Korean novelist evokes horrors of Gwangju massacre

“Human Acts: A Novel” by Han Kang; Hogarth (224 pages, $22)In May of 1980, the South Korean government turned its guns on its own people, murdering hundreds in the city of Gwangju who had been protesting a military coup and the continuation of martial law.In “Human Acts,” Korean writer Han Kang -- winner of the Man Booker International Prize -- gives us their story, presented in this short novel through seven interwoven vignettes featuring characters who either died in Gwangju in 1980 or are now

Jan. 20, 2017

Audiobooks boom in digital, multitasking age

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Curling up with a paperback may be a forgotten luxury for many thanks to today’s busy lifestyles, but listening to a book on the go, while shopping or jogging, is fast becoming the new norm.Gone are the cumbersome cassette sets that could cost three times as much as an old-fashioned book and often featured only excerpts to cut down on costs.Now, audiobooks are just a click away and can be uploaded onto a smartphone for the same, if not lower, price as the print edition.Mary Bet

Jan. 19, 2017

‘Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films’ Review -- Molly Haskell trains her keen eye on the director

“Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films” By Molly HaskellYale University Press (228 pages, $25)Film critics are not usually celebrated for their sense of charity. They’re not usually celebrated at all, actually. But the celebrated Molly Haskell is not your usual film critic, and she commits the first of her many acts of kindness toward Steven Spielberg in the very title of her new biography.“A Life in Films”? Not “A Life in Movies”? It’s a distinction that means something. It certainly would mean som

Jan. 13, 2017

Korean edition of Playboy to be launched in June

US magazine “Playboy” will start issuing a Korean version from June, a South Korean magazine publisher said Tuesday.Playboy Enterprises, the owner of the magazine, has signed a contract with Korea’s Kaya Media Corp. to publish the 63-year-old magazine here. Kaya Media also publishes fashion magazines Marie Claire and Esquire.The Korean edition will cover a wide range of topics including celebrities, social and political issues as well as lifestyle. The US magazine was launched in December 1953 b

Jan. 11, 2017

Korean poet Ko Un to be honored by Italy's Fondazione Roma

Poet Ko Un will receive an award from Italy-based Fondazione Roma, Changbi Publishers said Wednesday.According to the publisher, the poet was chosen as the recipient of the annual award presented to an international poet at the foundation’s “Ritratti di Poesia” international poetry festival.  Ko Un (Changbi Publishers)Previous laureates include Carol Ann Duffy of the UK, Jacobo Cortines of Spain and Adam Zagajewski of Poland. Ko will receive the award at a ceremony to be held Feb. 3. The poetry

Jan. 11, 2017

Julia Baird's biography gives the English monarch a beating heart

“Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire” by Julia Baird; Random House (696 pages, $35)Queen Victoria dominated an age and inspired a word, “Victorian,” to capture the spirit of her time. We tend to see her as a prisoner of that age: dour, unsmiling, repressed; in short, rather Victorian. Julia Baird wants to liberate her from that straitjacket.In her zestful biography, “Victoria the Queen,” Baird, an Australian journalist and columnist for the International Ne

Jan. 4, 2017

David Bowie interview collection shows man behind legend

Tributes lie beneath a mural of singer David Bowie by artist Jimmy C in Brixton, south London on Jan. 12, last year. (AP-Yonhap)“David Bowie: The Last Interview and Other Conversations” by David Bowie; Melville House (208 pages, $16.99)The introduction of “David Bowie: The Last Interview and Other Conversations” begins: “David Bowie gave a lot of interviews ... until he didn‘t.”Quirky, well-spoken and charming, the iconic music legend who died of cancer in January at 69 left behind a trove of in

Jan. 4, 2017

Beloved bookstore opens after 14 years, but it isn’t the same

Standing six stories high at the center of downtown Seoul, Jongno Books was Korea’s first multilevel bookstore, established in 1907. It was a haven for writers and thinkers, offering not only Korean books of every kind but also English and Japanese publications, rare in Korea at the time. Stationery and music albums lined a corner of the fourth and fifth floors. It was also the first place to offer fixed prices for books.　Businessmen from nearby offices and students would browse for hours; frien

Dec. 28, 2016

Books for for the bookworm in your life

I‘m ready to give the book the nine-lives prize. How many times has it been ruled obsolete? And yet, people are buying and enjoying print books more than ever.I’ve used an e-reader on occasion, but when it comes to the gift books featured below, there‘s nothing like the printed page for displaying their superior graphics, gorgeous illustrations and well-organized information. There’s something for everyone here, from the lighthearted (“The Aloha Shirt”) to the sublime (“Fireflies”). Browse this

Dec. 21, 2016

After techno and street art, Berlin tackles graphic novels

BERLIN (AFP) -- Better known for its electronic music and street art, Berlin is now also home to a budding graphic novel scene in a country that has treated illustrated stories as children‘s literature.Hardly seen in bookstores just a few years ago, German-produced graphic novels now have their dedicated shelves, as not only homegrown artists but also foreign ones find inspiration in Berlin. “It was when I moved here that I felt a need to write,” said Spanish author Alberto Madrigal, who moved t

Dec. 19, 2016

Phil Collins, pop star and self-deprecating dad, on his new memoir

“Not Dead Yet” (Crown Archetype, $28)Phil Collins is arching an eyebrow on the cover of his new memoir, as if to let you know he’s in on the joke. The book is called “Not Dead Yet,” a rather wry declaration from one of pop music’s most buoyant hitmakers, who’s not exactly wizened at 65.“Well, my health seems to have been the subject of much speculation in certain parts of the press,” Collins told the Times, alluding to his hearing loss and the chronic upper-body pain that has left him walking wi

Dec. 14, 2016

‘The Girl Who Escaped ISIS’

 “The Girl Who Escaped ISIS” by Farida Khalaf and Andrea Hoffmann, translated from German by Jamie BullochAtria Books (240 pages, $24)Amid the endless war news streaming out of Syria, the need for moral clarity in the conflict is running high.Farida Khalaf’s story offers it explicitly. Khalaf was a math whiz and a soldier‘s daughter who was 19 years old when she was captured and sold into sexual slavery by the Islamic State extremist group in 2014.Her first-person account, narrated in “The Girl

Dec. 14, 2016

Change is a sign of health, not corruption, in language

“Words on the Move: Why English Won’t -- and Can’t -- Sit Still (Like, Literally)” By John McWhorter Henry Holt and Co. (272 pages, $28)John McWhorter’s breezy “Words on the Move” is the umpteenth attempt to put to death the stubborn misconception that language change is a sign of intellectual laziness and cultural rot.It’s not even McWhorter’s first attempt -- his “Myths, Lies and Half-Truths of Language Usage” remains a go-to reference -- but this time the Columbia University linguist alights

Dec. 14, 2016

Cartoonist shares untainted love of childhood

Exuding youthful exuberance and expectations, American cartoonist Jeff Kinney decided to make a living sketching comics while in college. Majoring in computer science at the University of Maryland, Kinney’s inner soul was tilted toward the stuff of children, the wondrous imagination of a kid growing up in a small town in Maryland.He started drawing comic strips for a college newspaper, and after graduation, sent submission packets to cartoon syndicates. Jeff Kinney, author of children’s classic

Dec. 14, 2016

Award-winning novelist, Shirley Hazzard, dies at 85

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shirley Hazzard, an award-winning novelist who wrote of love affairs disrupted and intensified by age, distance and war, has died at age 85.　Hazzard had been in failing health and died Monday at her home in Manhattan, according to her friend Frances Alston. The Australian-born Hazzard had lived in New York City for decades, but also had spent time in Hong Kong, Britain, New Zealand and Italy, an international perspective shared by her characters.　She was a writer of predigital t

Dec. 14, 2016

Top translators awarded for promoting Korean literature overseas

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea has announced the winners of translation awards that recognize their role in the promotion of Korean literature worldwide. The awards, which will be given out during a ceremony Thursday, include the LTI Korea Translation Awards, the LTI Award for Aspiring Translators and the LTI Korea Outstanding Service Awards.The translation awards went to Deborah Smith, an English translator and joint winner of this year’s Man Booker International Prize, for her w

Dec. 7, 2016

Murakami's new novel set for release in Japan in February

TOKYO (AP) -- Haruki Murakami’s new novel is set for release in Japan in February -- and that’s about as much as his fans are being told.Publisher Shinchosha Publishing Co. made the announcement Wednesday. The book’s title, theme and exact date of release remain a mystery.The publisher showed two blank white books on its website with the message, “Haruki Murakami’s new novel coming soon in February 2017.”Murakami’s longer novels have been released in multiple short volumes in Japanese.A very str

Dec. 1, 2016