Book review: Modern, contemporary Korean art for foreign readers

For those who thirst for in-depth knowledge of Korea’s modern and contemporary fine art but did not know where to begin, “Korean Art from 1953: Collision, Innovation and Interaction,” published by Phaidon, a global art book publisher, may be a good point of entry. Published in English, “Korean Art from 1953: Collision, Innovation and interaction,” covers the development of the country’s modern and contemporary art history from 1953 -- the year when the Korea

May 4, 2020

[Herald Review] ‘City of Han’ tests Seoul’s literary potential

While other metropolises around the world and similar cities in East Asia have staked out their places in the international literary scene, Seoul has left its potential largely untapped. So contends Sollee Bae, who organizes the “Fiction Writers in Seoul” workshop. With a small collection of short fiction spanning just over 100 pages, Bae seeks to explore Seoul’s potential from an expat’s perspective in “A City of Han.”  The anthology begins strongly w

April 27, 2020

Aesthetics of modern, contemporary artworks in Korea

“The Aesthetic Consciousness of Korean Modern Art” By Lee Joo-young Misulmunhwa Visual Arts Publication Though we may come across some Korean modern and contemporary artworks, not many realize the philosophies and backgrounds embedded in the artworks. The book “The Aesthetic Consciousness of Korean Modern Art,” written in Korean and published in February, digs into the common characteristics of Korea’s modern and contemporary artworks. Lee Joo-young, the head

March 8, 2020

Expats find performance community in Wordsmiths

On the surface, Wordsmiths is like any other open mic event, providing a space for writers to share their poetry, prose and music. But a swift dig beneath the surface reveals a community of warmth, mutual support and acceptance. Wordsmiths’ events are held on the second Sunday of each month at Southside Parlor in Itaewon, organized by three of its members -- Kang Yea-hwon, Grace Kim and Brendon Spencer -- in their spare time. Spencer, Wordsmith’s resident DJ, has been involved s

Feb. 21, 2020

Yonsei professor gets 1st Korean Studies Writing Award

The Academy of Korean Studies conferred the first Korean Studies Writing Award on Wednesday, honoring a Yonsei University scholar for his nine-volume collection of works on the history of Korean agriculture. For health reasons, professor emeritus Kim Yong-sup was unable to attend the ceremony at the school in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, so a family member accepted the prize on his behalf. “Kim Yong-sup’s Collected Works” documents the history of Korean agriculture from anci

Feb. 12, 2020

Super collectors: Forces that drive the art market

“Super Collector” By Lee Young-ran HakGoJAE Publishers There are three wheels that make the art industry function: The artists, the gallery owners who manage exhibitions and introduce their art pieces, and the collectors who purchase them. Among the three, the art collectors are the ones who really determine whether art markets thrive, although they are not frequently mentioned in the art industry and usually remain behind a veil. “Super Collector” by former journa

Jan. 30, 2020

Popular Seoul National University lectures comes to bookstore near you

“Violence and Justice”By Kim Seong-kon and Ahn Kyong-whanViche, Gimmyoung PublishersTwo Seoul National University professors from the humanities and law departments have written a book based on a popular class they taught in 1999 and 2000.“Around 150 students from the law and the humanities departments took our classes (every semester). The lectures were popular among students because they were the first to look into laws in literary and movie texts,” co-author and Englis

Jan. 17, 2020

People sought comfort from books in past decade

Inspirational nonfiction and heartwarming novels swept bestseller lists in the 2010s, an indication that people sought solace from books over the past decade, according to the Kyobo Book Center. “The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down,” written by Ven. Haenim, a renowned Buddhist monk in South Korea, was the bestselling book of the decade. After its release in 2012, it remained a bestseller for two years.  Translated into English by Kim Chi-young, the illustrated book of

Dec. 26, 2019

Indie publishers seek synergy at annual book festival

Unlimited Edition 11, the 2019 Seoul Art Book Fair, kicked off Friday at the Seoul Museum of Art, giving indie publishers and small publishers throughout the country a chance to gain exposure at the largest annual book festival for small and indie publishers in South Korea. Unlimited Edition was launched in 2009 and has grown into the largest book fair of its kind in Korea, attracting more than 2,100 visitors last year. A total of 220 teams of writers, book illustrators and local bookstores are

Nov. 15, 2019

Essays from Sahara trekking trails

“Walking Through Sahara”By Ju Hyung-won(Nike Books) Not everyone gets a chance to visit the Sahara Desert. But a writer who has done it in an Antoine de Saint-Exupery-inspired expedition of a lifetime, says we may all be crossing our own desert of life. Writer Ju Hyung-won booked an air ticket to Morocco on the spur of the moment, after reading Saint-Exupery’s philosophical memoir “Terre des Hommes” or “Wind, Sand and Stars.” Her latest book, “Walk

Nov. 15, 2019

Chinese novelist Yan Lianke to meet local readers with upcoming Korean editions

Chinese novelist Yan Lianke is known for realistically describing Chinese society in his novels, naturally unveiling unpleasant sides the privileged class would prefer to keep in the dark. “Although China has grown to a superpower, becoming one of the ‘G2,’ I want people to have more interest in the lives of the ordinary people in China,“ Yan, 61, said on the recent China-US trade war at a press conference held in Seoul Tuesday. ”China’s economy has improved s

Nov. 12, 2019

Poet once at forefront of #MeToo movement publishes collection in English

Poet Choi Young-mi, one of the leading voices in the #MeToo movement in Korea’s literary scene last year, has published her first collection of poems in English, “The Party Was Over.” The collection includes the poem “Monster” (2017), which Choi described as being based on her experience of sexual harassment. The revelation fueled the #MeToo movement in Korea, which shook up the country in early 2018 after a female prosecutor accused her superiors of sexual harassme

Nov. 5, 2019

Daesan Literary Awards announces four winners

The Daesan Foundation announced the four winners of the 27th annual Daesan Literary Awards on Monday. Poet Oh Eun won for his book of poetry titled “I Have a Name” (translated); Cho Hae-jin for her novel “Simple Sincerity” (translated); and Yun Sun-young and Philipp Haas for their joint German translation of “Nana im Morgengrauen” written by Park Hyoung-su. The Daesan Foundation decided not to make an award in the drama category after a long discussion, saying

Nov. 4, 2019

Jonasson's '100-Year-Old Man' meets Kim Jong-un in sequel

Bestselling Swedish novelist Jonas Jonasson visited South Korea upon the release of his latest novel, “The Accidental Further Adventures of the 100-Year-Old Man,” a sequel to his bestseller “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared.” Jonasson’s first story about 100-year-old Allan Karlson sold more than 10 million copies around the world and was made into a film. Though the sequel came out in English in July 2018, it took more than a year f

Oct. 27, 2019

Cho Ji-hoon's poems capture beauty of Korean life

“News in brief from New York” was a small book party in which outgoing Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Cho Tae-yul read a poem from “Shedding of the Petals,” the first book of poetry by his father Cho Ji-hoon in English, published here in New York last month. A famous poet in the 1940s-60s, Cho passed away in the late 1960s. I knew both well. I read the senior Cho’s poems during my high school and college days. I met the junior Cho when he started his diplom

Oct. 25, 2019

Book of late S. Korean poet Cho's poems published in English

A book of more than 80 poems of late renowned South Korean poet Cho Ji-hoon was published in English in New York more than half a century after his death, his family said Friday. A ceremony celebrating the publication took place in New York on the day with the attendance of South Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations Cho Tae-yul, the third son of the poet, and his other family members.The publishing company, Cross-Cultural Communications, published the book, entitled "Shedding of the Pet

Sept. 21, 2019

New young adult English novel to recount devastation of Japanese wartime sexual slavery

A young adult novel on Japan's wartime sexual slavery, which was recently translated into English, will hit the shelves in the United States and other countries this year to recount the devastation of the Japanese wartime atrocity, according to its publisher Thursday.The 248-page novel, "Trampled Blossoms: What They Stole from Grandma," written by Moon Young-sook and translated by David Carruth, will go on sale at the US online bookseller Amazon and through other global circulation cha

Aug. 22, 2019

‘30/50 Club’ looks into Korea’s rapid growth, uncertain future

“30/50 Club: A Dialogue on S. Korea, US, China and N. Korea,” originally published in Korean in February, has recently been published in English.Penned by Hong Sang-hwa, the 424-page book looks into how Korea became the seventh country to join the “30-50 Club,” referring to countries with a per capita GNI of more than $30,000 and a population of more than 50 million, following the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France and Italy. The writing takes the form of an imaginary di

July 25, 2019

Fair to introduce Korean books to Vietnam

The Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA) is hosting a book fair Tuesday and Wednesday in Hanoi, Vietnam.The outreach event aims to promote Korean books, publishers and publishing content in the Southeast Asian country. Prior to the event, participating agencies were required to send information to local buyers and set the date for business-matching talks, in an effort to improve the quality of talks and increase the possibility of deals being signed. Around 24 Vietnamese p

July 22, 2019