories of the past— smells the air of anxiety and death in this alien city only three weeks after he arrives. That this city, where people came to die, was none other than Paris is a sentiment that is not easy to understand, even considering the fact that this writing dates back about a hundred years. After all, it is said that Paris is where the concept of “taking a walk” was invented. If it was a good place to go for a walk, one could also presume that it must have also been a good city to live in. I wonder if Rilke had heard of Varanasi, the place where pilgrims come to die. It is Varanasi, not Paris, where men come to die. As the saying goes, birds go to Peru to die and men, the Ganges. Romaine Gary treated the suicidal phenomenon of a huge flock of birds flying to Peruvian seashores to die as a mystery. Gary wrote, “The birds whose blood was beginning to get cold and had just enough strength to fly, came to Peru and threw themselves at the seashore.” Here he was implicitly comparing Peruvian beaches to the Ganges River—as if birds had a yearning for a holy place. About forty years after his novel was published (Birds Go to Peru to Die was published in 1962), an author in Korea wrote a paper criticizing Romaine Gary's lack of meteorological knowledge. It was Han SeungWon, the "writer of the ocean," who claimed that Romaine Gary wrote it that way because he did not know about the El Niño phenomenon, a phenomenon that occurs when ocean water warms up. According to Han, birds came to Peruvian seashores and died, not because it was a holy land for birds, i.e., a Varanasi for birds, so to speak, but rather, it was simply due to the lack of availability of plankton caused by El Niño, which prevented anchovies from coming to Peruvian sea. The birds flew to Peruvian seashores to live, to feed on anchovies, not to die. However, there weren’t any anchovies in the area, so they weren’t able to live and ended up starving to death.

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If Malte had known about Han’s criticism of Romaine Gary (this is not possible as Rainer Maria Rilke, who used Malte as his voice, died in 1926 and Han Seung-Won was born in 1939), perhaps he may have revised the first sentence in his notebook. That is, people came to the city to live, but for various reasons—meteorological, sociological, or other reasons—they died because they just couldn’t survive. Regardless, I believe that he would not have revised his first sentence anyway. In his notebook, Malte was not describing the city’s external landscape but projecting his inner world onto it. What we can read and understand from his notebook is not the physical landscape of the city but his inner universe. When you are depressed, the world loses light. The depression inside you swallows up the light in the outside world. In this case, the inner depression is like a black and white photocopying machine. No painting—no matter how colorful and brilliant their colors are—can retain its original hue and brightness once they go through such a machine. It can only come out vague and drab. Malte sees the landscape of the city and its pedestrians through the “internal black and white photocopying machine” inside him. This is why I believe that Malte would not have changed his first sentence. He is not interested in meteorological science. On this, Malte is clearly on Romaine Gary’s side, not on the side of Han Seung-Won. I arrived at midnight in this small city of thirty thousand people located near the cease-fire line. I arrived on the last bus to the city that day. The bus, which had been carrying passengers back and forth on the same road for the whole day, looked like an exhausted camel, and the driver, a hump on the camel’s back. It was hot inside the bus and the air, mixed with various unknown smells and giving off strangely repulsive odors, wasn’t circulating. There were six passengers on the bus, four of whom were soldiers. They were returning to the base after a brief vacation. They all had different ranks but the same grim expressions on their faces. The higher ranking soldier pushed the chair back low, flung himself against the chair, and closed his eyes as soon as he got on the bus; the private made rustling sounds while tearing open the plastic wrapping of a pastry. The two other soldiers kept gazing into the darkness outside the window. I became curious about what it was that they were staring at. I wondered if they were looking at anything at all. I have no doubt there was something worth looking at, even in the darkness. Darkness is always

hiding something within itself. Darkness is dark because it has something to protect. However, it didn’t appear that the soldiers’ eyes were focused on anything specific. The grim and rigid expressions on their faces invoked an anxiety in me as I was heading in the same direction as they were. Invoke! I was startled by this word that I had invoked from my subconscious self. That I “invoked” it suggested that it had been crouching within me all along. That which is invoked had been waiting to be invoked, laying dormant until invoked by another. Because it has been waiting, it responds immediately, even to the slightest act of invocation. You could also say that anxiety stems from the anxiety of not being invoked by someone else. In order to suppress my anxiety, I called out to the soldiers on the other side and asked, "How long does it take?" The soldiers who were gazing outside the window did not respond. I thought about calling to them again, but feeling embarrassed, decided against it. A man with a tanned face sitting behind them answered instead, informing me that it would take about an hour and a half. The truth is that I already knew how long it would take. Before I got on the bus, I had searched the Internet and learned that it took anywhere from two hours and ten minutes to two hours and thirty minutes. The time between buses was an hour and thirty minutes, so if you missed a bus, you had to wait for an hour and thirty minutes. The last bus left at eight thirty. I had also read about local specialty foods and tourist spots and gleaned some more information, but could only remember that there were commercial passenger boats close by and many military posts around the area. Not far from them, there was also a secret military underground tunnel from North Korea that had been discovered. A disconcerting silence pervaded the bus. Only the sound of the engine, like the groaning of a tired camel, stirred the surface of the silence. Exhaust, emitted from the bus as it ran up the hill, slipped inside the bus. The unexhausted carbon monoxide and nitrogen gas mixed with the stench in the air and made my stomach turn and made me feel nauseous. I didn't have anything to eat, but did not expect to get carsick. Trying to swallow the acid coming up from the stomach, I started pressing my head with my fingers. Then the first sentence from Malte's notebook flashed in my mind like an inauspicious omen. Was I going to this place to live or to die? [. . .]

3 Unexpectedly, my days at the country house were surprisingly satisfying. I spent most of my time reading books in my room. Mother thought I might be bored and told me to visit Seoul once in a while and meet some friends, but her fear was unfounded. I did not much care to meet friends, not even P. Sometimes I would spend the whole day going back and forth between my study and the living room, just lounging. I would start reading a book lying on my back on the floor, roll over and lie on my side, then after a while, turn around and sit down…and then lie on my back, roll over again, and so on. I would travel across all the rooms in the house that way. If I felt like sleeping after reading for a while, I just went to sleep without hesitation. Once in a while, I went out for a walk. The scent of pine nut trees was mellow and balmy. The wind gently stroked the trees and grass like a large caressing hand and the birds sang in difference voices. The birds sang differently in the morning than at dusk. At sunset, I saw a grey rabbit that was hopping around, as if it were being careful not to scratch the grass. I crouched down low and stayed still so that I wouldn’t scare it away. The nervous rabbit pricked its ears and stared at the big animal with suspicion. Then he quickly ran away and disappeared into the forest. Once in a while, I ventured a little deeper into the forest. The scent emanating from the forest and grass covering the mountain made my body feel infinitely light; I felt my weightless body floating in the air. When I was in the forest, I could really feel the connection between all of the organs of the human body. I was even beginning to think that if I were exposed to the spirit of the forest for a long time, I might even be able to perform magic. Though she had promised, my mother did not visit often. She was busy and I also told her that she did not have to come around a lot. Then again, considering that she was not the kind of person who would listen to me, the truth is, it was probably more because she was busy. At first, the housekeeper came every day to cook meals and clean the house. Three days in, she starting coming just once every three days. For both cooking and cleaning, this was sufficient. Since I lived alone, there wasn't much dust to clean and the house remained tidy for several days without much effort. Also, it wasn’t really necessary to prepare food for one person every day. list_ Books from Korea

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P called me often though. She wanted to visit me, but I forbade her from visiting, on the grounds that my disease was contagious. I also told her, “It would be prudent for you not to contact me for a while. That’s why I’m here to begin with. I’ve been quarantined. Do you think I’m here for vacation?” Every time I said this to her, I felt guilty. Whatever the reason, I was feeling an inexplicable sense of happiness in this place. It was true that tuberculosis was contagious, so I wasn’t lying to her—at least not technically. I just didn’t want her to suddenly show up and disrupt this new peace I was experiencing, perhaps for the first time in my life. I even thought that it was good that tuberculosis was contagious. It was not like I was tired of her and didn’t want to see her any more. It was just that, for the first time in my life, I was alone with nature. Until then, I had never been completely alone; I had never not been surrounded by people. Until I came to the forest, I wasn’t even aware of the fact that I had never been alone. Perhaps, then, it was natural that I had never felt a need to be alone. In many cases, you do not want what you need because you do not know that you need it. Ironically, you realize that you actually needed it only when the unwanted need has been accidentally fulfilled. We live our lives not really understanding what it is that we truly need. This is absurd, of course. However, this is how it is with most people. For example, when your lover leaves you, you suddenly find yourself in need of something that you didn’t realize that you needed when she was with you. Sometimes you come to understand something that you did not when you were able to sleep only when you become unable to sleep. Sometimes you come to understand things in your old age that you did not understand in your youth. It is a contradiction, but unless you realize that you need it, you cannot really want it. That is what I mean when I say you can’t help it. In any case, for the first time in my life, I was absorbed in my inner world of silence and solitude, living in a strangely inexplicable happiness. For me, it was an exceptional experience. However, this happiness did not last long. One day, a stranger knocked at my door. He lived in one of the other five identical-looking condominiums. He said he had noticed that my house lights were on. Since the house had previously been vacant, he realized that a new tenant had moved in and just came by to say hello. He also handed me a pack of toilet paper 48 list_ Books from Korea

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as a housewarming gift. Then, although I did not really intend to ask him in, since he had already entered the foyer, I offered him some coffee. I thought it would be rude of me to send away a neighbor who came to welcome me, especially when he went to the trouble of bringing me a housewarming gift. He was a retired college professor. His field was psychology and he lived with his wife. He had moved here right after his retirement. He also told me that his wife was in bad health and had trouble moving around. He was taking care of his ailing wife, as she was essentially just waiting for her death. After introducing himself like this, he asked me why a young man like me was living here alone. I could’ve been offended, since he was basically implying that this was the kind of place where only old people came to live, but I didn’t mind. Also, his "I’ve told you my story so why don’t you tell me yours" attitude didn’t bother me, because I was familiar with this customary practice. We usually do not talk about ourselves unless we’re confident that the other is willing to talk about himself. In some cases, we tell our stories first, even if the other person doesn’t particularly want to hear it, in order to make the other person tell their story, which we want to hear. Like most things in our lives, the terms of trade govern our conversations. I told him that that I was a graduate student, but my health was in bad condition, so I was taking a leave of absence from school. I also told him that it was my mother who had bought the land, which was basically a wasteland before, built country homes on it, and then sold them for profit. The retired professor was nodding for some mysterious reason, but I didn’t care much to know why. Then he asked me, “How about your father?” as if it were the next natural question to ask. Of course, there was no order for questions like these. “I don’t have one,” I said immediately. The conversation was supposed to go in a different direction from there. That’s what usually happened. When I told people that I did not have a father, they usually didn’t ask about him again. Although it wasn’t necessary, some would even say they were sorry to have asked the question. In any case, the conversation would stop there and a new conversation would begin. However, the retired professor was different than most people. “When did he pass away?” he asked. He assumed that my father was deceased and was asking

me when he died. Smiling, I retorted that I had not said that he was dead; I said I didn’t have one. Then, looking straight into my eyes, the old professor said bluntly “If you say you don’t have a father, it must mean that he has passed away.” Feeling defiant, I said “Isn’t it also possible that my parents could be divorced?” “That is not the same thing as not having one,” he replied. I had a feeling that the conversation would not go smoothly from here. “If he isn’t around, it’s basically the same thing, isn’t it?” I blurted out, expecting an immediate objection. As expected, he objected. “If you say you don’t have a father, it means he does not exist. It doesn’t matter if he is here or far away. It can still only mean that he does not exist. It’s illogical for you to say what exists does not exist. The principle that applies to physical distance also applies to human relationships. What is here exists. What is far away also exists. Furthermore, there is a truth that no one can deny, and cannot be denied under any circumstance, and that is the existence of a father. That is what a father is. Let me clarify again. A father does not cease to exist unless he dies. In certain cases, he continues to exist even after his death.” The old professor’s logic seemed to make sense but I did not think he understood how I felt when I talked about my father. Then again, logic and feeling are two different mental activities. Should I have said I didn’t care whether he existed or not? I thought I might have expressed my feelings better that way. Actually, even that was not a satisfying answer either. I finally thought that it would be better to say, "It’s not that I don’t have a father, but I do not have a concept of one." So, after taking some time to think, that’s what I said, as if it were an excuse. He stared at me with a pitiful look for a while and replied, “It is probably your father’s attention that you don’t have, not the concept.” Then he added, “If that were true, your father did not die. He was murdered in your mind.” At that moment, I panicked. I realized that the old man was leading me astray in the conversation; I was being dragged along and led off track like a fool, though I didn’t know why he was doing this to me. I was suspicious of him for being so aggressive but I didn’t have the composure to confront him for his aggressiveness. I didn’t know how to express my feelings of discomfort and I was unsure whether it was better to express

myself or not, and this made me angry. The old neighbor must have also realized that our conversation had gone astray, or at least he sensed that he had finally managed to anger his host, so he laughed and said reproachfully, “This is why you shouldn’t stay at a teaching job too long. I can understand why they call it an occupational hazard.” Then he stood up to leave. “Thanks for the coffee. Let’s talk again.” Then he left. He even waved as he was leaving. His visit was no ordinary event, but I tried to ignore it. But, as if my heart had been pricked by a needle, my conscience was feeling pained. This was proof that I wouldn’t be able to ignore this event, even if I tried. The next morning I was taking a walk through the forest and realized that there was anxiety in my heart that was disrupting my peace. It was as if it was forcing my mind outwards, which was stepping backward in disbelief as if scolding, "You still don't understand this?" And then strange things started to happen. That day, I saw a naked man walking in the forest. He strolled along, aglow with the reddish rays of the setting sun cascading through the long branches of trees. It was not dark enough yet in the forest to mistake him for a wild animal, and it was also very evident that he was walking upright. Although it was unusual, I didn’t pay too much attention to this at first, for I had run into people taking a walk in the forest before. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to face any unnecessary trouble and changed my usual course, but somehow I ended up seeing him again. This time, he was walking toward me from the opposite direction, swinging his arms. When I had seen him earlier, I had thought that he was just not wearing a shirt but that wasn’t the case. He was stark naked and had no clothes on. He had a beard that covered his face from his ears to his chin, giving the impression of a round face. He also had a hairy chest and legs, and although he wasn’t very tall, he was muscular. It wasn’t easy to guess his age from his appearance. He looked young in a way and old in another. Not knowing what to do, I stopped walking and stood still. I didn’t know where to rest my eyes. However, as if his nakedness was nothing unusual, he just walked past by me, swinging his arms as usual. He even raised a hand to greet me. Although I couldn’t see clearly, I thought he might have even smiled at me. Looking at him walking away from me, I asked myself if I were dreaming. Perhaps I saw a phantom. If he’s not a phantom, who is that man walking list_ Books from Korea

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around in the forest naked? As if hypnotized, I stood still there for a while, completely frozen. The vivid figure of the man walking past me slowly faded and suddenly turned into an image. It wasn’t exactly the same but I was engulfed with a strange feeling that a character in a movie had torn his way out of the movie screen and jumped into reality before my eyes, or vice versa. In other words, it was a feeling of loitering at a crossroads of fantasy and reality. It was getting dark and bleak and I started feeling chilly. I was confused and dizzy. As if trying to escape from a movie, I hastened my pace to leave the forest. I was feeling nervous, as if at any moment someone might start chasing me and grab me by the neck. I wanted to turn around and look but I couldn’t— I was afraid of getting stuck. I started recollecting stories where the characters, just by looking back, got sucked into the underworld or turned into a pillar of salt. Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt when she turned around to look, curious about what was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah, which was being punished with the fire of sulfur. Eurydice lost her chance to escape the underworld when her husband Orpheus turned around to look back. The brilliant songs of Orpheus that had quieted Cerberus, the ferocious dog guarding the gate of hell, lost all of its brilliance with the one act of looking back. These stories remind us of the calamity that lurks behind the act of looking back. I could not understand how the forest that had offered me such blissful peace and happiness just moments ago could've changed so quickly, now planting fear in my mind. Just as I could not explain my peace, I could not explain my fear either. Without looking back, I walked hurriedly home. However, the sense of fear grew stronger the next day as I was talking a walk in the forest. Unlike other days, I found myself turning my head to look around more often. But each time I turned around and looked, no one was there. Still, I could feel the presence of someone near me, even though I could not see anyone. At first, I didn’t realize that I was feeling nervous about my surroundings. Then it suddenly occurred to me that it was not simply a feeling of nervousness about my surroundings, but that I was anticipating an encounter with someone and that was what was striking fear in me. At the core of my fear was that he was someone I knew. But here was another problem. I recognized him but did not know who he was—I did not know who he was but somehow I recognized him. It was a fear that was vague yet overwhelming. 50 list_ Books from Korea

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Completely perplexed, I walked hurriedly home again. As I was taking a hot bath, it occurred to me that it wasn’t the first time I’d had this looming fear of a chance-encounter with someone I knew vaguely but whose identity I did not know. This vague memory, which had been pushed aside because I did not let it float to the surface of my consciousness, finally began to emerge. In the past, there were times I had goose bumps all over my body and shrank in fear at the thought of someone attacking me by jumping out from around a corner or from the top or bottom of the staircase at midnight as I got off the elevator and was about to step toward the corridor in my apartment. When that happened, I would get off the elevator and, as if I were a secret agent, check all the corners to make sure there was no one there before taking another step. It didn’t always happen this way but I had these experiences often enough. Later I realized that just as I turned the corner, I became momentarily nervous at the thought of encountering someone that I knew but would rather avoid because I was uncomfortable meeting him. However, I could never figure out who he was, how I knew him, or why I felt so uncomfortable and wanted to avoid him. At the time, I guessed that it was a side effect of Sudden Attack, an Internet game I had been addicted to. You had to shoot down enemies who moved between and hid behind buildings. I played that game for six straight months my junior year at college while hanging out with a friend who had a part-time job at an Internet café. The key to the game was to find enemies hiding behind the corners of buildings, or at the crossroads, and shoot them down first. For a few months when I was deeply into the game, I sometimes experienced seeing a projection of the computer game screen before my eyes, even when I was not playing. So it wasn’t too far fetched an idea to speculate that my suddenly heightened fear when turning a corner was due to the game, which had somehow infiltrated my sense of reality. There was one flaw in the hypothesis, though—I had had that experience once even before I became addicted to the game. So I couldn’t conclude positively that this fear had been caused by the game or rather that the game had merely reinforced an existing fear. Once in a while, and very intensely, I suffered from an anxiety that I might meet someone I wanted to avoid in a situation that I could not escape. When I stopped and thought about it, a person who

could show up from around the corner in the game had to be your enemy, not someone you knew and were familiar with. That was also different. In the end, I realized that it wouldn’t make much sense to treat the fear as it was simply due to remnants of the images from the game. I was certain that it was a psychological phenomenon that was more profound and complex, rooted deeply in my personal history, rather than in external influences, and that went back much further than I had previously thought. Perhaps I should have known that it was a fear that had been neglected and left alone in the back of my mind and was finally surfacing, as if confidently saying, "Look, here I am." I realized that I could not escape it and was also aware that even if I could, I did not know what I needed to do to escape it. I became afraid of taking walks in the forest. I no longer felt at peace. Listening to my story, P burst into laughter. “Maybe you actually saw a wild beast? Like a deer or boar. Honey, you know you have poor vision. You also said you didn’t have your glasses on…" It was true that I had poor vision. It was also true that at the time, I had not been wearing my glasses, but it angered me to hear that she thought I’d mistaken a deer or boar for a man. I told her she was not taking me seriously and hung up. P called back and told me I was being overly sensitive and then chattered on for a while; I kept my mouth shut and didn’t respond. She said she wanted to visit me but I firmly refused. She didn’t seem to understand at all. To be frank, I couldn’t understand myself either. Even in my own opinion, I agreed that I was being overly sensitive. [. . .] 5 Driven by a mysterious impulse, I called my uncle. The old professor, by telling me the story of the man who had murdered his uncle, had unknowingly reminded me that I too had an uncle. Of course my uncle was completely different than the uncle in the tragic story. My uncle had never insulted me nor interfered with my life. In fact, he had always kept his silence, not saying much when I was around. Instead, my memory of him was filled with images of his deep, loving gaze. When I was young he used to gaze at my face for a long time

with a faint smile on his face, and whenever he did this, I tried to avoid him. I was too young to understand the complexity of the emotions hidden behind his gaze. It was once on my mother's—his sister's—birthday that I finally really caught a glimpse of the hidden compassion and sympathy in his look. I was fifteen years old. My uncle was quietly looking at my mother, who had just blown out the candles on a birthday cake and was feeling a bit embarrassed about being a birthday girl. In his gaze, I could sense an inexplicable compassion, a kind of deep earnestness and sympathy toward her. Then I realized that he was gazing at my mother's face in the same way he gazed at mine, the gaze that I had tried to avoid, unable to understand what it meant. As time passed, I gradually began to realize that it was his sister he was looking at when he was looking at me. Even as he looked at me, he saw his sister in me. In other words, his gaze was not directed at me. To him, my existence was relevant only in terms of reminding him of his sister's circumstances, life, and fate. It had been like this long before and was the same even now. I don't mean to say that I was excited to remember that I had an uncle, like Archimedes who, after discovering the law of volume and mass, jumped out of the bathtub and ran into the street proclaiming "Eureka!” I just felt as if a deep loving gaze was looking down on me from the sky and the thought that I too had an uncle suddenly came to mind. I talked for some time about many different things with my uncle, even repeating things that I had already said. He just quietly listened. I talked about my dreams, about the old retired professor, and how I had become afraid of encountering someone showing up from around a corner. My stories were all jumbled up, but he stayed quiet regardless. My speech was like a rollercoaster, going up a hill before going back down a valley. I would become hesitant and then serious, then talk excitedly and then mutter. Even so, somehow, he understood exactly what I was trying to say. I even felt that he understood what I wanted to say better than I did. In a way, this was understandable because, although I called him driven by a strange impulse that I couldn’t quite comprehend, I really did not know precisely what it was that I wanted. I had been living entrapped in fear that one day I would encounter someone in a way I did not want. However, there was something suspiciously strange about that fear too. On the surface, I did not to want to meet him; but in truth, I wondered if I was panicking list_ Books from Korea

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because I might not meet him. Did it make sense to say that I wanted to meet someone I did not want to meet? I was afraid that things would happen the way I wanted to even if I did not really want them to. Chaos—the earth was without form and void; darkness was upon the face of the deep. My uncle opened his mouth after a long silence and said, "So you’re looking for your Father?" When I heard that, I felt numb, as if my forehead had been hit by shards of ice. Then I came to my senses. It was as if I had just heard a divine voice saying, "Let there be light." He clarified precisely what it was that I wanted, but did not want at the same time. But the light cast on the darkness was too brilliant and too sudden so I was pushed myself back into the darkness again. I felt a little dizzy. Now I knew that the gaze I’d subconsciously felt was my father’s. But I didn’t dare say this out loud. Even in the middle of my confusion, I worried that my uncle would catch a hint of acting in my tone. A play delivers what a character understands through an actors' dialogue. One could say dialogue is always used to verify or communicate what characters know. If an actor on stage doesn’t deliver his lines, not only the audience, but also the other actors on stage, including the actor himself, will not understand what he knows. Sometimes they choose to willingly remain in a state of incomprehension. An actor uses his dialogue to communicate facts that are already obvious, clear, and well-understood, to liberate the audience and the characters on stage, who have decided to remain in a state of incomprehension or have been entrapped—or decided to be entrapped—by such a rule. One could say it is a form of regurgitation. This is the reason why an actor's dialogue tends to sound exaggerated on the stage. What transpired in my dialogue, “In other words, the gaze that I’d felt subconsciously was my father’s,” woke me up from my willful state of unknowing. I thought about other lines that I had to say. "There’s no doubt that it was my father’s tombstone. I was definitely looking at his tombstone but I couldn’t read his name on the stone. It wasn’t that his name wasn’t written on it. If the name wasn’t written there, how could I have known that the tombstone was my father's? The reason I was convinced that the tombstone was my father's was because I did see his name on it. But what exactly had I read on the tombstone if I don’t even know his name? What exactly was written on it?” I was curious what my uncle's deep loving eyes were gazing 52 list_ Books from Korea

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at then. He asked, "Do you want to find him?" To me, his question sounded more like, “Will you be OK?” I nodded. He couldn’t have seen me nodding, but he let out a long sigh. It was a sound you make when you realize that you have to accept something even if you don’t want to. I could feel an air of tragic seriousness in the air. Perhaps it was due to the sound of my uncle sighing. 6 The inn where I was staying was inside the bar’s alley, which was narrow and smelly. At night, drunk soldiers urinate or vomit on the fence outside the inn. The wall had a rather big sign that read "No Urinating" in red paint, and even had a pair of scissors drawn beside it, but it was unlikely that drunk lads, especially at night, paid any attention to it. There was a street lamp fifty meters away and the acrylic billboard of the inn was blurred by dust and dirt. The lamp blinked regularly, indicating that it was probably about time to replace it. It was dark enough at the bottom of the wall for drunks leaving the bar, staggering and in good spirits, to unzip their flies and urinate there. In the morning, the inn's owner would throw water at the wall, cursing into the air. However, the smell didn’t dissipate that easily. On a cloudy day, sitting in the room inside the house, you could smell the stink of old piss carried by the wind, sneaking into the room through the door crack. Still, the inn owner couldn’t complain because the people who urinated against the wall usually ended up staying at the inn. There was no special reason for me to choose that inn. I arrived late at night in this city of thirty thousand people, located as close as possible to the cease-fire line, and was strolling down the street, trying to get myself acquainted with the new place. But as soon as I took a few steps I realized that this was a bad idea. First, because the wind against my skin was much colder than I’d expected, which was maybe why I saw almost no one else on the street, and secondly, it had become dark. Most of the stores had their shutters down and their lights turned off. There were street lamps here and there, but they looked like they were shivering from the cold instead of generating light. It wasn’t just dark, but also chilly and desolate. I almost regretted having come here. Have I come here to live or to die? I recalled the sentence from Rilke's book. Trying to shake off that persistent question, I looked around

and tried to find a place to spend the night. That’s when I saw the sign that read "Traveler's Inn" in the corner of the entrance to an alley. I later found out that there was another inn about a block away that was fairly new and much cleaner, and a few more not too far from there as well, but that night the Traveler's Inn was the only place I saw. A few days later, I also learned that Traveler's Inn was the oldest, the most decrepit, and the dirtiest of the lot, and therefore the cheapest place in town. But I didn’t think about moving elsewhere because I wasn’t sure how long I would be staying, and after becoming accustomed to the place, I didn’t want to bother moving again. To compensate for the small and smelly room, there was a large garden that had fruit trees, various flowers, and a vegetable garden that I could enjoy, perks that the other establishments didn’t offer. There was also the benefit of not having to look for a place to eat. The inn owner cooked and prepared meals using homegrown vegetables for her guests. She did charge for the meals but the price was next to nothing. From the first day, she was curious about how long I would be staying. How long would I stay here? I asked the same question to myself. Uncertain of how long it would be, I scratched my head. Looking at me suspiciously, she asked me whether I had come to meet a friend doing military service on the base. "No," I replied. Then she asked me the purpose of my visit, inspecting my face up and down with her eyes halfclosed. "Why are you here? You look like a normal person..." suggesting that, other than visiting friends who were completing their military service, there wasn’t much of a reason for a normal person to visit this area. I was offended by the way she talked, connecting my appearance and the purpose of a visit with some grand hypothesis, but I told her truthfully that I had come to find someone. "Who?" She asked, showing interest. "I was born here, got married and gave birth to my children here. I’ve lived here for fifty-seven years. Fifty-seven. There’s no one here that I don’t know. This place is as small as my palm. If I don’t know the person, nobody does. Tell me." She stared at me intently with wide open eyes. "Yeongwha Farm..." I said and she quickly interrupted. "I know Yeongwha Farm. What about Yeongwha Farm?" I asked her if she knew the farm well. "I told you I’ve lived here for fifty-seven years. Ask me anything you want. Who’s at that

farm that you’re looking for?" She dried her hands in her apron, looking keenly interested. "The person I’m looking for is a man..." I squeaked this out as if I were a man who had committed a crime. "A man. Who?" She asked again, as if she were interrogating me. I didn’t know why but I couldn't muster a response. When I hesitated, she started making gestures to urge me to speak. "What is his name? Give me his name." My tongue was searching for his name in my mouth. If you move your tongue and let the air in, it makes a sound. A combination of several consonants and vowels. It won’t even take a second to pronounce those syllables. However, a name isn’t simply a collection of simple syllables. To say someone’s name isn’t just the basic operation of one’s tongue combined with air. A name is like the soul of our being. To say someone’s name is to acknowledge their existence and affirm it. When we say someone’s name, we experience our soul connecting to the soul of the being whose name is being spoken. For certain names, it’s enough for the name to simply reach your lips to get you excited and stirred. For other names, your muscles immediately start to repulse before bringing it to your lips. Certain names make you excited and others, depressed. There are names that you don’t dare say and there are names that you say reluctantly. This phenomenon occurs because of the contact between souls. I tried to place on my tongue the name that my uncle had told me, the name of my father, but my tongue was stiff and didn’t move. I realized that my vocal chords weren’t willing to pronounce that name. You could say that they found it awkward or uncomfortable to pronounce it. My soul hesitated to pronounce it, though I had no images that could be evoked by the name of my father—or perhaps it was due to the absence of such images. To acknowledge a father that hadn’t existed for twenty-nine years wasn’t an easy task. "It was because your mother has been a complete and sufficient world for your well-being." As if my uncle had been anticipating the question, he gave me an immediate answer to my rhetorical question of how I could have been so indifferent to the existence of my father for the twenty-nine years that I’d been alive. I didn’t know he had prepared the answer, but I thought it was an answer I had no choice but accept. Mother never gave me the chance to feel needed. Since I was young, my mother provided me with whatever I needed the most, when I needed it the most, and in the most suitable way. My list_ Books from Korea

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mother was warm, gentle and strong. She was always busy because she had to do many things at the same time but had never neglected any of her work, especially in raising her son, and she never showed any signs of frailty. Mother was to me both a fence and a garden. In my youth, I was much happier than any of my friends who grew up with both parents. Mother never did or said anything that would remind me of the existence of my father, she never made me feel the need for him. Even without a father, I was sufficiently provided for in order to grow into a responsible adult. Exactly why did one need a father? Immediately, I wholly understood my uncle’s response. Then why do I feel so confused? I was happy with everything, didn’t feel inconvenienced or dissatisfied. I didn’t only not need a father, but I felt like I didn’t have one. It didn’t matter whether he existed or not, and I wasn’t even aware of his nonexistence, so why had I suddenly become conscious of his existence? How did it happen that out of nowhere I felt that I had to find my father? How am I to understand these two contradicting emotions? The anxiety within me answered the questions I asked myself. I never needed anything or had any complaints, but sometimes I felt an emptiness inside of me. The fence was strong but something was missing, the garden inside the fence was abundant but lonely. My unfounded fear of the alien—or all too familiar—gaze that I had felt turning around the corner was, in fact, based on something. Although my mother provided a world that was complete and sufficient for my well-being, it was not because I did not need a father, but that she had fulfilled her role as father very faithfully—a delicate difference that I came to understand. Mother, with her absolute dedication and perfectionism, had completely driven out the necessity of a father from my world. Any need for a father was nullified by the presence of my mother. The reason my mother alone was sufficient for my being was because she fulfilled the role of both mother and father. Mother was complete not only because she was my mother but also my father as well. Paradoxically, in the end, this had the effect of creating the need for a father. The retired professor said a father was something that no one could deny and could not be denied under any circumstances. A father continues to exist even after his death. "I’m curious, young man. Is it such a secret...?" The inn owner, impatient to learn my secret but not very sensitive to 54 list_ Books from Korea

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the confusion that was happening inside me, could not wait any longer and waved her hands impatiently to show me that she was giving up. I quickly swallowed the name that had been on the tip of my tongue all along. "You know, Sergeant Kim in Room 105 works there. Why don't you ask him? If you came here to look for a job, you can go with him to the farm," she said, and knocked on the door of Room 105. "Sergeant Kim, it's high noon already. Come out and have a meal. You need something to eat before you go to work!" The door of Room 105 opened only after I had already finished my breakfast and was walking in the garden, lost in my thoughts. He answered, "I worked last night. I can go to work a little late." A man in a black jacket came out of the room yawning. He finished off a whole rice bowl within seconds, without once looking at the inn’s new guest. The inn owner pointed at me and introduced me to him, explaining that I wanted to go to Yeongwha Farm. From the way he talked and from his expression, he clearly thought that I was a day laborer who had come to look for a job at the ranch. I didn’t care as long as I wasn’t interrogated. He looked up and glanced at me and said rather bluntly, "Then, come with me to the farm later." I waved my hand and said I hadn’t come here looking for a job. He answered, "Yeah, I thought that would be strange too. You look like a tuberculosis patient or something. Are you from Seoul?" I nodded. I was surprised to find out that I looked like a tuberculosis patient to others, but that was a fleeting thought. More than that, I was a little irritated by his condescending manner of speech. But then if he had known that I was actually a tuberculosis patient, I didn’t think he would have said that. I didn’t want to embarrass him by confessing that I actually did have tuberculosis. I smiled at him, pretending to agree. He looked up at me as if to ask, "What is it then?" "I’m looking for someone." As soon as I had finished speaking, the inn owner, who had come out of the kitchen to throw out the water, came out and interrupted us. "So exactly who is it that you're looking for?" Sergeant Kim also gazed at me quizzically. I tried once more to raise the name my uncle had told me to my tongue. I could hear my heart pounding and my face became red. I shook my head slowly. "No. I just have something that I have to find out. I don't think I need to visit Yeongwha Farm today."

Avoiding their inquisitive eyes, I went back into my room, still keenly feeling their curious gazes on the back of my head. I admitted that I wasn’t ready. Do I have to prepare myself for this? I thought about it and though I didn’t know how I had to prepare, it seemed right to do so. What do I want to accomplish by just visiting? When I thought about it, I felt breathless, as if I’d been punched in the chest. Laughing at my lack of planning and my impulsive behavior, I clicked my tongue and slapped myself in the face. I left the inn and wandered around the street, thinking and whispering to myself; perhaps I should just leave. This was possible, of course. It meant returning to the world of my mother's protection and love. What my mother had built for me was a house. If I could just turn around, I thought, going back wouldn't be too difficult. Going back to the coziness of home—it was not only possible, but it was also the easy thing to do. The difficult thing was getting out of my mother’s house. Other thoughts intervened and interrupted these thoughts. That house no longer offered me peace, at least not the way it had before. I had become conscious of the gaze around the corner and once I had found out to whom it belonged, I was summoned by that gaze, or to find that gaze. I had come out into the wilderness, so my mother's house no longer offered me peace. I could not go back. While walking in this city, population less than thirty thousand, and as close as one can get to the cease-fire line of the DMZ, I brooded over the idea of the house and the wilderness. If the house was my mother's space, the wilderness was the world of my father. My mother built a house, raised a family, and cultivated the land. My mother was trapped in responsibilities and my father was a free-spirited being. Heaven and earth, moral obligations and practical interests, centripetal and centrifugal force... At first, these thoughts were like chewing gum, soft and sweet, but they soon became as tough as rubber, to the point that I could no longer chew.

The Gaze at Broad Daylight Lee Seung-U Jaeum & Moeum Publishing Co. 2009, 159p, ISBN 9788957074695

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About the Author Lee Seung-U (b. 1959) made his literary debut when he won the Korean Literature New Writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Award with his novella, A Portrait of Erysichton in 1981. He is the author of the following short story collections: The Cockroach of Gu Pyeongmok, Mysteries of the Labyrinth, People Do Not Even Know What Is In Their Home, I Will Live Very Long, and Journals From Days Past. His full-length novels are: The Shadow of a Thorn Bush, The Reverse Side of Life, The Private Lives of Plants, Wherever That Place Is, and The Song of Here and Now. His essay collections are: You Have Already Begun to Write a Novel and Living a Novel.

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Reviews Fiction

Consuming Disaster Travelers of the Night Yun Ko-eun, Minumsa, 2013, 252p ISBN 9788937473036

Disasters are unfortunate events faced by humanity. With disasters claiming tens of thousands of lives, some regard them as a kind of message or sign. Disasters are also sometimes referred to as the final judgment. Travelers of the Night, a novel by Yun Ko-eun, takes this belief one step further. The book introduces characters who perceive disaster as a consumable good, instead of a revelation. This is the reality of a post-capitalist society, which reduces all of nature to capital. Ko Yo-na, the protagonist, works at a travel agency. She disguises herself as a tourist and heads for Mui, an area that will soon be kicked off the list of disaster travel destinations. Having lost its appeal as a spectacle of disaster, Mui is attracting fewer and fewer travelers by the day. Interestingly, Yo-na faces a similar fate as she is about to be fired from the travel agency. Travelers of the Night is neither an escape from everyday life nor an exile from reality. In fact, it is the creation of a world

Simple Fare Full of Love Noodles Kim Sum, Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2014, 372p, ISBN 9788936437282

Novelist Kim Sum, who won last year's Daesan Literary Award, as well as the 2012 Hyundae Literary Award, has released her fourth book, a short story collection titled, Noodles. The collection contains nine stories, including the title piece, “Noodles” and “One Evening with Kyung-sook,” which won the Hyundae Literary Award. While Kim’s writing is known for its realistic portrayal of her characters’ inner turmoil under intense external pressure, she also includes elements of fantasy in her narratives. This collection notably focuses more on family relations while showcasing her unique style. “Noodles” stands out for the firstperson narration by a female protagonist who tells the story of her stepmother who has been diagnosed with cancer. The story opens with the protagonist visiting her stepmother to make some noodles. The

dominated by a harsher reality. Author Yun Ko-eun flaunts her imaginative power once more with her unique concept of disaster travel packages. One difference is that whereas her past works were an attempt to escape from the gravity of reality, Travelers of the Night is more of a reaffirmation of it. The tour to the end of the world leads to many unforeseeable situations. Hopes of return are shattered and it is revealed that disaster was expected from the start. Yo-na was merely a part of the cast of the planned disaster. At the exact moment when disaster unfolds, the only emotion that remains is love. Travelers of the Night is an excellent portrayal of a journey towards love, leaving behind the burden of reality. by Kang Yu-jung

style narration, reminiscent of novelist Shin Kyung-sook's The Place Where the Harmonium Was illustrates Kim Sum's aesthetic virtuosity.

narrative unfolds as a monologue directed at the stepmother: “As I softly sprinkle some f lour on the dough and begin flattening it with a rolling pin, I feel like I am only getting older and older, just like you. After your icy husband passed away and all of your stepkids left home...how much time have you spent kneading noodle dough at home in solitude?”

by Chong Won Sik

The first dish that the stepmother made for her stepdaughter was noodles. The protagonist, a callow young woman at the time, felt that homemade noodles were excessively simple fare, but as she grows wiser with age, she eventually comes to understand the similarities between her stepmother's humble life a nd her si mple nood le d i she s. T he process of making and kneading dough engenders the protagonist's compassion for and understanding of her stepmother's suffering. The stepdaughter’s monologuelist_ Books from Korea

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Poetry

Pale Shadows of Old Love by Kim Kwang-kyu

We met at five in the afternoon – late in the year of the April Revolution – clasped hands in glad greeting, sat in a cold, unheated room, frosted the air in heated discussion. We were foolish enough to believe we would live for something, something divorced from politics. The meeting ended without resolution. That night Pale Shadows of Old Love Kim Kwang-kyu, Minumsa 1995, 186p, ISBN 9788937406164

we downed large bowls of grog in Hyehwa−dong Rotary and wrestled innocently with the problems of love, part-time jobs, and military service. Each of us sang at the top of his lungs: songs no one listened to, no one imitated. We sang without thought of profit: our songs rose in the winter sky and fell as shooting stars.

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Eighteen years later we put on ties and gathered again. We were something now: we were the new generation, afraid of the revolution. A sub of 10,000 won was collected. We inquired about wives and children, asked each other how much we earned, worried at the rising cost of living, gladly deplored the state of the world, gossiped in expertly modulated voices. No one sang. We left a goodly amount of drink and expensive side-dishes, noted changed phone numbers and parted. Some went to play poker, some went to dance, and some of us walked the streets of Tongsung−dong with empty hearts. We had come back after long wanderings, rolled calendars tucked importantly under our arms, back to where old love once bled. A few unfamiliar buildings interposed suspiciously, but the roadside plane trees were in their wonted places. The few remaining desiccated leaves made us bow our heads. Aren’t you ashamed, aren’t you ashamed? The wind whispered around our ears. Deliberately we talked middle-aged health and took another step deep into the swamp. translated by Kevin O’Rourke *First published in Looking for the Cow: Modern Korean Poems (Dedalus Press, 1999). Reprinted with permission from the author and translator.

Kim Kwang-kyu (b. 1941) made his literary debut in the quarterly Literature and Intelligence in 1975. His first book of poetry, The Last Dream to Affect Us, was published in 1979. Kim's published works include the following poetry collections: No, That Isn’t So, Aniri, The First Time We Met, The Soft Touch of Time, The Heart of Knack Mountain, Waterway, Like a Small-minded Person, and Although I Have Nothing. His two volumes of essays, Between the Real and the Assumed Voice and The Slow Steps, along with his poetry collections, Faint Shadows of Love (English, London 1991), The Depth of A Clam (English, New York 2005), Die Tiefe der Muschel (German, Bielefeld 1991), and Botschaften Vom Gruenen Planeten (German, GÖttingen 2010) have been published in translation.

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Reviews Nonfiction

Korea’s Healing Trail You Must Be Tuckered Out Sung Woo Je, Kang Publishing, Ltd. 2014, 452p, ISBN 9788982181870

Just as Spain has the Camino de Santiago and Canada has the Bruce Trail, Korea is home to Jeju Olle on Jeju Island. The current trend of walking as exercise has created an increase in the number of hikers visiting the world’s best-known trails. This book is a travelogue about Jeju Olle, known among trail officials around the world as an up-and-coming walking course. Individuals left psychically a nd emot iona l ly br u ised by tod ay’s c ompe t it ion-ba se d socie t y c ome to Jeju Olle to experience healing. Later, they return to their daily routines with a renewed sense of drive and vitality, claiming that the Olle Trail has “some kind of strange energy.” So where does this strange energy come from? What are the stories of the people who visit this trail and what kind of lives do the people who live along it lead? Author Sung Woo Je, a journalist by trade, listens to the stories of those he meets on the trail during his journey, sharing some moving tales along the way. His writing incorporates conversations wit h fellow tra il wa lkers, loc a l Jeju

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residents, guest house owners, haenyeo (traditional Jeju diving women), village heads, and migrants to Jeju, revealing the hardships of their lives. Since the opening of its first route in 2007, Jeju Olle has grown and now covers a network of 425 km of walking trails, comprised of a total of 26 routes. More than a mere tourist attraction, it is a trail of pilgrimage that offers healing for tired bodies and minds and a record of Jeju’s long history. Though every guide book about Jeju introduces the trail and its founder, Suh Myungsook, accounts by travelers who have actually walked it are harder to come by. That’s what makes this book all the more special. by Richard Hong

Reviews Nonfiction

Pioneering Reporters Prominent Female Journalists of Korea, 1920~1980 Kim Eun-joo, Communication Books 2014, 362p, ISBN 9791130400440

T his book conta ins t he biographies of Korean women reporters, written by journalist Kim Eun-joo. In Korea, reporters who are women are still referred to as “fema le reporters,” while ma le reporters are simply called “reporters,” per pe t u at i n g t he perc ept ion t h at a journalist is a male occupation. The use of the term “female reporter” is an indication of the scarcit y of women working as journalists in Korea. However true this may be, the legacy of some representative female journalists has had a lasting impact. Kim follows the activities of nine female reporters from the 1920s to the early 1980s and outlines their proactive engagement during each period. The lives and activities of these women are a reflection of modern Korean history. As they were pioneers and patriots, Korean female reporters were considered “the most cutting-edge women of their day.” These journalists were women’s rights and social justice activists, as well

as literary writers. Some of them were later elected as government ministers or members of parliament. Kim Eun-joo divides the lives of these female reporters into two main categories. First, as pioneers, these educated women carried out their progressive activities with a sense of duty and responsibility. Second, as writers with literary aspirations, many of them, entered the field of journalism as a means to publish their work. by Lee Hyun Woo

Consumer Convenience The Sociology of Convenience Stores Jun Sang In, Minumsa 2014, 216p, ISBN 9788937488825

As a follow-up to Crazy About Apartments, sociologist Jun Sang In studies the impact of convenience stores in Korea in The Sociolog y of Convenience Stores. W hy convenience stores? According to Jun, if apartments are Korea’s “national housing,” then convenience stores are its “national stores.” If one compares the population density to the number of convenience stores, Korea ranks the highest in the world, higher even than the United States, the birthplace of the convenience store. Convenience stores first began showing up in Korea in 1989 and franchises were established at a rapid pace. By the end of 2012, there were over 24,559 stores throughout the country serving more than 8,800,000 consumers a day. What does the growth of convenience stores say about Korean society? On a basic

level, convenience stores are “a site where structured bureaucracy has reached its zenith and where the McDonaldification of society is exhibited intensively.” Convenience stores are the physical representation of modern rationalit y and consumer capitalism. Additionally, Korea’s convenient stores, riding the wave of globalization and open economy in the 1990s, helped to drive a new generation of westernized lifestyles that dominated Korean society. These convenience stores are evidence of how globalization has affected the country. H o w e v e r, w e c a n n o t o v e r l o o k the negative aspects of the empire of convenience stores. W hile one of the primary functions of convenience stores in Korea is to serve as an eatery, this phenomenon also reveals the polarization of Korean society. Convenience stores have become a place where individuals f a c e d w it h f i n a nc i a l proble m s c a n scrape together a daily meal, and the stores have subsequently also come to be

known as the “880,000 won generation eatery.” Moreover, part-time jobs at these convenience stores do not even meet the nation’s minimum wage law. by Lee Hyun Woo

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Reviews Nonfiction

How Movies Make Science Hollywood Science Kim Myong-Jin, Science Books 2013, 238p, ISBN 9788983716330

Hollywood Science examines the relationship between the modern human and science and technology through an analysis of how cutting-edge technology in the 20th centur y is recreated and portrayed in television and film. The selection of 30 films consists not only of well-known works, such as The Matrix and The Day After Tomorrow, but also animated television from author Kim Myong-Jinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s childhood, such as "Conan, The Boy in Future," as well as films that are not as well known. One such example is The Boys from Brazil, which follows the story of a Nazi scientist and the 94 boys he created as clones of Hitler. The films and television programs Kim cites raise profound questions about the status of science and technolog y in our society, as well as their social ramifications. The Conversation (1974), a film about wiretapping, warns us of the danger of a surveillance society controlled

by technology. Films like The Insider question the openness and objectivity of the practice of science through the eyes of a whistleblower, an informant perhaps with the public interest in his mind, whose actions turn his life into an impossible challenge. "The Pluto Files" elucidates rea l-life discussions t hat took place among scientific insiders and among the general public regarding the controversy surrounding stripping Pluto of its planet status. Currently, K im is involved in the Movement for Democracy in Science and Technology. His recent interests involve the reexamination of various aspects of cutting-edge science and technolog y, particularly outer space, computers, and the environment, as well as bio and nanotechnology.

Science's Impact on Our Daily Lives Homoscience (Vols. 1 & 2) Korea Educational Broadcating System GisigChannel 2013, 224p, ISBN 9788952770714

Homoscience is a textual adaptation of the documentary Milestone of Scientific Revolutions that aired on the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), a Korean TV channel specializing in educational programming. Volume 1 focuses on five topics: the universe, the solar system, the earth, evolution, and genetic inheritance. This volume covers topics such as the Big Bang theor y, the Hubble Space Telescope, the true nature of solar energy, the laws governing planetary motion, and the secrets of chemical elements. Topics on biogenetics, such as cells and microorganisms, genetic inheritance, DNA, stem cells and cloning, and the map of the human genome are also featured in this volume. Vo l u m e 2 d e a l s w i t h d i g i t a l technolog y, new high-tech materia l, GMO seeds, genetic mutations, and 62 list_ Books from Korea

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t he sun. Through t hese topic s, t his volume attempts to illustrate the changes brought about by modern technological civilization, the advent of which depended on our understanding and mastery of these topics. Entertaining and informative, the book is an inquiry into digital technology and its impacts on our daily lives, seed technology development as a possible solution to global food shortages, research into genetic mutation as a means to cure diseases, and harnessing the sun as a sustainable source of energy. Since this is an adaptation of broadcast material, the book is written in succinct, easy-to-understand language and includes abundant visual material. The addition of little-known anecdotes from the lives of various innovative scientists in these fields makes it a pleasurable read. by Kim Mansu

by Kim Mansu

Reviews Children's Books

Along Comes a Lion

Moonlit Night Lee Haery, Borim Press 2013, 40p, ISBN 9788943309732

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A feast for the senses, Moonlit Night, by Lee Haery, offers a simple yet remarkable story illustrated in soothing colors with the vivid touch of pen and ink drawing. H i g h up i n t he s k y, a m id s t t he backdrop of a dreary high-rise apartment building in a woodsy area, there is a full moon. A little child, not yet asleep, is looking at the moon outside the window. The moon grows bigger and bigger and then, out of nowhere, the round face of a lion appears. The lion, with a flying mane and large round eyes, turns his head in the direction of the child. But the child is not startled. Instead, he jumps on the back of the lion and calls out to all the other children in the apartment complex. “Hey guys, come out! Let’s play!” The children, come out one by one, shake their heads, stomp their feet, jump up and down, roll on the ground, do a

shoulder dance, and play to their heart’s content with the lion. They sing, “Let’s race to the sky! Let’s run through the moonlight! Let’s race to the sky!” But before he knows it, the children who ran to the end of sky and raced through the moonlight, go back home, riding along the wind. Where did the lion go? Only the bright moon can be seen in the woodsy area by the apartment. The round lion that appeared out of nowhere and the children’s thrilling play provide a powerful catharsis for readers. The message is clear. Children must play, as must adults. As a matter of fact, contemporary u rba n l i fe i s f i l le d w it h st re s s a nd desolation and if not for “play,” catharsis cannot be achieved. Here, the author surprisingly offers the Korean Lion Mask Dance, a traditional Korean folk ritual

in which people put on lion masks on the day of the first full moon of the lunar year. It was believed that the lion had the power to conquer evil by casting out demonic spirits, thereby bringing peace to the village. In every village, people wore lion masks and danced to the music of the kkwaenggwari (small gong) or a bamboo flute; then children were put on the lion’s back to grant them longevity and the villagers in lion masks prayed for fortune for each household. Above any thing else, the Korean Lion Mask Dance is characterized by its animated and powerful movements. It is a beautiful Korean custom in which the villagers gather together and dance with a vivacious spirit and a joyous heart to welcome in the New Year under the bright full moon. With her multi-layered, subtle pen

work, Lee Haery provides the reader with a vivid portrayal of the entrancing dance. The stillness of the deep and delicate night, the luminescence and warmth of the moonlight, the lion with its full mane, the children full of mischief, the raucous and exhilarating dance, and the quiet after play all complement each other. The vivid expressions of the lion and the children and the unique characters add to the liveliness of the work. by Yoon So-hee

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Reviews Children's Books

Pets Have Feelings, Too A Girl and Her Dog Called Cloud Jeong Ho-seon, Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2013, 50p, ISBN 9788936454456

A nyone who ever owned a puppy understands just how charming, lovely, and prone to loneliness puppies are. A Girl and Her Dog Called Cloud is a picture book that portrays how a little white puppy called Cloud meets a young girl, whom it loves like its own big sister, but must eventually part ways. T he girl a nd her puppy a re be st buddies. They share a fondness for a particular stuffed teddy bear and they are always playing together, hugging, kissing, and complimenting each other. The puppy doesn’t like it when it is left alone at home. One day, when it is dark and noisy outside, the puppy is all by itself. Scared and lonely, Cloud barks loudly and makes a mess of the house, which upsets the girl’s mother and her neighbors. The puppy ends up being sent away to a house with a yard, and the girl weeps as she says goodbye to the puppy. This book describes Cloud's wide array of facial expressions and actions with such minute details that they give the reader a

Don’t Mess with Nature Big Fish Lee Gihoon, BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. 2014, 50p, ISBN 9788949101736

You see a big fish that’s truly massive. It looks hundreds of times bigger than a human. But this huge fish is captured tightly in nets and ropes. You wonder, “What in the world is going on?” Big Fish is an eye-catching picture book that elicits curiosity and wonder. The story, in the form of a graphic novel, unfolds without a word. It takes place in what seems to be a village in Africa long ago. Amid a prolonged drought, a number of brave warriors set out on their way. They’re going on a hunt for the mythical Big Fish that sends down water from the sky. On their way, they run into a man building a gigantic ship. The warriors laugh at him, pointing at the blazing sun. At last, they find Big Fish, catch it after a desperate struggle, and carry it home. Animals come after them in search of water, but the people drive them out to 66 list_ Books from Korea

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the other side of a solid fence. When Big Fish begins to spurt water, the people hold a celebration. But the water doesn’t stop, and a flood engulfs the village. Everyone disappears underwater as the animals that have taken refuge in the gigantic ship watch on. This incredible tale unfolds like a film. Reality merges with fantasy and motifs from mythology and fiction, such as the tale of Noah’s Ark and The Old Man and the Sea, intermingle. The story conveys how many different sides there are to humanity. The human imagination is infinite and the fighting spirit great, but greed is catastrophic. With Big Fish, author Lee Gihoon seems to be raising the alarm on the human ambition to conquer and control nature. The varied illustrations, with elaborate detail and compositions, convey the author’s message in a visually dramatic way. by Kim Inae Sujung

vivid look into the puppy’s mind. The author’s message is that keeping a pet is all about communication. By showing t he puppy being sent away from the girl in this book, the author emphasizes the attention, care, sacrifice, and responsibility we must have for our pets. by Yoon So-hee

Reviews Children's Books

Where Cats Learn Magic Cat School: The Secret of Angkor Wat Kim Jin-kyung; Illustrator: Kim Jae-hong Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2013, 144p, ISBN 9788954623582

Cat School is a fantasy series based on the myths of East Asia. The series was completed in 2007 with the publication of Volume 11. In 2006, the series won “Le Prix des Incorruptible,” an award voted on by children in France, proving its value in the genre of children’s world literature. When cats reach the age of 15, they leave the human world to enter Cat School to learn their history and magic. Once they acquire this knowledge and the ability to perform magic, they become Crystal Cats to fight the Shadow Cats, a group of wicked cats, in order to protect the human world. This fantasy adventure is the main plot of the series. Cat School (World Series), the prequel to the completed Cat School series, is set in Angkor Wat during the early 13th century when Suryavarman VII ruled the Khmer Empire (present-day Cambodia). In the time leading up to the coronation of the k ing, the conf lict bet ween religion and royal authority becomes tenser than ever. The Crystal

Cats learn the magic of the “Soul of Crystal,” which can make them one with God, in order to fight against the Shadow Cats who aim to break the coexistence between Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. At the end of this fantasy, the author’s message reveals that human civilization can be sustained only through reconciliation and tolerance. Author Kim Jin-kyung is currently on the short list to become a recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards. Fantastic illustration provided by Kim Jaehong, who won the Espace Enfants Prize of Switzerland and the BIB (Biennial of Illustration Bratislava) Children’s Jury Award. by Yu Youngjin

More than a Vessel Singing Bottle Ahn Eun-young, Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. 2013, 24p, ISBN 9788958286929

There is a bottle. Depending on what it holds, it can be a juice bottle, an empty bottle, or even a bottle for pee. When it fills up with rain, it becomes a water bottle and when the rain dries up, it goes back to being an empty bottle. Is an empty bottle no longer useful? Just at that moment, you hear a voice exclaim, “I found it! It’s perfect!” The empty bottle is filled with a certain amount of liquid and is turned into a “singing bottle,” which makes beautiful sounds. Singing Bottle by A hn Eun-young tells the story of how a bottle is defined depending on what it contains. If the story stopped there, the book would simply be another educational children’s picture book. However, the last scene shows that although liquid may be put into the empty bottle, the characteristics of the bottle itself are not defined by that liquid, but by being

able to make different sounds, depending on the amount of the liquid it holds. As a result, it becomes an instrument that creates sounds, rather than a vessel that holds something. The f irst-person narration by the bottle itself makes it easier to understand it s circu m st a nc e s. W hene ver a ne w situation develops, a sound appears first to engage young readers. The story and the illustrations correspond well with each other and a solid plot helps young readers understand and enjoy the story. by Eom Hye-suk

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New Books

Fiction

Recommended by Publishers Korean editors have handpicked their favorite titles from their own publishing houses. The following list contains hidden gems in Korea’s publishing industry. For further information, please contact the agents directly.

If You Have Time, Love Me a Little Hong Hee-jeong Munhakdongne Publishing Group 2013, 168p, ISBN 9788954622554

If You Have Time, Love Me A Little won the 18th Munhakdongne Publishing Company Literary Award, paving the way for new possibilities in Korean fiction. This is a novel about the bittersweet coming of age of today’s youth. The book is a portrayal of adolescent boys and girls who live life at their own pace, in an age when it has become too difficult to live in the manner that suits one’s instincts. Copyright Agent: Kate Han mshan@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com

Poetry

I Put the Evening Inside the Drawer

The World Wrapped Up in a Piece of Cloth

Ahn Young, Wis & Vis 2013, 384, ISBN 9788992825733

Han Kang, Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 165p, ISBN 9788932024639

Sin Saimdang (1504~1551) is regarded as the embodiment of the “wise mother, good wife” in Korea. This book offers a depiction of her life as, in the words of the author, “a progressive woman born 500 years ahead of her time.”

This is the first volume of poetry published by novelist Han Kang, who has eloquently written on the pathos and the loneliness in life, as well as the truth and emotions that one encounters at the boundary between life and death. I Put the Evening Inside the Drawer is a compilation of 60 poems, some of which have been previously published.

Heo Dong-hwa; Illustrator: Kim Mi-yong Marubol Publications 2013, 40p, ISBN 9788956634562

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Kim Su-yeon Munhakdongne Publishing Group 2013, 196p, ISBN 9788954622547

Brother Kevin is about children who have to sacrifice their present life for the security of their future through the arduous days spent at cram schools. Thrown into vicious competition, these elementary school-aged children are preparing to enter elite high schools. The book shows how the age that students must compete and one-up each other continues to get younger and younger, with nothing to protect them in Korean society. Copyright Agent: Kate Han mshan@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com

Children’s Books

Eternal Moonlight: Sin Saimdang

Brother Kevin

A piece of cloth doesn't have a fixed shape like a bag. So with a piece of cloth you can wrap something of any shape or size, square or round, big or small. By looking at traditional wrapping cloths, we can see that our ancestors understood the spirit of harmony and fitting together. Copyright Agent: Kim Min-sun minsun@marubol.co.kr 82-2-790-4150 (Ext.503) www.marubol.co.kr

Face Country Lee Min Hui; Illustrator: Park Mi Jeong Gesunamu Publishing House 2013, 50p, ISBN 9788989654902

Beautifully illustrated, the queen of “Face Country” metaphorically plays out national affairs through through face washing and applying makeup. Bringing fresh characters to life, Lee presents the Queen's subjects who come alive to research and closely examine old literature and documents on cosmetics and face washing tools. Copyright Agent: Shin Saehyung gesunamu21@hanmail.net 82-2-566-6288 www.gesunamu.co.kr

Lady Fortune

The Wish of the Giant Rock

Poo-poo Poo-poo

Seo Jung-oh; Illustrator: Han Tae-hee Bombom Publishing Co. 2012, 32p, ISBN 9788991742406

Kim Chun-ok; Illustrator: Kim Tae-hyun Bombom Publishing Co. 2012, 40p, ISBN 9788991742413

Cheon Mi-jin; Illustrator: Seo Yoo-noh KIZM Education Group 2013, 22p, ISBN 9788967491239

Lady Fortune is a strong and courageous girl who throws away a comfortable future and takes control of her own fate. As the spirit governing over life, the story of Lady Fortune is based on the shaman song "Samgongbonpuri," passed down through generations on Jeju Island.

Hearing the news that 11,000 handsome rocks are to gather to form a peak in Mt. Geumgang, Ulsan Rock leaves its home in Ulsan and heads north. The rocks must arrive before the azaleas bloom, but will Ulsan Rock make it in time? This story recounts the fun legend of how Ulsan Rock and the town of Sokcho had their names intertwined.

This is a picture book to help toddlers with the ins and outs of potty training. Through fun descriptions of how various animals do a poo, the book shows toddlers the proper way to use the toilet.

The Happy School

The Ginger Flower

Lee Gyeong-hye; Illustrator: Kim Joong-suk Barambooks, 2012, 34p ISBN 9788994475288

Kim You Jeong; Illustrator: Kim Se-hyun Mirae N Co., Ltd., 2013, 44p ISBN 9788937885624

This is the story of a pretty school in a small village. One day, due to the construction of a dam the little village is flooded. All the children and all the villagers have to leave and so the pretty school is deserted and alone. The pretty school is lonely and sad until one day some people return. How did the pretty school become happy again?

This picture book for elementary school students is based on the short story of the same name written by Kim You Jeong in 1936. Set in a poor mountain village, it tells the story of first love between a precocious girl and a naive boy. Readers will be delighted by the rural dialect, the unexpected way the story unfolds, and the realistic picture of the era.

Only a Stupid Princess Would Sleep All Day Lee Gyeong-hye; Illustrator: Park Ah Reum Barambooks, 2008, 139p ISBN 9788990878694

A long time ago when the writer was reading stories to her children, she changed the parts that seemed unfair or dissatisfying or sad as she saw fit, and the resulting stories reflected the bias-free viewpoint of children. This book takes famous stories we all know and gives them a new twist and sense of fun. Copyright Agent: Lee Min Young windchild04@hanmail.net 82-2-3142-0495 http://cafe.daum.net/barampub

A Greedy Man and a Silver Gourd

Pig School Science Series (5 vols.)

Lim Jeong Ja; Illustrator: Lee Kwang Ick Mirae N Co., Ltd., 2013, 40p ISBN 9788937885679

Baek Myung Sik The Book In My Life Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 48p, ISBN 9788997980666

One day a greedy merchant chances across a silver gourd of goblin treasure. When night falls, the head of the goblins comes to find the merchant and asks him to return the gourd. Instead, the greedy man demands that he build him a palace. As the greedy man becomes ever greedier, will the head of the goblins keep granting his wishes?

This series is an easy, fun, and quick reading set of science books for children. The books are organized around the four sections of the elementary science curriculum: biology, earth and space, materials, and movement and energy. Through the various adventures of a pig trio, young readers not only learn about science but also start to develop their sense of curiosity.

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Children’s Books

Eat Nature! Series (4 vols.)

Twelve-Year-Old Mona Lisa

The Child That Tears Paper

Ghost Bakery Math

Oh Jin-hee; Illustrator: Baek Myung-sik TheBookInMyLife Publishing Co., Ltd. 2013, 96-112p, ISBN 9788997980369

Lim Jihyeong; Illustrator: Jung Jinhui IANDBOOK, 2013, 184p ISBN 9788997430598

Park Seongcheol; Illustrator: Kim Eunyeong IANDBOOK, 2013, 136p ISBN 9788997430758

Kim Sunhee; Illustrator: Lee Nam Ji Sallim, 2013, 172p ISBN 9788952227591

This is a textbook on healthy eating for children that shows us the gifts that nature gives us to eat each season. While encouraging readers to think about what is necessary to ensure they can continue eating healthy foods from nature, the book also leads readers to discover the varied tastes of nature made by soil, water, sunshine, and wind.

Yulee is teased by her older sister and her friends because she is chubby, so she starts to hate the way she looks. After a coach tells her that Korean wrestling can make you lose weight, she joins the wrestling club. But although she becomes a skilled wrestler, she is disappointed because she doesn't lose any weight. Will Yulee be able to shake off her complex about being chubby and gain confidence in front of her friends?

Gangsan is uncomfortable around his classroom partner Yulee, who has autism. However, after seeing a video about Siamese twins and hearing a confession from his teacher, he realizes that the way he viewed differences was wrong. He begins to understand Yulee, and in the end, the two become genuine friends.

This is a fun book for learning decimals and fractions. The only bakery in a ghost town is hiring an assistant. All the ghosts in the town gather for the exam to appoint just one assistant. Only four of them complete the first round of fraction and decimal challenges on the numbers of different breads and the mixing of ingredients. Who will become the baker’s assistant?

We Can Order a Family For You!

The Patchwork Kid

Finding Summer

The Red Bird

Lee Gaeul; Illustrator: Shin Sejung Hollym Corporation 2013, 52p, ISBN 9788970946894

Lee Gaeul; Illustrator: Heo Gu Hollym Corporation 2013, 96p, ISBN 9788970946719

Yi Jin-young Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2014, 32p, ISBN 9788932025285

A child wonders, “Can a Mom and Dad that make me study all the time really be my real parents?” The book encourages parents to reflect on their attitudes and shows children the true reasoning behind their parents nagging. The author, a mother of two who has won numerous awards, wrote the story from a child’s point of view, creating a book that parents and children can read and enjoy together.

There was a little girl whose clothes were so worn out and full of patches that people called her the “patchwork kid.” Although she was poor, she had a kind heart and learned to sew by looking over the shoulders of seamstresses as she did odd jobs. With beautiful prose and lovely illustrations, the book shows readers how thrifty our ancestors were, joining together seemingly useless materials to make the things they needed.

Summer the street cat and Kay the house cat swap coats and come and go freely between the house and the outdoors. As they become friends, Summer, who was in Kay's house after swapping coats, suddenly disappears without a trace. The story gives us a chance to understand how cruel it is to think of living creatures as mere possessions.

This is the story of a little bird that befriends a lonely child who is being ignored at school. The little bird, alienated by all the other birds for being too red, realizes that he is not useless after all because he can comfort someone. The beauty of the story is augmented by lyrical illustrations that reveal the inner feelings of the bird and the child.

Han Young Mi; Illustrator: Kim Dajung Sallim Publishing Co., Ltd. 2014, 172p, ISBN 9788952228239

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Nonfiction

Time Capsule 1985 Hong Myung Jin Sakyejul Publishing, 2014, 248p ISBN 9788958287124

This is a book about the people who made Haebangchon (“Liberation Village”) their home the year the time capsule was buried in the outskirts of Namsan Mountain in Seoul. In the backdrop of a specific time and space, Haebangchon in the year 1985, the book tells the story of the ordinary people who lived in the neighborhood during that period.

Children of the Yeongsan River Oh Younghae; Illustrator: Choi Shinoh Gobooky Books Co., Ltd. 2011, 105p, ISBN 9788992479998

This collection of verse by poet Oh Younghae has been made anew as a picture book full of the scenery of the four seasons and the happy memories of hometown life. The book introduces children to the ways kids played long ago while parents will feel the warmth and beauty of nostalgia for their old hometowns.

Five-Color Eating Regimen

Zo Sun-hi’s Inspiration

Hong Young Jae, MID 2013, 496p, ISBN 9791185104041

Zo Sun-hi, Minumin 2013, 300p, ISBN 9788960173330

Utilizing five different colors, this book introduces a map of food products that can help boost one’s health. Healthy foods that contain a high level of phytochemicals are presented together with their color groups. Food items that function as health food are classified based on different categories such as the intensity of color, availability, pressure on the body, and price. The author, who was diagnosed with two cancers by the age of 58, successfully fought the diseases through dietary treatment.

Top-notch professional photographer Zo Sun-hi suggests ideas that can help readers restore their sensibilities and creativity. In this book, Zo gathers her inspiring photos, intimate musings, and one-liners that help open the door for generating longlost creativity and transform mundane everyday images into creative works.

Letters from Joseon: 19th Century Korea Through the Eyes of an American Ambassador's Wife Robert Neff, Seoul Selection 2012, 431p, ISBN 9788997639090

During a span of time that encompasses the Sino-Japanese War, the murder of the Korean queen, and King Gojong's refuge in the Russian legation, John Mahelm Berry Sill served as the American Minister to Korea (1894-1897). The personal letters between the Sills and their family in the U.S. provide a view of Korea during some of its most unsettling years. Copyright Agent: Park Shin-hyung sales@seoulselection.com 82-70-4060-3950 www.seoulselection.com

Millennium Dish O Han Saem, Choi Eu Gene and Yang Bung Geul MID,2012, 368p, ISBN 9788996612261

This book offers an overview of Korean cuisine, representing one important facet of Korea’s 5,000-year history. Educational TV channel EBS set up a three-minute program as part of a campaign to rediscover Korean history, and the book is a compilation of the moving visuals and texts aired by EBS. Readers can get practical information about health and Korean cooking, as well as gain a sense of Korea's beauty and history. Copyright Agent: Choi Jonghyun mid4@live.co.kr 82-10-9279-3448 www.bookmid.com

Kang Shin-joo’s Lessons on Emotions

The Machine Interpreting Things

Kang Shin-joo, Minumsa 2013, 528p, ISBN 9788937488351

Ban Ejung, Semicolon 2013, 276p, ISBN 9788983716347

This book features 48 human emotions as explained by Spinoza, 48 literary masterpieces, 48 pieces of advice by the philosopher, and 45 famous paintings. Readers can embark on a journey into their own minds together with Spinoza, the “ethicist of emotion.” In a bid to present the philosopher’s complex message, the author borrows episodes from writers who were well-known for interpreting human minds.

Ban Ejung, an art critic and influential blogger, describes 100 everyday objects and phenomena presented together with related images, in only 500-600 words each. The book is likely to come off as a dictionary of ordinary objects that reflects the author’s perspective and writing style. His trademark witty writings revisit ordinary objects with fresh eyes and a rare precision.

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Nonfiction

In a Fit of Emotion

Uljiro Circle Line

The Awakening

Lee Jang-mee Laughing Girl Publishers 2013, 232p, ISBN 9788958781615

Choi Hochul Gobooky Books Co., Ltd. 2008, 176p, ISBN 9788992479219

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Jungto Publishing House 2012, 197p, ISBN 9788985961691

This book is a collection of photo essays by painter Lee Jang-mee. A collection of drawing diaries that she created for her blog over the past 10 years, the book sheds light on the small things in everyday life, which are captured through the author’s ideas and feelings.

This book is the first collection of work by Choi Hochul, who records stories with pictures. In the distinctive “modern genre painting” style, these illustrations, which cross the boundaries of animation and conversation, will be deeply moving for young readers. Within its pages, the stories of different lives unfold like a panorama, conveying a sense of wonder.

This book delivers the fundamental lesson: anyone can enjoy a life of freedom and happiness, no matter where they are. One of the memorable passages in the book is: “Happiness is always in ourselves as the warm sunlight comes down upon us in the springtime, but people complain that the world is dark and cold, while closing their eyes or standing in the shade. Once you open up your eyes, the world is bright.”

It’s Okay to Live Differently from Others Yoo Jong Pil; Illustrator: yosaru Medicimedia, 2013, 264p ISBN 9788994612744

Yoo Jong Pil, proposes a set of ways to lead one’s life differently from others. Yoo’s own life’s path has taken him from working for a large Korean conglomerate to dabbling as a puppet show script writer to founding The Hankyoreh newspaper. The author argues that the endeavor to live differently from others often leads to moments that are far removed from society’s yardstick of success. Copyright Agent: Song Duna realduna@naver.com 82-70-7834-9695 http://medicimedia.co.kr

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The 100 Jewish Celebrities Park Jae Sun; Illustrator: Kim Jeong Hun Medicimedia, 2013, 562p ISBN 9788994612843

Park Jae Sun, a former South Koran ambassador, analyzes 100 Jewish people in diverse sectors, ranging from Nostradamus to Monica Lewinsky, and offers his ideas and potential takehome messages. He tackles three main questions: Who are Jewish people? Are they special? What can we learn from Jewish people? Copyright Agent: Kang Weon Kug kugk0820@naver.com 82-10-9081-1962 http://medicimedia.co.kr

Why Can’t I Control My Emotions? Lee Ji-young Chungrim Publishing Co., Ltd. 2014, 283p, ISBN 9788935209958

Offering ways to control emotions for those who have relationship problems, Lee Ji-young, lays out a four-step solution to stabilizing emotions. She explains useful techniques to pull back from fiery emotions, such as activities designed to change one’s mood, as well as other skills on how to express uncomfortable emotions to others without hurting others’ feelings. Copyright Agent: Juana Woo jmwoo@chungrim.com 82-2-546-4341 www.chungrim.com

The War with Memory: Pursuing the Truth about the Korean War and Massacre Kim Dong Choon Sakyejul Publishing 2013, 480p, ISBN 9788958286806

This book chronicles a number of unresolved cases involving imperialistic suppression, the Korean War, and democratization in the aftermath of the military dictatorship. It is the sequel to Kim’s The Unending Korean War: A Social History. The book explains the efforts that have been made to deal with the past, as well as key issues and tasks, both theoretical and practical. Copyright Agent: Kang Hyunjoo kanghjoo@sakyejul.co.kr 82-31-955-8600 www.sakyejul.co.kr

Emotion Therapy: Self-therapy to Be Free from Inner Emotional Problems Park Young-chul Chungrim Publishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 292p, ISBN 9788992355919

Touting a message of “self therapy,” the author proposes practical techniques to take control of one’s emotions, targeting those who are likely to get hurt easily in connection with work, relationships, and family. The first step to taming one’s emotions is to understand the subconscious factors that control our minds, and our repetitive emotional patterns. Copyright Agent: Juana Woo jmwoo@chungrim.com 82-2-546-4341 www.chungrim.com

Steady Sellers

Gwanchon Essays:

A Search for Healing Among the Ruins

Gwanchon Essays Lee Mun Ku Moonji Publishing 1997, 400p, ISBN 9788932008509

L ee Mun Ku wa s born in 1941 into a yangban family, Korea’s traditional ruling class. But his family was ruined when his father, an activist in a socialist movement, w a s k i l l e d d u r i n g t h e K o r e a n Wa r. Afterwards, Lee left his hometown and earned his living as a manual laborer and peddler in Seoul. He made his debut as a novelist in 1966 and attracted attention with his unique style, based on his use of dialect. Gwanchon Essays is a serialized novel comprised of eight stories written between 1972 and 1977. It is widely regarded as a classic Korean novel. Gwanchon Essays is a record of the author’s hometown Gwanchon. To be more specific, it looks back on the changes his hometown underwent from 1945 to 1970. Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, became a divided country after the Korean War (1950-1953), and began fullscale industrialization in the late 1960s. This novel portrays in detail how war and industrialization transformed a rural community and brought about the collapse of traditional order: the grandfather who represented Confucian values, the father who died in ideological conflict, the people who maintained humanistic values even amidst hardship, the hometown that has changed through industrialization, and the farmers’ animosity toward modern rule. Gwanchon Essays is where the memories

are kept of the subalterns who could not record their history during the process of war and industrialization. The Korean War and industrialization were violent episodes that broke up a rural community; everything in one's hometown was changed. However, history does not remember the changes that took place in that hometown and the lives of people who lived there. History only records and understands such changes in rural communities as a normal part of the process of industrialization. A g a i n s t t he s e c i rc u m s t a nc e s , L e e recreates the story of his hometown, in the language of his hometown. Thus, Gwanchon Essays is not written in standard Korean, but in the dialect from the southernmost part of the peninsula. The changes of the hometown and the lives of its people are narrated through the rough yet lively voices of farmers. Lee's use of dialect captures the language that embodies farmers’ tears and laughter, as well as satirizes authority. Everything in his hometown has changed due to war and industrialization, but Lee explores the question of what should remain unchanged, despite dramatic social changes. Lee depicts characters who maintain human dignity in the midst of historical tragedy, and describes the values of a community that simply cannot change, even when society itself rapidly changes. “A truly good-hearted, admirable, and everlasting image of a human

being who could sacrifice himself for others is deeply rooted in my mind,” he writes. Hometown is a space where the evils of war and industrialization have been greatly felt. The hometown Lee remembers has disappeared. However, respect for humanity and the values of community still live on in his memory of Gwanchon. Although it has been 27 years since Gwanchon Essays was first published, it still leads us to reflect on the ethical behavior of humans. by Kim Dongshik

Lee Mun Ku (1941–2003) was born in

Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. Lee lost his father and brothers in the Korean War. Based on his own experiences with farmers and their villages, he turned their issues into literary works, thereby pioneering a new chapter for the agrarian novel. His many works include Gwangchon Essays, Our Town, and I Have Stood or Worked for Too Long.

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Overseas Angle

Conveying Cultural Nuance in the Chinese Translation of Gwanchon Essays

Lee Mun Ku’s Gwanchon Essays, a serialized novel published between 1972 and 1977, is the story of a hometown that lives on in the memory of the protagonist. The hometown exists only in the main character’s memory; in reality, it has completely changed. Through the author’s memories, the reader can understand the scars of the Korean War, the abuses of industrialization, the collapse of traditional society, how relationships change over time, and the loss of hometown. The Chinese version of this novel was published in November 2012 by the People’s Literature Publishing House in China and began to attract Chinese readers’ attention. When I was translating this novel, I spent a lot of time deciding how to translate its content and form. As a result, I focused on two key points. The first key point was the “individual’s experience.” The serial novels written by other authors such as Choi In-hoon, Suh Ki-Won, and Yun Heunggil are similar in that most of them reflect on the essence of life, profound human suffering, and other social mechanisms. W hile reading Gwanchon Essays, I could sympathize deeply with the concerns of Korean intellectuals and wondered how Chinese readers would understand and respond to such concerns and specifically Korean sentiments. The narrator of this story returns to his hometown Gwanchon after being away for 20 years. Feeling the profound loss of home, he portrays the fall of rural society and the collapse of traditional society, that is, the feeling of community that Koreans used to share. Painful memories of the war and personal thoughts on the subsequent social changes are the central themes of the novel. Chinese readers have responded to the book by asking

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themselves, “Are we not also experiencing a similar sadness now?” Since the Chinese economic reforms that began in earnest in the early 1980s, industrialization has steadily intensified and brought about dramatic changes to Chinese society. In particular, the New Rural Reconstruction Movement, which has been a topic of discussion since the late 1990s, has changed China’s rural society, similar to the way the New Community Movement changed rural communities in Korea. Though such changes are now part of the past for Koreans, they are just beginning for the Chinese. A newspaper article reported that Chinese people made about three billion trips during the 40 days before and after Lunar New Year’s Day, which shows just how much affection they still have for their hometowns. Literature about finding one’s roots and nativist literature, which were popular in the 1980s, also represent the tenacious Chinese attachment to tradition. How will Chinese people understand and respond to the themes of the collapse of traditional rural society, the loss of a spiritual home, lamentations on changes in human relationships, and the sadness regarding such social changes? I am reminded of a review of Lee’s book that stated, “No matter what kind of terrifying skills and techniques we employ to live a wonderful life, I have a sense that the substance of our life doesn’t differ much at the end of the day.” Though industrialization cannot be and does not need to be stopped, critical reflections about the effects of industrialization by intellectuals may very well be the voice of reason that those facing the realities of industrialization are waiting for. It seems that this book is popular with Chinese

"It seems that this book is popular with Chinese readers because...they can imagine their own future and empathize with the happiness and sadness felt by Koreans during such social changes."

冠村随笔李文求, 人民文学出版社 (People’s Literature Publishing House) 2012, 281p, ISBN 9787020094882

readers because by using Korean literature and history as a mirror, they can imagine their own future and empathize with the happiness and sadness felt by Koreans during such social changes. The second key point was the “taste of Korea.” Since the book is essay-like in form, Lee Mun Ku employs a somewhat loose and simple inner monologue style of writing, a dialect distinct to the South Chungcheong Province, and Korean sensibilities in his characters. Above all, the author’s beautiful use of the Korean language, using words that transcend the realm of language and thought, leaves a lasting impression. How, then, could I maintain this taste of Korea, one that is full of local color? How could I translate it so that Chinese readers would be able to enjoy and understand it properly? When I first read the book, my concerns as a translator were enormous. Written Chinese characters and some references to texts, including Confucian texts, would undoubtedly be familiar to Chinese people. The Thousand Character Classic taught by Grandfather in the first story, “Sunset on West Mountain,” and the titles of the other stories show the author’s profound knowledge in Classical Chinese. While Chinese readers would easily be able to understand these parts without much difficulty, vocabulary that is unfamiliar even to Koreans, or dialect and puns that readers accustomed to city life would find hard to understand, created a communication obstacle. As I felt a great responsibility as the translator to overcome such obstacles and facilitate readers’ understanding, I attempted to find the words and expressions that produced similar effects to Chinese readers. This was the hardest and the most challenging part of the

translation. I think in translation, the best method is to attempt to convey a similar effect, rather than a similar word or a direct translation, to offer some room for the readers of a translated version to imagine, and to break down the barrier of language. This was my desire for the translation of this novel. by Jin Hezhe

Jin Hezhe is a professor in the

Department of Korean Language at the Harbin Institute of Technology. He has published Your Paradise, Pale Shadows of Old Love, Anthology of Modern Korean Fiction, and Ichido, the Fugitive.

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Overseas Angle

Seoul:

First Impressions of a Book-loving City In November last year, I had the privilege of being one of the six U.K. editors selected by the British Council to visit Seoul as part of a study trip prior to the 2014 London Book Fair, where Korea will be this year’s market focus. I had never visited Korea before and to be honest, didn’t really know what to expect. I must say, however, my confidence in my own ability to tolerate harsh weather from living in northern England for the last seven years was truly crushed by the South Korean winter. I thought I was more than prepared; Seoul thought otherwise. But the snow and ice heightened the beauty of the city, which appears even more stunning at night when everything is illuminated and the streets are buzzing with activity. In Seoul, people know how to party and have a good time and whatever you need–food, drink, essentialsyou can usually find anytime, night or day. Not only is it one of the most connected cities in the world, with Wi-Fi available literally wherever you are (including on the subway!), it’s also one of the safest and cleanest. I could list an abundance of really cool things about Seoul: heated floors, heated toilet seats, the art markets and boutiques, the urban underground scene, the efficient transport system, McDonald’s deliveries…but as someone who works in publishing, the most exciting discovery was how literary-friendly it is. Every city in the world has at least one library and every city has its bookshops (although both are rapidly on the decline in the U.K.), but how many can boast of street vendors selling books from a mobile cart or independent cafes which are as passionate about the literature on their shelves as the coffee they make? Cafés 1984 and Jaeum & Moeum (named after the very same Korean publishing house) are just a couple out of many such coffeeshops. Perhaps these things are only new to me, but I believe Paju Book City is an international first: an entire space specially dedicated to publishing and architecture, where all the major publishing houses operate on one block. Situated within this literary community is Mimesis Art Museum, a breathtaking construction designed by Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza and built by Open Books (the museum is named after its art imprint). I had presumed that since Seoul is known for being so technologically savvy and wired, literature would take a back seat, but I was very wrong. That said, eBook downloads have yet to achieve a significant percentage of sales in the Korean publishing industry, which was a little surprising. Kyobo Bookstore, Korea’s largest chain, has its own eReader and subscription-based eBook service, but the usage and popularity of eBooks has a ways to go before it matches that of the U.K. Not surprisingly, we were told by the manager of Seoul’s Kyobo Bookstore that everyone in the Korean book industry fears the arrival of Amazon! We can totally sympathize with that. Despite the digital side of publishing anticipating more growth, hard copy publishing in Korea is flourishing, and not just in terms of sales. Korean books are beautifully produced, boasting gorgeous jacket covers that are so handsome they’re works of art in their own right; their eye-catching and quirky designs are uniquely Korean. It sometimes feels like the book covers in the U.K. are a little uniformed, so it was a real pleasure to handle something so aesthetically delightful. As I write this, the phrase, “Never judge a book by its cover” suddenly springs to mind, but from what I managed to source from my time in Seoul, the writing is just as exciting, experimental, and fresh as their covers promise.

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This is where I reveal my bias. I work for Comma Press which is, to date, the most prolific publisher of short stories in the U.K. We are also unique in that around 40 percent of our output is fiction in translation. Once branded as committing “double commercial suicide” for championing two of the hardest categories to sell in the U.K. market, (short fiction and translated fiction), we’re no stranger to writing that diverges from mainstream expectations. I admit, I flew to Seoul already resigned to the preconceived notion that I would not find what I had come looking for; I was so pleased when I only had to glance at the material provided by the British Council to see the words “short story collection” under nearly every Korean author’s profile, not even shyly tucked away at the bottom of the paragraph but sometimes printed proudly on the first couple of lines. Changbi, Jaeum & Moeum, Moonji, Munhakdongne, and Minumsa are the leading publishers of the form, their lists brimming with short story collections that deal with everything from everyday human experiences (love and relationships, abandonment and loss) right up to the downright bizarre (virtual realities, household objects that are reincarnations of the deceased, self-aware computer games). Another remarkable point about the industry in Korea is the active support and opportunity available to new writers, notably Munhakdongne’s Anthology of Award-winning Young Authors, which showcases works by those who have had their literary debut but who have not been exposed to the public for very long. There is even plenty of help on hand for those who have yet to be published, like the annual writing prizes run by major newspapers and the “Rookie Awards” held by Korean publishers through their literary magazines, both which seek to find the next best debut author. However, I learned that surviving as a new writer in Korea is tough, and a young author must be truly outstanding to beat off the competition and enjoy a continuing career. Fortunately for them (and for us abroad) there is list: Books from Korea, a quarterly magazine published by LTI Korea which introduces Korean books to international publishers. Complete with book reviews, special features and interviews, it’s an excellent place to start if, like me, you’re a total novice when it comes to Korean literature. For example, if I hadn’t been given a copy of list, I would never have read Cheon Un-yeong’s knockout story “Ginger,” a compelling piece of writing which manages to weave poetry out of a horrific torture scene. A small tip: if you’re ever in Seoul, the LTI Korea’s library, which houses collections of Korean books published in a multitude of different languages, is well worth a visit. Seoul has so much to offer from its hip and quirky cafes, its wonderful culture-rich markets, its diverse nightlife, and more, but look a little further and you’ll uncover a city that cherishes and respects the books it creates by making literature as much a part of the community as its citizens. Hopefully the rest of us will soon follow suit. by Katie Slade

Katie Slade graduated from Manchester

Metropolitan University in 2013 with an MA in Creative Writing. She initially worked as an international rights and sales manager at Comma Press, a U.K. independent publishing house that specializes in the short story and translated fiction. She recently moved to the editorial department, where she has just finished working on her first major commissioned project, The Book of Rio, an anthology of 10 short stories set in Rio de Janeiro, translated from Portuguese, which will be released in May 2014. She is now one of the two translation editors at Comma and resides in Manchester City.

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Overseas Angle

The Transcultural Bridge Between Korea and Spanish Speaking Countries Translation of culture and literature is the most essential medium of sharing knowledge. Translated Korean books convey millennia of accumulated culture to Spanish language readers. Unfortunately, far more Spanish literature, culture, and art are introduced in Korea than the other way around. Considering that only about 100 Korean literary works have been translated into Spanish, it is clear that not enough has been done to give Korea’s longstanding literary tradition its due attention. Spanish readers learn about the achievements of Korean literature and the fundamental values of Korean authors through the translation of literature that deals with topics such as: colonialism, war, reconstruction, economic development, authoritarianism, democratization, rapid urbanization, and all the accompanying social problems. In addition, the feminine perspective on a rapidly changing Korean society and its realities is provided by Korean female authors, who are so influential in contemporary Korean literary circles. LTI Korea promotes Korean literature translation by supporting translators, publishers, and Korean Cultural Centers in Spain and Latin America. Cultivating young translators as they study the Korean language, culture, and literature opens the flow of culture. LTI Korea continues to support professional Korean and Spanish translators. Universities, language schools, and Korea Cultural Centers in cities throughout Spain and Latin America play a critical role in promoting Korean literature. The four major institutions in Spain are the University of Málaga, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Complutense University of Madrid, and the University of Salamanca. The University of Málaga’s three-year old Overseas Residency Program for Korean Writers is the most successful. The university was fortunate enough to host the excellent authors Eun Heekyung, Lim Chulwoo, and Cheon Un-yeong. Author visits, cultural events, and publications contribute greatly to boosting the interest in contemporary Korean literature in Málaga, providing locals with an invaluable opportunity to read Korean authors and understand their backgrounds. Translation entails a number of challenges. Most books that translators encounter are written for Koreans, with the assumption that all readers have a shared knowledge of history and cultural background. This is unfair for non-Korean readers. Spanish speakers have little to no background in Korean culture and philosophy, so translators need to fill in the holes without damaging the original intent of the author. Translation must excite readers, not diminish their interests with overly complex renditions. It is important to remain faithful to the original, while also making the work relatable to the audience. How can we foster the future of Korean literature in Spanish? Young Spanish people are fascinated by Korean pop culture, so it is imperative to ride this trend and promote Korean literature to the younger generation. Many young Spanish speakers who were introduced to Korean culture through TV, film, music, and cartoons are specializing in

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Asian and Korean studies in college. The first step to connecting with readers is through Korea’s unique stories and novels, which target young adults and children. Animating classic literature and history is another possible means of engagement. The growing number of students who prefer watching Korean historical dramas online rather than Spanish TV is a testament to their enthusiasm for Korean cultural products. It is very interesting to see how Korean literature is expanding in Spanish, being dispersed through blogs that discuss Korean culture, language, and music. Numerous social network groups related to Korea are rapidly coalescing new readership. When publishing Korean literature in Spanish, the young generation must not be overlooked. At the same time, it is important to invest in training new translators. The programs that exist must be expanded, and more people who speak Spanish as a first language should be recruited. Offering Korean translation classes at Spanish universities will help. Cultural education is also indispensable because translation is not just about linguistics and idiomatic expressions, but transcultural sensitivity. It is crucial to provide systematic support for corporations that promote Korean culture in the Spanish speaking world, in addition to cultivating new translators. A distribution network for Korean literature also needs to be pioneered. Despite the increasing number of translated Korean books, their circulation is remarkably low in Spanish-speaking countries. Japanese literature already has a foothold and Chinese literature is beginning to settle in, but Korean literature has yet to find a niche. Although publishers like Editorial Verbum (Spain), Ediciones del Ermitaño (Mexico), and Editorial Bajo la Luna (Argentina) are publishing Korean literature, more pathways to reach readers are necessary, since publishing quality works and attracting the public are equally important. Further endorsement of translation is essential to fostering mutual understanding and amicable relations between Spanishspeaking countries and Korea. This is a historical moment for Korean and Spanish culture. Living in a global era, we need to make space for transcultural exchange. It is not an easy task in

front of us, but if we set aside anxiety and proceed patiently, we can topple the barriers that centuries of conflict and ignorance have put between us. by Antonio J. Domenech * Excerpted from the December 2013 EU Translators’ Workshop discussion panel in Italy.

Antonio J. Domenech is an anthropologist and historian of religion,

specializing in Korea and intercultural dialogue. He is also director of the Korean studies program at the University of Málaga and a professor of Korean Studies, as well as a translator of books on Korean culture and arts.

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Overseas Angle

The World of the Text

How a Murderer Remembers Kim Young-ha Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 2013, 176p, ISBN 9788954622035

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Kim Young-ha's recent novel, How a Murderer Remembers, ostensibly the story of a retired serial killer in his 70s suffering from Alzheimer's, is also an elaboration of the various ways in which one can not know. From simple ignorance and forgetting, to repression and disavowal, to neurological conditions such as dementia, Capgras delusions (delusional misidentification syndrome), and ultimately Alzheimer's, How a Murderer Remembers is a cautionary tale for those who believe what they are told, for whom memory is reliable, knowledge is certain, and language is a transparent vehicle of communication. Over the course of the novel, the figure of the forgetful killer comes to stand as a more universal, if ironic, figure of loss and forgetting. The fragility of the main character's powers of memory yields the familiar "unreliable narrator," and the capacity of the text to deliver the truth to the reader is in doubt from nearly the beginning of the book. Yet at the same time that Kim's meta-fictional prose questions its own capacity to communicate, the narrator finds ways to "tell the truth" about things— about his identity as a serial killer, about the killings themselves, and about his more recent experiences of memory loss and confusion. He writes poetry (where he discloses his murderous methods with total candor, misunderstood by his poetry instructor as clever metaphor); utilizes the double language of situational irony (when his adopted daughter asks about her real parents—whom the protagonist had killed when she was an infant—he is able to answer honestly that "they were good people—they were worried about you to the last moment"); and reads the rustle of leaves in the wind as an expressions of the lost, buried, long-dead, forgotten—enigmatic transmissions from a distant world. According to the "Author's Afterword," the author himself is caught up in this world of the text. Kim notes that while he used to believe the author created the fictional world from a position of mastery, he has lately come to feel that the author is a sort of traveler or tourist in that world—a visitor lacking autonomy, who is directed by the world of language that he or she set in motion by first putting pen to paper. The author enters this world and subordinates him- or herself to its space and time, to the exigencies and rhythms of its inhabitants. The world of fiction, alien and not subject to mastery, presents us with something other than the world "as we know it." This sense of powerlessness before language, of being a visitor in a linguistic world that itself (in the case of Kim's fiction) calls attention to deep deficits in knowledge and memory, could be regarded as a figure for translation itself. Translation is in this sense a visitation—the arrival of a stranger or strange language as

a visitor (albeit cloaked in the familiar sounds of a local dialect); but also in the more radical sense of visitation as an appearance, an unheralded arrival from a different world outside of familiar space and time. This idea of translation does not immediately fit within two dominant models by which translated literary texts and their circulation in a global marketplace are currently understood: the text as exemplary of a particularly national cultural identity; and world literature as "multi-"â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a collection of texts from different (but ultimately homogenized) linguistic or cultural contexts that, as Emily Apter points out in her recent Against World Literature (Verso, 2013), "ignores the deep structures of national belonging and economic interest contouring the international culture industry". Against these, the world of the translated text as doubly alien instead "signifies language in a state of non-belonging, or nationalism degree zero". This is a remarkable time to be teaching Korean literature in the U.S. While ten years ago it might have been difficult to teach a reasonably comprehensive course on modern and contemporary Korean literature, today not only canonical texts but also contemporary and cutting-edge work is available, giving readers access to current trends and developments in Korean letters. Yet what Kim's novel suggests, however obliquely, is that all utterance requires translation, and that the world of the text thus consists not of certain knowledge or cultural information but of enigmatic messages, expressions of a world alien to author, reader, and translator alike. Kim's fiction, often seen as unmoored from the particularities of national context, insists on the world of the text, resisting the common sense designation of "world literature" (in both its national-particular and global-universal senses). It stands instead as a sort of "literature of world," adjacent to but autonomous from the mastery of the translator or critic. by Christopher P. Hanscom

Christopher P. Hanscom is an assistant

professor in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA. He is the author of The Real Modern: Literary Modernism and the Crisis of Representation in Colonial Korea and co-editor of Imperatives of Culture: Selected Essays on Korean History, Literature, and Society from the Japanese Colonial Era. His research interests include the relationship between social and aesthetic forms, comparative colonialism, and concepts of race and culture under Japanese empire.

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Meet the Publishers 出版社巡礼

Seoul Selection One way to approach learning about a new country is to read books on its history and culture. There are a few publishers in Korea that specialize in English-language publications for foreigners. Publishing books about Korea in English likely means that a publisher is highly conscious of the unique aspects of Korea that appeal to foreigners yet convey a sense of the universal. Seoul Selection is one such publisher.

Publishing company Seoul Selection is located on the road to Bukchon Hanok Village, a famous tourist attraction in Seoul. As you walk in the door, you may notice the brisk office atmosphere of the company. You might also hear the lowpitched voice of the foreign editor. The CEO of the publishing company, Hank K im (K im Hyung-geun), f irst established Seoul Selection in 2002 after quitting his job as a journalist for a news service he worked at for over 10 years. Kim’s original intent for starting Seoul Selection was to contribute to the effort to increase awareness about Korea on an international level, which he believed to be underappreciated at the time. Considering his initial aim, it is natural that the company is located in such a famous tourist destination. T he bu si ne s s proje c t s of S e ou l Selection are extensive; the publishing company is involved in essentially any field related to the promotion of Korea. Above all, the publishing catalog itself is 82 list_ Books from Korea

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diverse. Their catalog ranges from Seoul tourist guidebooks to books related to literature, history, nature, and religion. The Seoul Selection book shop, the sales outlet of the company that is a mere five minutes away on foot, sells organic tea, fragrant fruit extracts, caps with the phrase “Seoul at the front of it,” and Korean DVDs with English subtitles, currently the number one cultural export of Korea. Several years ago, with the help of global c ontent d i s t r ibuter, I n g r a m, S e ou l Selection also gained access to a global supply chain for its publications. CEO Kim ranked Seoul Selection’s 2009 tourist guidebook Seoul first among the publishers’ 90-plus books, stressing its narrative touch as the guidebook’s distinct feature. For the past three years, Seoul has sold more copies than Lonely Planet, an indication of its popularity as a guidebook. As an example of its storytelling, Seoul provides a well-informed account about Pepero Day, an annual event among young people where they give the thin stick-

shaped cookie snacks as gifts on November 11 or 11.11. There is also information given regarding the popularity of the custom, which was initially promoted by the confectionery maker for marketing purposes. Due to his conviction that publishing is a means to create awareness of the cruelties happening in North Korea, Kim also speaks proudly of Across the Tumen, a novel about North Korea. It is a story about the pain and suffering of a boy named Young Dae who lost his parents and ventured into China, crossing the North Korean border to find his sister. The book is credited for its authenticity as it is based on numerous interviews with North Korean refugees. Ask a Korean Dude, written by Kim himself, is Seoul Selection’s most popular title at present. One of the cultura l differences it imparts to its foreign readers the question “Have you eaten?” it should not be taken as a suggestion to have a meal together, but rather as an everyday greeting or form of small talk. The book is full of such tips and pieces of advice about aspects of Korean culture that may be difficult for non-Koreans to understand. Other books worth reading include: Korean War in Color, a book of color photographs by NBC war correspondent John Rich; Doing Business in Korea, a book especially useful for those who want to start a business in Korea; Letters from Joseon, a collection of letters from the wife of an American diplomat in 19th century Korea to her home country; and Korean Film Directors, a book series about wellknown Korean film directors such as Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho. According to K im, thanks to the efficient transportation infrastructure and super efficient telecommunication environment, you can meet anyone in the country within hours if you want, which makes Korea an intriguing country. Therefore, "you never know what can happen.” Kim argues that even though indepth research on Korea is challenging it is worth it. To those who may think that obtaining information about Korea through books will take too much time, I recommend Seoul Selection’s monthly magazine, Seoul, as a way of finding out about the latest social and cultural happenings in the city.

3 5

8 7

1. Korean Antique Furniture & Accessories Mathieu Deprez, Seoul Selection 2013, 127p, ISBN 1624120105

6. Korea Through Her Birds Robert Newlin, Seoul Selection 2013, 244 p, ISBN 1624120067

2. Eerie Tales from Old Korea Brother Anthony of Taizé, Seoul Selection 2013, 176p, ISBN 1624120024

7. The Korean Way of Tea Brother Anthony of Taizé, Seoul Selection 2007, 124p, ISBN 8991913172

3. An Illustrated Guide to Korean Chad Meyer, Seoul Selection 2013, 308p, ISBN 162412013X

8. Ask a Korean Dude Kim Hyung-geun, Seoul Selection 2012, 344p, ISBN 8997639005

4. Seoul Robert Koehler, Seoul Selection 2013, 464p, ISBN 899191358X

9. Korea Robert Koehler, Seoul Selection 2012, 748p, ISBN 8991913997

5. Hangeul (Korea Essentials No.1) Robert Koehler, Seoul Selection 2010, 104 p, ISBN 8991913695

by Shin Junebong

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Meet the Publishers 出版社巡礼

Hollym

Corp., Publishers A pioneer in publishing English language books about Korea, Hollym emerged from the desire of founder Rhimm Insoo to enter the American publishing market, and has since opened branches in five additional countries. The publisher is also beloved in Korea for its children’s books and high-quality books of poetry.

The Beauty of Korean Food

Goguryeo

Institute of Traditional Korean Food Hollym Corporation Publishers 2008, 261p, ISBN 9781565912533 Jeon Ho-tae Hollym Corporation Publishers 2008, 288p, ISBN 9781565912823

3. A Journey in Search of Korea’s Beauty Bae Yong Joon Hollym Corporation Publishers 2010, 428p, ISBN 978156591307

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Hollym Corporation Publishers, founded in 1963, was the first major publishing company to publish books about Korea in English. Last year marked its 50th anniversary. Considering that Korean history was marred by great destruction during the Korean War (1950–1953), as well as the ruptures of modern times, Hollym is undoubtedly one of the oldest publishing houses in Korea. In t he 1970s, Hollym went t hrough a period of significant growth. It grew into a financially secure company through its publication of poetry, which included famous poems by Korean and non-Korean poets alike. Hollym’s poetry books were bound with a high-quality hardback cover and sold with an LP of a poetry reading. Books on the art of flower arranging, as well as cookbooks in color, were also very popular publications. The 1970s also saw a housing boom for the high-rise apartment complexes that have since become emblematic of modern Korean lifestyle. Park Chansoo, the director of Hollym said, “Books from Hollym were bestsellers as coffee table books for the living rooms in those kinds of apartments.” As the basic needs for survival were met with the growth of the Korean economy, people’s desire for cultural artifacts began to increase. With the confidence gained from its success in the domestic Korean market. Hollym turned its attention to the international market in 1979. The late founder of Hollym, Rhimm Insoo, visited the U.S. and found that Japanese publishers had already made a tremendous effort to introduce Japan abroad through the publication of books in English. Meanwhile, there were hardly any books in English about Korea. Rhimm became determined to enter the American publishing market and opened an office in New Jersey. At present, Hollym Corporation Publishers has established marketing networks in Germany, England, Australia, Japan, and Singapore, an unprecedented scale for a Korean

4. Let's Visit Korea Han Heung-Gi Hollym Corporation Publishers 2006, 32p, ISBN 9781565910102

5. Mr. Moon and Miss Sun Duance Vorhees & Mark Mueller Hollym Corporation Publishers 1990, 45p, ISBN 9780930878726

8. The Foolish Goblin and the Woodcutter Song Eun; Illustrator: Oh Chi-keun Hollym Corporation Publishers 2013, 32p, ISBN 9788970946955

publishing company. Park Chansoo says Hollym’s bestselling books are its various series of Korean language books, as well as Korean cooking books. As for the Korean language books, Hollym offers different and diverse series, ranging from elementar y level books covering reading, listening, speaking, and writing to books that serve practical purposes, such as everyday communication and business conversation. Notable among their cookbooks are The Beauty of Korean Food: With 100 Best-loved Recipes and Good Morning, Kimchi!, which contains kimchi recipes for a healthy diet. Books that introduce Korean culture are also quite popular. In collaboration with the Korea Foundation, Hollym has published a nine-book series on traditional Korean culture. Two of the books in the series are Buddhist Sculpture of Korea and Seowon, a book about the private academies that were dedicated to higher learning during the Joseon era. Hollym has published 10 books in a series on contemporar y Korean art including: K-Pop: Roots and Blossoming of Korean Popular Music, Coe xisting Differences: Women Artists in Contemporary Korean Art, and Korean Abstract Painting: A Formation of Korean Avant-Garde. Five more books in this series will be published in the future. Special Lecture on Korean Paintings is a compilation of talks given by Oh Ju-seok,

an expert in Korean art who lectures all over the country. This book is much loved by Korean readers. Inside Korea was published in conjunction with Hyundai Motors Group with the aim of introducing Korea to foreign readers. In both English and Korean, the book covers general politics, economy, society, culture, history, and religion in Korea. Hollym is also renowned as a publisher of children’s books. They have been publishing children’s picture books since late 1980s. Hollym offers illustrated stor ybook s, nurser y school, and elementary-level books, as well as other series suitable for various age groups. Of course, they also publish English book s for children. A mong t hese, a 10-volume series with illustrations of traditiona l Korea n fa ir y ta les is the publishing house’s most representative serie s, feat u ring book s such a s The Woodcutter and the Heavenly Maiden, The Firedog, Mr. Moon and Miss Sun, and The Herdsman and the Weaver. Let’s Visit Korea and Let’s Visit Seoul are part of its “Let’s Visit” series that was designed for children to get to know more about Korea and are also popular sellers for foreign readers abroad. by Shin Junebong

7. Special Lecture on Korean Paintings Oh Ju-seok Hollym Corporation Publishers 2011, 261p, ISBN 9781565913141 8.

K-POP Kim Chang Nam Hollym Corporation Publishers 2012, 160p, ISBN 9781565913318

9. Inside Korea Lee Eung-chel et al. Hollym Corporation Publishers 2012, 512p, ISBN 9781565914032

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The Korea That I Discovered and Grew to Love The journey is over. Another path opens which flows to the sea. Ko Un “The Conception” from God, Language, Last Village For a long time, I knew little about Korea, except for what I was able to glean from reading Hwang Sokyong’s novels and Ko Un’s poems. I was particularly fascinated by Hwang’s literary universe and characters and I delighted myself in reading Ko Un’s poetry, which is both very local and universal at the same time. I especially enjoyed the poems in his anthology Under a Pear Tree (Sous un poirier sauvage), published in France in 2004. When LTI Korea proposed that I visit Korea, I immediately and enthusiastically accepted the invitation. My trip lasted precisely a week. Thanks to hospitable Francophiles Ha Minkyung and Jung Jin Kwon, I discovered mountains, rivers, a country, a civilization, a language, and a literary heritage. Some things were familiar since I had studied Japanese for four years at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO) in Paris, which had given me a basic understanding of East Asian culture, but the highlight of my trip was certainly the opportunity I had to meet Korean writers. I met with numerous authors whose works have been translated into French. All of them surprised me with their sui generis liberality. In particular, their critical perspective of a society caught between deeply rooted Confucian tradition and hypertechnology was most memorable. I know of the history of Korea from what I have read–the traumatic experiences of Japanese imperialism, the Korean War, national division, and dictatorship. It was with this historical perspective that I launched into one conversation after another with Korean authors. From Hwang Sok-yong, author of Baridaegi (Princesse Bari), an excellent work on immigration and harmony that I had just finished reading before visiting Korea, to Lee Seung-U, who wrote Journals from Days Past (Le Vieux journal ), on which I wrote an article last November in the literary section of Le Figaro, as well as Eun Heekyung, K im Aeran, Gu Byeong-mo, and Choi Jae-hoon. During a sunny

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terrace luncheon, I struck up a conversation with Park Bum Shin and was impressed by his keen insights and taste for French literature, particularly after reading Dirty Desk (Putain de pupitres), the first of his works to be published in France. Of all these engagements, the one that left the greatest impression on me was a meeting with Ko Un. I had the chance to speak with him on several occasions while in Seoul, at his home on Mt. Gwanggyo, and during the 2013 World Writers’ Festival in Suwon. Of the many memorable conversations I had, I will never forget what Ko Un said to me once over a glass of cold beer, “Thierry, you are a true Franco-Siberian shaman!” There were also many other official and anonymous encounters in the streets and at bars. I have fond memories of meeting indefatigable translators Choi Mikyung and Jean-Noël Juttet, true ambassadors of Korean literature in France. My only wish is that LTI Korea redoubles its efforts to promote Korean literature in Europe and France, where it is not yet well known. Ideally, Korean authors would have a greater presence in French literary salons, bookstores, and fan gatherings. Above all, Korea must become an official guest country at the prestigious Paris Book Fair (Salon du livre de Paris), which takes place every March. If I get the chance, I will return to Korea–a country I have grown to love, a country I hope to learn more about. I already have friends waiting for me. I will not fail them. Some day, I will again take a leisurely stroll through Insadong and savor the delights of Korean cuisine. by Thierry Clermont

Thierry Clermont is currently a

reporter for Le Figaro as well as a poet and literary critic. He is the author of Brooklyn: Sketches (ed. Maelstrom/City Lights, 2005), Jubilate! Poemes Pour Soprano (ed, de La Difference, 2010), and Prises d’elan (ed. Obsidiane, 2011). In 2011, he founded TroisPistole, the Festival of Literature in French in Quebec, and since 2010 he has served as a jury board member of poetry for the Centre National du Livre.

Contributors Bok Dohoon is a literary critic. His

collections of critical essays include A Portrait of a Blindman and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He is on the editorial board of list_Books from Korea.

Choi Jae-bong is a senior reporter

at the culture desk of The Hankyoreh newspaper.

Chong Won Sik majored in English

literature at Sogang University. He joined the Kyunghyang Newspaper in 2007 and worked in the city section at the Weekly Kyunghyang. At present, he works at its literature desk.

Claire Lee is a staff reporter writing

for The Korea Herald, an Englishlanguage daily in Seoul.

Eom Hye-suk conducts research on

children’s literature and is a critic of illustrated books who also works as a translator. Her best-known work is Reading My Delightful Illustrated Books.

Han Miwha is a book columnist. Her

works include Bestsellers of Our Time and This Is How Bestsellers Are Made.

Jung Seo Rin is a reporter at the Seoul Daily Newspaper.

Kang Yu-jung is a literary and film critic, and the author of Oedipus’ Forest, a collection of critical essays. She is on the editorial board of list_ Books from Korea.

Kim Bum-soo is a reporter with the Hankook Ilbo.

Kim Dongshik is a literary critic

and a professor of Korean Language and Literature at Inha University. His collections of critical essays include Cynicism and Fascination and Memory and Vestige.

Kim Inae Sujung is a children’s story

writer and critic, and the president of the KBBY (Korean Board on Books for Young People). She is the author of the children’s stories Across the Duroke River and The Brave Little Mouse, along with a collection of critical essays,Why Children’s Stories Are Fun to Read. She is also the recipient of Today’s Young Artist Award.

Kim Ji-eun is a children’s book

writer and children’s literature critic. She currently lectures on theories of children's fiction writing in the Department of Creative Writing at Hanshin University. She is on the editorial board of list_Books from Korea.

Kim Mansu is a professor with the Department of Culture and Contents at Inha University. His works include Plot and Character in the Age of Storytelling. He is on the editorial board of list_Books from Korea.

Kim Young-burn is a reporter at the

Uh Soo-woong is editor-in-chief of the Chosun Ilbo Weekly Magazine.

Yoon So-hee is a children’s book

writer. Her books include Prejudice, Aram’s Secret, and 7 Stories to Help You Study. She is the winner of the 13th MBC Children’s Writing Prize.

Yu Youngjin is a children’s literature

critic and a teacher at an elementary school. He is the author of The Body's Imagination and Fairytale.

culture desk of the Munhwa Ilbo.

Translators

Kim Youngwook is a children’s

Agnel Joseph dabbles in translating

book writer and an illustrated book researcher. Her published books include The Illustrated Book: Encounter with Music, The Grand Fiasco with the Bookworm, and The Mysterious Pillow.

Lee Hyun Woo is active as a book reviewer under the pseudonym is Rodya. He is the author of The Bookcase of Rodya, Freedom to Read Books, Rereading the World Literature of Rodya, A Very Personal Reading, and Rodya’s Lectures on Russian Literature.

Michelle Nam has been with the

Imprima Korea Agency for two years and has been in charge of the Minumsa Publishing copyrights division since 1995.

Richard Hong is a book columnist

and the head of BC Agency. He translated 13: The Story of the World’s Most Notorious Superstitions, has appeared on KBS 1 Radio’s "Global Today," and writes columns for The Korea Economic Daily and Posco News.

Shin Junebong is a reporter with the JoongAng Ilbo.

Shin Soojin is a freelance children's book editor.

Sue Yang is a literary agent and also

runs the agency, EYA in Seoul and Beijing, representing global authors as well as bestselling authors.

Korean literature. In 2013, he won the LTI Korea Korean Literature Translation Award for New Career Translators, as well as the Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Award. You can reach him at agnelone@gmail.com.

Ally Hwang holds a doctorate

in Comparative Literature from B i n g h a m t o n Un i v e r s i t y a n d i s currently translating the short story collection Myoungrang by Cheon Un-yeong. She was a fellow of the International Translation Foundation and has recently published a short story translation of Seo Hajin's "At the Gunwale."

Ben Jackson worked for the English-

language magazine SEOUL for three years and is now a freelance writer and translator in Korea. He has a master's degree in Korean Literature from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

Cho Yoonna is a freelance interpreter and translator.

Choi Inyoung is an artist and translator specializing in Korean literature and the arts. She has been translating for over 20 years.

E. K. DuBois is a freelance translator. She currently resides in Seoul.

Suh Heewon is a literary critic. He made his debut in 2009 when he won the New Writer’s Contest in the critic division sponsored by the Munhwa Ilbo and Segye Ilbo.

list_ Books from Korea

Vol.23 Spring 2014

Featured Authors

Imm anuel Kim is a p rofess or

in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies at SUNY Binghamton University. He teaches North Korean literature and culture and modern Korean literature and film.

Jung Yewon is a freelance interpreter

and translator. She received the Daesan Foundation Translation Grant in 2009, the LTI Translation Grant in 2010, and the Korea Times Translation Award in 2011. She is currently working on the translation of Vaseline Buddha, a novel by Jung Young Moon.

Kari Schenk was the co-recipient of

the commendation award in the 2006 Korea Times Literature Translation Awards, and in 2010 she attended a special course in translation at LTI Korea. She lectures in English at Korea University.

Kevin O'Rourke is a professor

emeritus at Kyunghee University. He has translated over 20 books in a wide range of genres. Among his works, The Contemporary Korean Poets (1980) won the Best Translation Award organized by the Poetry Society of London.

Kim Soyoung is currently working

on translating fiction and nonfiction from Korean into English.

Kim Ungsan is a freelance translator.

He has worked as a lecturer in English literature at Seoul National University and at Korea National Open University.

Sophie Bowman completed the

intensive course at the LTI Korea Translation Academy and is now living and working in Seoul.

Special Section pp. 12-21

Sue Y. Kim is a freelance translator and writer based in Los Angeles.

Yang Sung-jin is a staff reporter and

editor at The Korea Herald. Yang wrote a Korean history book in English, Click into the Hermit Kingdom, and a newsbased English vocabulary book, News English Power Dictionary.

Yi Jeong-hyeon is a freelance

translator. She has translated several books and papers, including Korean Traditional Landscape Architecture and Atlas of Korean History.

Cho Eunyoung won the Grand Prix

at the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) in 2011 for her illustration of Run Toto!

Editors Kim Stoker is an editor and lecturer a t Ew h a Wo m a n s Un i v e r s i t y ' s Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation.

Shannon Doona Heit has worked

as an editor and translator for the Seoul Global Center and the Korea Journal. She is currently editing the English version of Beyond the Shadow of Western-centrism (working title) for Sogang University professor Kang Jung-In. She has a master’s degree in Anthropology from Hanyang University.

Yoo Juyeon was the recipient of

the Golden Apple Prize at the 2011 Biennial of Illustration Brastislava (BIB). Her award-winning work, One Day, was evaluated as having successfully conveyed an East Asian spatial aesthetic.

Lee Seungmi is a second year student

at the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation of Ewha Womans University, majoring in French.

Park Kyoung-lee is a graduate student at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. She won the 9th LTI Korea Korean Literature Translation Award for New Career Translators.

Paul Jonghan Yoon is a freelance translator and studied at UCLA and the University of Chicago.

Peter J. Koh is a freelance translator and interpreter who completed LTI Korea's Special Workshop in 2009 and Intensive Workshop in 2010.

Shin Junebong is a reporter for the JoongAng Ilbo.

88 list_ Books from Korea

Vol.23 Spring 2014

Kang Gyeongsu worked for many

Cover Art Noh In-kyung, M r. Tu t t i a n d

100 Water Drops, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp., 2012

years as a manhwa illustrator. After falling in love with children’s books, he went on to become an illustrator for various picture books, such as Mr. Confucius’ Bakery and What Should I Be When I Grow Up?, among others. He is the author-illustrator of I’m Angry!, Give Back My Friend’s Legs!, and The Big Fart. He won the Ragazzi Nonfiction Award at the 2011 Bologna International Children’s Book Fair for his book The Stories Shouldn’t Be True.

Fiction pp. 42-44, 57-60

Yoo Jun-jae studied Textile Arts at

Hongik University. He is the authorillustrator of the children’s books, My Ball and Inside Mom’s Dreams, as well as the illustrator of various other children’s books, such as Boy King, Minhee the Stingray, and First Button, among others. He won the Encouragement Prize in 2007 at the Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations for “Animal Farm.”

Ha Seong-nan (b.1967) debuted

Baek Min-seok (b. 1970) made his

literary debut with “Candy Whom I Loved” in the quarterly Literature and Society. He is the author of the short story anthologies: 16, Believe It or Not, The Errand Boy of Jangwon, and the novels Hey, We’re Going On a Picnic, Candy Whom I Loved, Poor Little Kid Hans, The Grotesque Tale of the Cotton Field, and The Dead Owl Farm.

with the short story, "Grass," which won the literary contest held by the Seoul Sinmun in 1996. She also wrote Rubin’s Glass, The Woman Next Door, Bluebeard's First Wife, Flatbread, Pleasure of Eating, Sapporo Inn, Central Character in My Movie, and A. Ha has won the Dongin Literary Award, Hankook Ilbo Literary Award, and Hyundae Literary Award.

Paik Gahuim (b. 1974) made his

literary debut in 2001 when he won the Seoul Shinmun New Writer’s Award. He is the author of the short story collections, The Cricket Is Crying, Manager Jo’s Trunk, and The Hint is “Brother-in-law,” as well as the novel, Naphthalene.

Hwang Jeong-eun made her literary Noh In-kyung studied Visual Design

Gong Ji-young made her literary

Kim Yeonsu debuted in 1993 by

publishing a poem in Writer’s World. He published the novel Walking While Pointing to the Mask in 1994, which received the Writer’s World Award. His novel Goodbye Mr. Yi Sang won the Dongsuh Literary Award, and Kim won the Dongin Literary Award with When Still a Child in 2003. He has won numerous other awards. Kim’s other novels are Route 7, The Night Is Singing, and Wonder Boy. His short story collections include Twenty and The End of the World, Girlfriend.

debut with “The Arrival of Dawn” in the 1988 fall edition of the Quarterly Changbi. She is the author of several novels including: The Crucible, My Happy House, Things Which Come To You After Love, Our Happy Time, My Sister, Bongsoon, and Go Alone Like A Musso’s Horn. Her books of essays include: Gong Ji-young’s Jiri Mountain School of Happiness and I’ll Support You No Matter What Kind Of Life You Choose, and she has also published an anthology of her writings, Love Will Allow Scars.

Lee Jaechan (b.1974) made his literary debut with Punch, which won him the Thirty-seventh Today’s Writer Award in 2013. He is the author of the novel Angela Syndrome.

Lee Gihoon was chosen as the

“Illustrator of the Year” at the 2010 Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the 2009 CJ Illustrated Book Festival. He was awarded the “MENTION 2010,” which is given to only two illustrators at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, as well as the winner of the 2013 “BIB Children’s Book Jury Award.” His illustration works include The Bear and Lani.

at Hongik University before studying fine art in Italy. She is the authorillustrator of the children’s books Soso Cancellina and Train and Fish. She won the Illustrator of the Year Award at the Bologna International Children’s Book Fair in 2012 for her book Soso Cancellina, as well as the 2013 BIB Golden Apple Award for her book Mr. Tutti and 100 Water Drops.

debut with the short story “Mother,” which won the literary contest held by the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper in 2005. She has published two short story collections, The Seven Thirtytwo Elephant Train and Into the World of Passi, and the novel One Hundred Sh a d ow s . In 2010, she won the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award with One Hundred Shadows.

Bak Solmay made her literary debut

Choi Jin Young (b. 1981) made

her literary debut when she won the Silcheon Munhak (Literature of Practice). New Writer’s Award in 2006. She is the author of two novels, The Name of the Girl Who Brushed Against You Is… and Unfinished Song, and the short story collection, The Top.

when she won Jaeum & Moeum New Writer’s Award in 2009. She is the author of two novels, Eul and I Would Like to Write About It All.

list_ Books from Korea

Vol.23 Spring 2014

Lee Jangwook (b.1968) made his

literary debut with the publication of his poems in Contemporary Literature in 1994. He has authored two poetry collections, A Sand Mountain In My Dream (2002), and Hopeful Song at Noon (2006); essay collections on poetry, My Gloomy Modern Boy (2005) and Revolution and Modernism: Russian Poets and Thinkers (2005); a novel, Joyful Devils of Callot (2005); and a collection of short stories, The King of Confession (2010).

Kim Sum made her literary debut in 1997 as the winner of the Daejeon Ilbo New Writer’s Award for the short story, “On Slowness.” She is the author of the short story collection Liver and Gallbladder and the novels Water and Women and Their Evolving Enemies.

Nonfiction pp. 64-70

debut when she won the Changbi Prize for New Figures in Literature in 2001 with her short story, “Nocturnal Scenery.” She is the author of the short story collections Exit No.3 and Housemate, and the novels, Off Road Diary and The Gold Rush.

90 list_ Books from Korea

Vol.23 Spring 2014

Kim Myong-Jin currently lectures

at the Korea National University of Arts and Seoul National University, as well as serves on the board for the Center for Democracy in Science and Technology. He is the author of Janus’ Science, as well as the editor of The Public and Science Technology. He has also translated the following books: Body Bazaar, Dr. Golem: How to Think About Medicine, Making Genes; Making Waves: A Social Activist in Science, and Citizen Science-all of which he co-authored-as well as A Social History of American Technology.

Lee Haery wrote and illustrated the children’s books Run and Rain, Rain, Rain. She illustrated the picture books Caterpillar House, No One Knows Who I Am, The Holes in My Body, Wish I Had A Tail, Relationship, and Hurray For Bugs.

Jeong Ho-seon (b.1971) worked as K i m Eu n - j o o ( b. 1 9 6 0 ) b e g a n

working for Yonhap News agency in 1986 as the Paris correspondent, then the culture desk editor, and finally at the international desk. At present, she is on the editorial staff. She is the author of Change of News Frames in News Agency’s Reports on Elections and Study of the Governance Approach of Internet Regulation System.

Yun Ko-eun (b. 1980) made her literary debut when she won the Daesan Collegiate Literary Prize in 2004. She is the author of a collection of short stories, Table For One, and the novel, The Zero G Syndrome.

pp. 72-76

Pyo Myoung-hee made her literary

Children's Books

Jun Sang In is presently a professor

in the School of Environment at Seoul National University. He is the author of Crazy About Apartments, The Intellectuals of Our Time, Resigned Revisionism, and Sociolog y of the Rooftop. He has also translated the book Seeing Like a State.

Sung Woo Je was one of the original

members of the Sisa Journal founded in 1989, and worked as a reporter for its culture desk for 13 years. In 2002, he moved to Toronto, Canada and has written articles on arts and culture for weekly journals and art magazines. While hiking on the Bruce Trail Conservatory in Canada, he was inspired to hike the Beosun Trail in North Gyeongsang Province. He later went on to do a complete walking tour of the Jeju Island Olle hiking trail. He is the author of various collections of essays including: The Leisurely Bus, Coffee Moneymaker, and The Beosun Trail.

a graphic designer before she went on to study illustration at the Korean Illustration School (HILLS). She is both the author and the illustrator of Smack and My Caretaker, My Doggie.

Kim Jin-kyung worked as a Korean

l i t e r a t u re t e a c h e r w h i l e h e w a s establishing himself as a poet and a novelist. For Cat School, the very first Korean fantasy children’s book series, he was awarded the Le Prix des Incorruptibles, which is a literary award for children and juvenile literature chosen by readers in France. In addition, he is the author of poetry collections Children of Galmunri and The Magic of Sadness, the three-volume series Shadow War and The Wolf, as well as young adult fiction Our Beautiful Country and Goodbye Mr. Hapil, among others.

INDEX Title Original Title Publishers/Agent Copyright Agent E-mail Phone Homepage

Kim Jae-hong's unique literary world

focuses on the environment. His various awards include the Espace Enfants Children’s Book Award for The Children of the River, which he wrote and illustrated; the Le Prix des Incorruptibles for the Cat School series; and the BIB Children Jury Award for Young-y’s Vinyl Umbrella. He has illustrated The Breathing Book Muikjo, Growing Rock, The Ring Mother, Welcoming Baby, The Story of the Neighborhood Where My Family Lives, and Masako’s Question.

6p Yellow House (Noranjip) Yolimwon Publishing Co. Angela Koh angela.koh@yolimwon.com 82-2-3144-3700 www.yolimwon.com

Seoul Poems (Vol.2) (Seoulsi 2) Joongang Books Rachel Ahn rachel_ahn@joongang.co.kr 82-2-2031-1322 www.joongangbooks.co.kr

Mi of April, Sol of July (Saworui mi chirworui sol) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Kate Han mshan@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com

Father's Laughter (Abeojiui useum) Sanzini Yun Eun-mi sanzinimi@gmail.com 82-51-504-7070 http://sanzinibook.com

Life Lessons

Ahn Eun-young’s books are about

the living things we encounter in nature. She is the author of Singing Bottle, What Could Be in the Bag?, Linnaeus, The Cool Hunter, The Dragonfly Look What’s Here!, Our Friends of the Mud, Where Are You Going, Stealthy Crab?, Freeze Ho-jin! I Am a Catepillar!, Freeze Ho-jin! I Am the Hunter of Insects!, and Dream.

(Insaengsueop) Hankyoreh Publishing Company Park Jia (Western Languages) rights.jungto@gmail.com 82-2-587-8991 Oh Hye-young(Eastern Languges) blueohy@hanibook.co.kr 82-2-6373-6720~1 www.hanibook.co.kr

Kang Shin-joo’s Lesson on Emotions (Gangsinjuui gamjeong sueop) Minumsa Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000(Ext.295) http://minumsa.com

Heart to Heart (Maeumeseo maeumeuro) Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. Cha Jinhee jinhee@gimmyoung.com 82-2-3668-3203 www.gimmyoung.com

7p Letters for My Daughter (Ttarege bonaeneun simnihang pyeonji) Woongjin Think Big Co., Ltd. Yolanda Kim ykkim0702@wjbooks.co.kr 82-2-3670-1016 www.gimmyoung.com

Inside the Mind of Suh Cheonseok (Seocheonseogui maeum ingneun sigan) Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. Cha Jinhee Jinhee@gimmyoung.com 82-2-3668-3203 www.gimmyoung.com

An Incomplete Life (Vol. 9) (Misaeng 9) Wisdomhouse Publishing Co., Ltd. Kwon Minkyung ohappyday@wisdomhouse.co.kr 82-31-936-4199 www.wisdomhouse.co.kr

Comic Maplestory 67

Dorothy in My Pocket

(Komik Meipeul Seutori Opeurain) Seoul Cultural Publishers, Inc. Kwon Insook alliekwon@seoulmedia.co.kr 82-2-799-9252 http://www.ismg.co.kr

(Nae jumeoni sogui dorosi) Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. Kim Soyeon syk@gimmyoung.com 82-31-955-3115 http://en.gimmyoung.com

The Twenty Questions Detective and the Magician (Vol.2): Attacks on Cats on the Street

10p

(Seumugogae tamjeong) BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. Sujin Lena Park sujinpark@bir.co.kr 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.350) www.bir.co.kr

Dream of China (Junggukui kkum) Minumsa Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.295) http://minumsa.com

The Things We Can See Only After We Stop

The Birth of Ilsu (Ilsuui tansaeng) BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. Sujin Lena Park sujinpark@bir.co.kr 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.350) www.bir.co.kr

(Meomchumyeon biroso boineun geotdeul) Sam & Parkers. Co., Ltd. Jeong Sangtae rights@smpk.kr 82-31-960-4842 www.smpk.co.kr

It’s OK (Gwaenchana) Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd. Kim Chan-young rights@wjbooks.co.kr 82-2-3670-1168 www.wjbooks.co.kr

Future: My Job

Don’t Be Angry and Talk Politely (Hwanaeji malgo yeppeuge malhaeyo) Sangsangschool Cho Aekyung Choak83@wisdomhouse.co.kr 82-31-900-9992 www.sangsangschool.co.kr

The Bath Fairy (Jangsutang seonnyeonim) Bear Books Choi Hyun K. bear@bearbooks.co.kr 82-2-332-2672 www.bearbooks.co.kr

(Gimnandoui Naeil) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Kate Han mshan@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com

14p Run Toto! (Dallyeo toto!) Borim Press Lee Nayoung ciel@borimpress.com 82-31-955-3456 (Ext.156) www.borimpress.com

15p One Day

Mr. Confucius’ Bakery: Story in Liberal Arts for Beginners to Establish the Basics of Personality (Gongjaajeossine ppanggage) Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. Kim Soyeon syk@gimmyoung.com 82-31-955-3115 http://en.gimmyoung.com

8p The Man on the Tip of the Tongue (Hyeokkeuchi namja) Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. Moon Jeongmin jmoon@moonji.com 82-2-338-7224 (int. 7129) http://www.moonji.com

(Eoneu nal) Borim Press Lee Nayoung ciel@borimpress.com 82-31-955-3456 (Ext.156) www.borimpress.com

17p The Stories Shouldn't Be True (Geojinmal gateun iyagi) Sigong Junior Amélie Choi amelie@sigongsa.com 82-2-2046-2855 www.sigongjunior.com

The Big Fart (Keodaran banggwi) Sigong Junior Amélie Choi amelie@sigongsa.com 82-2-2046-2855 www.sigongjunior.com

18p

The Spirit of Books

Inside Mom’s Dreams

(Chaegui jeongsin) ALMA Publishing Corp. Soung Ki Seung sungks414@gmail.com 82-2-324-2847

The Revolt of Books That Were Never Classics (Sseuregi goseodeurui ballan) Geulhangari Park Min Soo bookpot@hanmail.net 82-31-955-1903 https://www.facebook.com/ bookpot

(Eomma kkum sogeseo) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Bokee Lee bokeelee@munhak.com 82-2-3144 3237 www.munhak.com

My Ball (Maibol) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Bokee Lee bokeelee@munhak.com 82-2-3144-3237 www.munhak.com

20p

Mr. Tutti and 100 Water Drops

Our Egg Tart

(Kokkiri ajeossiwa baek gaeui mulbangul) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Bokee Lee bokeelee@munhak.com 82-2-3144-3237 www.munhak.com

(Urideurui egeu tareuteu) Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd. Kong Eunju kong1108@wjbooks.co.kr 82-2-3670-1175 www.wjbooks.co.kr

Know-it-all (Aneun cheok) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Won Sun-hwa kids@munhak.com 82-2-3144-3238 www.munhak.com

Soso Cancellina (Chaeng cheongsobu soso) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Bokee Lee bokeelee@munhak.com 82-2-3144-3237 www.munhak.com

list_ Books from Korea

Vol.23 Spring 2014

Seven Cat Eyes

21p (Yangcheolgom) Ligem Yoo Ine icarias@icariasliteraryagency.com 82-10-8709-9179

(Ilgomgaeui goyangi nun) Jaeum & Moeum Publishing Co. Yoo So-young jamoglobal@jamobook.com 82-70-8656-9583 www.jamo21.net

Big Fish

33p

The Tin Bear

(Bikpiswi) BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. Park Sujin sujinpark@bir.co.kr 82-2-515-2000(Ext.350) http://bir.co.kr

22p Man-hee's House (Manhuine jip) Gilbut Children Publishing Co.,Ltd. Yie Ho Gyun webmaster@gilbutkid.co.kr 82-31-955-3270 www.gilbutkid.co.kr

Flower Grandma (Kkotalmeoni) Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. Kang Hyun-Joo kanghjoo@sakyejul.co.kr 82-31-955-8600 www.sakyejul.co.kr

Pikaia

(Goyangineun naman ttarahae) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Choi Ko-eun copyright2@changbi.com 82-31-955-4359 www.changbi.com

Mommy, I Like These Clothes (Eomma nan i onni joayo) Gilbut Children Publishing Co., Ltd. Yie Ho Gyun copyright@gilbutkid.co.kr 82-31-955-3270 www.gilbutkid.co.kr

Tools at Work (Ilgwa dogu) Gilbut Children Publishing Co., Ltd. Yie Ho Gyun copyright@gilbutkid.co.kr 82-31-955-3270 www.gilbutkid.co.kr

There Dangles a Spider (Siridongdong geomidongdong) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Choi Ko-eun copyright2@changbi.com 82-31-955-4359 www.changbi.com

27p Flower Grandma (Kkotalmeoni) Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. Kang Hyun-Joo kanghjoo@sakyejul.co.kr 82-31-955-8600 www.sakyejul.co.kr

28p Baron Quirval’s Castle (Kwireubal namjagui seong) Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. Moon Jeongmin jmoon@moonji.com 82-2-338-7224 (Ext.7129) http://www.moonji.com

From the Sleep of Babes (Nabijam) Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. Moon Jeongmin jmoon@moonji.com 82-2-338-7224 (Ext.7129) http://www.moonji.com

92 list_ Books from Korea

64p Moonlit Night

(Peonchi) Minumsa Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.295) http://minumsa.com

(Dalbam) Borim Press Lee Nayoung ciel@borimpress.com 82-31-955-3456 (Ext.156) www.borimpress.com

36p

44p

66p

Sweet, Cold

Stranger than Paradise

A Girl and Her Dog Called Cloud

(Dalgo chagaun) Minumsa Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.295) http://minumsa.com

(Cheongukboda natseon) Minumsa Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.295) http://minumsa.com

(Uri nuna, uri gureumi) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Choi Ko-eun copyright2@changbi.com 82-31-955-4359 www.changbi.com

In Heaven

The Well-being of My Neighbor

Big Fish

(Cheongugeseo) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Sarah Lee copyright@changbi.com 82-31-955-3369 www.changbi.com

(Nae iusui annyeong) Kang Publishing Ltd. Kim Jeong Hyun gangpub@hanmail.net 82-2-325-9566

(Bikpiswi) BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. Park Sujin sujinpark@bir.co.kr 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.350) http://bir.co.kr

The Man on the Tip of the Tongue

(Manhuine geuljabeolle) Gilbut Children Publishing Co., Ltd. Yie Ho Gyun copyright@gilbutkid.co.kr 82-31-955-3270 www.gilbutkid.co.kr

(Homo saieonseu) GisigChannel Hwang In-bin whitetv@sigongsa.com 82-2-3487-1660 http://www.sigongsa.com

(Ilgomgaeui goyangi nun) Jaeum & Moeum Publishing Co. Yoo So-young jamoglobal@jamobook.com 82-70-8656-9583 www.jamo21.net

38p

Man-hee’s Letter Bugs

(Yamanjeogin aelliseussi) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Kate Han mshan@munhak.com 1-212-352-2055/ 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com

Homoscience

Punch

(Museun iri ireonanneunjineun amudo) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Kent D. Wolf kent@lmqlit.com 1-212-352-2055 www.munhak.com

My Cat Copies Me

The Barbaric Miss Alice

Seven Cat Eyes

None the Wiser

(Pikaia) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Choi Ko-eun copyright2@changbi.com 82-31-955-4359 www.changbi.com

43p

(Hyeokkeuchi namja) Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. Moon Jeongmin jmoon@moonji.com 82-2-338-7224 (ext.7129) http://www.moonji.com

40p Mi of April, Sol of July (Saworui mi, chirworui sol) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Kate Han mshan@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com

Why Didn’t I Die? (Naneun wae jukji ananneunga) Silcheonmunhak Lee Seung Han silcheon@hanmail.net 82-2-322-2161 http://www.silcheon.com

41p The Taste of Summer (Yeoreumui mat) Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. Moon Jeongmin jmoon@moonji.com 82-2-338-7224 (Ext.7129) www.moonji.com

Blue, High Ladder (Nopgo pureun sadari) Hankyoreh Publishing Company Joseph Lee Josephlee705@gmail.com 82-2-766-2933/ 82-10-6239-9154 www.hanibook.co.kr

42p Then What Shall We Sing? (Geureom mueol bureuji) Jaeum&Moeum Publishing Co. Yoo So-young jamoglobal@jamobook.com 82-70-8656-9583 www.jamo21.net

Incense (Hyang) Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. Moon Jeongmin jmoon@moonji.com 82-2-338-7224 (Ext.7129) www.moonji.com

Vol.23 Spring 2014

55p The Gaze at Broad Daylight (Hannajui siseon) Jaeum & Moeum Publishing Co. Yoo So-young jamoglobal@jamobook.com 82-70-8656-9583 www.jamo21.net

57p Travelers of the Night (Bamui yeohaengjadeul) Minumsa Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.295) http://minumsa.com

Noodles (Guksu) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Sarah Lee copyright@changbi.com 82-31-955-3369 www.changbi.com

58p Pale Shadows of Old Love (Huimihan yetsarangui geurimja) Minumsa Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.295) http://minumsa.com

60p You Must Be Tuckered Out (Poksang sogatsuda) Kang Publishing Ltd. Kim Jeong Hyun gangpub@hanmail.net 82-2-325-9566

61p Prominent Female Journalists of Korea, 1920~1980 (Hangugui yeogija, 1920~80) CommunicationBooks Kay Chung copyright@eeel.net 82-2-3700-1202 www.eeel.net

The Sociology of Convenience Stores (Pyeonuijeom sahoehak) Minumsa Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000(ext.295) http://minumsa.com

62p Hollywood Science (Halliudeu saieonseu) Science Books Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.295) http://minumsa.com

67p Cat School: The Secret of Angkor Wat (Goyangi hakgyo-angkoreuwateuui bimil) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Bokee Lee bokeelee@munhak.com 82-2-3144-3237 www.munhak.com

Singing Bottle (Noraehaneun Byeong) Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. Kang Hyun-Joo kanghjoo@sakyejul.co.kr 82-31-955-8600 www.sakyejul.co.kr

73p Gwanchon Essays (Gwanchonsupil) Nanam Publishing House Kim Tae-hun plan@nanam.net 82-31-955-4605 www.nanam.net

80p How a Murderer Remembers (Sarinjaui gieokbeop) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. Kent D. Wolf kent@lmqlit.com 1-212-352-2055 www.munhak.com

85p The Foolish Goblin and the Woodcutter (Babodokkaebiwa namukkun) Hollym Corporation Publishers Yoon Kyungran apple@hollym.co.kr 82-2-735-7553 www.hollym.co.kr