Are the British becoming more Korean? That was the rather silly thought that occurred to me as I walked round the energetic space of the V&A yesterday evening for the Korea Friday Late. What do I mean by that? Well, at every expo or festival in Korea the emphasis is on physical experience. You can’t … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 75)
Exhibition visit: Above the line — photographs from the DPRK at the British Council
There must have been a time when photographs of the DPRK were a rarity. But it’s now a regular occurrence for a newspaper to run a series of photographs from North Korea, normally proclaiming that these are unique, never-before seen images from “the world’s most secretive state”. It is perhaps natural for photographers to seek … [Read More]
Gong Ji-young on tuna sandwiches, Jane Eyre and manual labour
Gong Ji-young was passing through London on her way to the Hay Literary Festival. Saturday would involve dinner with Stephen Fry as president of the Festival, together with other authors. Sunday morning, hopefully without a hangover, she would be sharing the stage with British author Ned Beauman in a conversation with Granta online poetry editor … [Read More]
The mystery of Lee Jae-hyo’s artwork titles unveiled
Lee Hae-hyo’s works have been regularly featured in London – at Albemarle Gallery, at the current HADA Contemporary exhibition, and in the Korean Eye collection. Regular gallery-goers will have noted that all his works have a puzzling name which looks like a non-sensical mathematical equation. Thanks to Sun at HADA Contemporary, the secret of his … [Read More]
London Book Fair – the photo gallery
A collection of some of the photographs of three days at Earls Court (8-10 April) with related events at the Free Word Centre (7 April), British Library (8 April), BAFTA (9 April), Asia House (10 April) and the London Review Bookshop (11 April). Thanks to the organisers and in particular the British Council, LTI Korea … [Read More]
Koreans in America: the Slate map of the most popular language in your State
AAPI Voices say that the Slate got it wrong, but at least the Slate article on the most popular language in your State got the Korean states right. So why is it that, after Spanish and English, Korean is the most-spoken language in Virginia and Georgia? One suggestion from an LKL reader is that Virginia … [Read More]
The worrisome wife and the lovechild you never knew – some quotes from London Book Fair
You can rely on a professional writer to come up with some well-honed soundbites, and the 10 authors who came to the London Book Fair were no exception. Even when delivered through an interpreter, they retained their impact. You might have got the impression that some of them were well-rehearsed. But a quote is a … [Read More]
LBF sketch: the snippets which didn’t quite make it…
Sometimes a discussion session is really interesting and you come out of it thinking you’ve get some really good material; and then when you check your notes later there’s just not enough to do a coherent write-up – or the notes don’t make a lot of sense. Or one session might cover the same ground … [Read More]
English PEN video: Hwang Sunmi in conversation with Maya Jaggi
Here is English PEN’s video of Hwang Sun-mi in conversation with Maya Jaggi on the second day of the London Book Fair. The Hen who Dreamed she could Fly is obviously one of the things discussed. Links: English PEN YouTube channel [Read More]
English PEN video: Kim Young-ha in conversation with Krys Lee
Here is English PEN’s video of Kim Young-ha in conversation with Krys Lee on the first day of the London Book Fair: Links: English PEN YouTube channel [Read More]
The Sewol story in links
A random collection of links relating to the sinking of the Sewol on 16 April, updated as necessary. Arirang News compares the capsising of the Sewol with that of its sister ship the Ariake. Confucian guilt spreads in Korea – Death of innocents sparks condemnations of wicked adult world: an early use of the C-word … [Read More]
In pictures: Korean crafts and design at Collect 2014
On the front cover of the catalogue for Collect 2014, the annual fair organised by the Crafts Council, is an intriguing shell-shaped metal sculpture – part Slinky, part oil-lamp, and very beautiful. Wandering around to gallery number 3 on the ground floor, you come to the stall hosted by the Korea Craft and Design Foundation. … [Read More]
LBF sketch: Kim In-suk and Kim Young-ha on Migrant Literature and the motivations for writing
A write-up of a fascinating panel session at the London Book Fair with the title Writing Home: Migrant Literature. The write-up below focuses on the part of the session which focused on the work of Kim In-suk. The Long Road is Kim In-suk’s first book, and is one of the only Korean language book on … [Read More]
LBF sketch: Kim Young-ha at the London Book Fair: always adapting to a new environment
Kim Young-ha attended three London events during the this year’s London Book Fair: a conversation with writer Krys Lee on 8 April, a panel session with Kim In-suk and others on 9 April entitled Writing Home: Migrant Literature, and a discussion with Daniel Hahn at the London Review Bookshop on 11 April. The below is a digest of those sessions. Introduction, themes, … [Read More]
LBF sketch: Shin Kyung-sook on what modernity makes us forget
Shin Kyung-sook attended three London events during the this year’s London Book Fair: a conversation with Arifa Akbar on 8 April, a panel session with Han Kang on Families, Relationships and Society on 9 April, and a panel entitled Separations with Krys Lee and Quaisra Shahraz at Asia House on 10 April. The below is a digest … [Read More]
Hanji creations from Woo Bock Lee at Mokspace
Opening this weekend, a lovely exhibition of hanji collages and other creations from Sweden-based artist Woo Bock Lee. A few installation shots are below. The exhibition is on until 24 May. [Read More]