French poet Andree Chedid dies in Paris

PARIS (AP) ― Andree Chedid, an Egyptian-born French poet and writer known for giving lyrical expression to everyday experiences and celebrating cultural diversity, has died, her publisher said.She was 90.Chedid died in Sunday in Paris, where she settled after the end of World War II, the Flammarion publishing house said.The prolific Cairo-born writer of Lebanese descent wrote volumes of poetry, no

Feb. 8, 2011

Chicago-style romance powers Christine Sneed’s new stories

Love is a many hindered thing.It’s thwarted at every turn, imperiled every second, and the fact that it works out for anybody anywhere for any length of time whatsoever is an absolute miracle ― yet here we all are, fools for love, chasing the emotion as if it were a runaway puppy heading for the highway at rush hour.While it can produce pain and frustration, love also produces something else: grea

Feb. 7, 2011

The unknown wartime celebration

The unknown wartime celebrationImperial Japan at its ZenithBy Kenneth J. Ruoff(Cornell University Press, $39.95)In spite of its war with China along with deteriorating relationship with the U.S., Japan was more than excited to commemorate the year 1940. It was the 2,600th anniversary of the founding of the Empire of Japan. There were new public monuments, visual culture, and carefully choreographe

Jan. 28, 2011

[Korea steady seller] Love, life and death

Love, life and deathBetween Heaven and EarthBy Yun Dae-nyeong(Jimoondang, 5,000 won)The winner of the Yi Sang Literature Prize in 1996, Yun Dae-nyeong’s “Between Heaven and Earth” delves into themes of life and death through a story of two strangers. The protagonist, who is on his way to attend his aunt’s funeral, runs into a young woman. Somehow feeling the “shadow of death” on her face, he decid

Jan. 28, 2011

Reedy tells an Afghan girl’s story in ‘Words in the Dust’

Trent Reedy was an American soldier providing security for the reconstruction of Afghanistan when he saw her. The girl was 13, her cleft lip so deformed that her teeth stuck out straight from her mouth. Her upper lip was split in two. Her nose was distorted.Shock was Reedy’s reaction when he first saw the girl he came to know as Zulaikha ― a girl who became the inspiration for, and centerpiece of,

Jan. 28, 2011

Letters show J.D. Salinger’s human side

LONDON (AP) ― He had a reputation as a literary recluse, but a trove of previously unseen letters written by J.D. Salinger to a British friend reveals a sociable man who took bus trips to Niagara Falls, ate fast-food hamburgers, enjoyed watching tennis and claimed always to be writing new work.The 50 letters and four postcards have been donated to a British university, which made them public Thurs

Jan. 27, 2011

W552 billion allocated for 180 new public libraries

(Yonhap News)A total of 552 billion won ($493 million) has been earmarked for opening 66 public libraries and 114 small libraries, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday.The move is part of the government’s “Library Development Comprehensive Plan,” set for 2009-2013 to promote reading. The 552 billion won includes a 188 billion won budget from the central government, 349 billio

Jan. 27, 2011

Globe-trotting Brenda Starr retires

Comic strip journalist calls it quits after 70 years of reportingBrenda Starr was born June 30, 1940, full-grown into a big-city newspaper office where she was an oddity, a female reporter.Also gorgeous, a fiery redhead, as they say, with a glamorous if out-of-place wardrobe. Straight away Brenda Starr demanded respect in a man’s world, insisting on hard-hitting news assignments.Hers was a call to

Jan. 26, 2011

English book on beauty of Silla Gold Crowns

 Among the many kingdoms of Korea, Silla (57 BC ― 935 AD), along with its neighbor Gaya, was the one that artfully used gold for its royal crafts. Its gold crowns, in particular, are known as some of the most spectacular national treasures uncovered in Korea.Korea Foundation’s newly released English book, “Gold Crowns of Silla: Treasures from a Brilliant Age,” features five Silla gold crowns disco

Jan. 23, 2011

Female novelist Park Wan-suh dies at 80

Park Wan-suh, a well-known South Korean novelist and essayist who delved into post-Korean War realities of everyday people, died of gallbladder cancer on Saturday. She was 80. Park had been suffering the disease in recent years and died earlier in the morning, leaving behind four daughters, according to her acquaintances. The memorial photo of late writer Park Wan-suh is placed at a funeral room o

Jan. 23, 2011

Beloved novelist Park Wan-suh dies at 80

Park Wan-suh (Yonhap News)Park Wan-suh, a well-known South Korean novelist and essayist who delved into post-Korean War realities of everyday people, died of gallbladder cancer on Saturday. She was 80.Park has been suffering the disease in recent years and died earlier in the morning, leaving behind four daughters, according to her acquaintances.Born in what is now a North Korean village bordering

Jan. 23, 2011

New books

Illustrious Iraqi familyLate for Tea at the Deer Palace: The Lost Dreams of My Iraqi FamilyBy Tamara Chalabi(Harper, $27.99)In this sweeping, enchanting memoir, Tamara Chalabi pieces together her illustrious family’s history and exile from Iraq in an attempt to uncover her own, fractured identity.The author’s father, Ahmad Chalabi, is the character readers may be most curious to learn about; a key

Jan. 21, 2011

Korea steady seller

In exile and wanderingDeep Blue NightBy Choe In-hoTranslated by Bruce and Ju-chan Fulton(Jimoondang, 5,000 won)Disillusioned by every aspect of his life, the protagonist, once a renowned writer, leaves Korea for Los Angeles. There, he runs into Jun-ho, a popular singer who escaped from Korea after being accused of smoking marijuana. The protagonist thinks Jun-ho is pathetic for not being able to s

Jan. 21, 2011

For prolific writer Mosley, work demands discipline

He’s written more than 30 books, including the popular Easy Rawlins mysteries, science fiction, literary fiction and a novel for young adults. He’s been translated into 21 languages and won a host of honors, among them PEN America’s lifetime achievement award. He’s the author of essays, political monographs and several plays, one of which, “The Fall of Heaven,” is wowing audiences at the Repertory

Jan. 21, 2011

Actor writes about, paints with wine

For many, wine is nothing more than just a drink. But for actor Kam Wu-seong, it is the only alcoholic beverage he is allowed to drink, the main source of his literary inspiration, and special paint he uses for his art. Kam’s unique travelogue about Bordeaux, a historical French city famous for its wine and vineyards, has been published this month.The book, “Kam Wu-seong’s Little Note on Wine,” co

Jan. 21, 2011

Tell-tale letdown: Mystery Poe visitor fails to return

BALTIMORE (AP) ― Telltale hearts beat with anticipation during a rainy, midnight dreary and beyond, hoping the mysterious visitor to Edgar Allan Poe’s grave would return after a one-year absence.Four impostors came and went. The real one never showed. Around 5 a.m., the dozen Poe fans who were left began to wonder if the eerie ritual is indeed nevermore, so they walked to Poe’s tombstone and perfo

Jan. 20, 2011

New books

Strict Chinese parentingBattle Hymn of the Tiger MotherBy Amy Chua(The Penguin Press, $25.95)Amy Chua is an American-born daughter of Chinese immigrants from the Philippines. She’s a professor of law at Yale, married to another law professor at Yale who comes from an Orthodox Jewish family. So it’s no surprise that her first two books dealt with minorities and governments.Her third book, “Battle H

Jan. 14, 2011

Korea Steady Seller

Ideologies and familiesAn Appointment with My BrotherBy Yi Mun-yol(Jimoondang, 5,000 won)Based on author Yi Mun-yol’s personal family history and literary imagination, “An Appointment with My Brother” tells a moving tale of a Korean family separated by the two Koreas’ ideological differences.The narrator, whose father voluntarily defected to North Korea a few years after the Korean War, is a unive

Jan. 14, 2011

Best-selling author Kim Edwards dreamed of success

Rarely does a writer immersed in the world of academia publish a first novel that becomes an international success, but that’s what happened to Kim Edwards.In 2005, the University of Kentucky creative-writing professor followed her award-winning 1997 short-story collection “The Secrets of a Fire King” with “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” which enjoyed 122 weeks on the New York Times’ bestseller li

Jan. 14, 2011