Jeung Hyun’s current exhibition at Mokspace lives up to expectations. Her last solo show at Mokspace was back in the summer of 2012, when she presented woodblock prints of gingkos, peonies, persimmons, jasmine and apples. This time, while retaining some beautifully autumnal gingkos in luminous golds she has introduced several works involving the fragile poppy. … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 77)
LTI Korea video: Yi Mun-yol in conversation with Claire Armitstead
Here is LTI Korea’s video of Yi Mun-yol in conversation with The Guardian‘s Claire Armitstead at the English PEN Literary Salon, Earls Court on the last day of the London Book Fair 2014, 10 April 2014: Links: LTI Korea website | YouTube channel [Read More]
Write-ups of the London Book Fair
Here are some links to articles about the London Book Fair, to which I’ll add as I find more. Ten Korean writers on a country sawn in half, Claire Armitstead, Guardian, 7 April 2014 South Korean lit as proxy for every Korea, past, present, and future, kokkiri comments on the above Guardian article, Subject Object … [Read More]
LTI Korea video: Shin Kyung-sook in conversation with Arifa Akbar
Here is LTI Korea’s video of Shin Kyung-sook in conversation with The Independent‘s Arifa Akbar on the first day of the London Book Fair. The topic is mainly Please Look After Mother, but also we talk about I’ll be Right There, and we learn about what Shin is working on right now. LKL’s question comes … [Read More]
K-P.O.P – Contemporary Korean Art at MOCA Taipei
An interesting way of branding an exhibition, in one of the first countries to get enthusiastic about K-pop. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a visit according to LKL’s former visual arts correspondent. On from 19 April to 15 June 2014. K-P.O.P: Contemporary Korean Art Process. Otherness. Play K-pop is commonly used today … [Read More]
Podcast: Kim Hyesoon reads at the Poetry Library
For those who decided to go to see Shin Kyung-sook and Krys Lee at Asia House rather than Kim Hyesoon at the Poetry Library, MPT Magazine has kindly recorded the latter event and put it on Soundcloud. “They’re poems that really change your life … completely visceral,” says the moderator, among other things. The event … [Read More]
Tesco in Korea: high returns despite opening restrictions
Tesco has just reported a 4.3% like for like sales decline in Korea for the 52 weeks to 22 February 2014. This follows a 5.3% decline last year. But nevertheless: Our business in Korea continues to generate high returns despite the impact on sales from the regulatory restrictions on opening hours. Whilst we annualised the … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Chun Kwang-young’s Mulberry Mindscapes at Bernard Jacobson Gallery
Somehow, the recent acquisition at the V&A of Chun Kwang-young’s Aggregation10-SE032RED, placed as it is in a glass display case, lacks the impact of the new works by the distinguished artist currently on at Bernard Jacobson Gallery in Cork Street. Because of the glass, you can’t get right up close; and because of the compactness … [Read More]
New phase of Shin Meekyoung project launched at BAFTA
On the second evening of the London Book Fair there were no author events. No panel sessions, no “conversations with…” And that was because all the Korean authors, along with interpreters, LTI Korea representatives, British Council, Ministry of Culture folks and sundry hangers-on such as myself, were at BAFTA for a reception. It was at … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Park Seungmo — Absence, at HADA Contemporary
Maybe at LKL we’ve been over-focussing on Korean Literature this past week, so this weekend I paid a belated visit to HADA Contemporary to catch their exhibition of Park Seungmo’s latest work. I managed to miss his show last year, and it was Shin Eunjeong who reviewed his 2012 solo show for this site, so … [Read More]
Lee Jung-myung in London to promote The Investigation
Unannounced to any apart from the Korean press, Lee Jung-myung was in town this week with his agent, signing copies of his novel The Investigation (another Kim Chi-young translation). He appeared at Goldsboro Books on Monday night, 7 April – the day before the Book Fair opened. The man behind the counter described the book … [Read More]
Kim Young-ha rounds off the Korea Market Focus events in London
The final event of the Korea Market Focus of London Book Fair 2014 took place last night at the London Review Bookshop near the British Museum – a fascinating and engaging conversation between Kim Young-ha and young British writer, editor and translator Daniel Hahn. Kim is off to Brasilia this weekend for another book event … [Read More]
In pictures: London Book Fair, day 3 – looking forward, looking back
The London Book Fair is over now, but the collaboration with Korea continues, for which a huge thank-you is due to the British Council and the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. One thing I forgot to mention yesterday is that Britain (or was it the UK?) is invited as guest country at the Seoul Book … [Read More]
In pictures: London Book Fair, day 2
Day 2 of the London Book Fair, in which: Han Kang said very nice things about her translator (Deborah Smith) and Shin Kyung-sook called hers her “twin soul”; We discovered that Kim Young-ha was about to start writing a historical novel set in the Joseon dynasty, only to find out that Kim Insuk had already … [Read More]
LBF 9 April events at Earls Court: your conflict-checker
Take your pick. Here are the choices you have on the second day of the fair at Earls Court. Thankfully, there are no diary conflicts in the evening. Click on the graphic for a more legible version, and click on the various hyperlinks in this post for more details of the different events. You can … [Read More]
In pictures: London Book Fair, day 1
Hwang Sok-yong, Kim Young-ha, Lee Seung-u, Kim Hyesoon, Shin Kyoung-sook, Yi Mun-yol, Krys Lee… and those were just the Korean literary figures that we got to see today. There were plenty more talks – mainly focusing on the Korean publishing industry – that we didn’t get to, thanks to unfortunate scheduling clashes, and writers from … [Read More]