No contents list available, though according to the LTI Korea database the volume contains at least one story by Kim Dong-ni. Google suggests that the Kim Dong-ni story is The Marsh (in a translation by Chung Chong-hwa also available in Modern Korean Literature: An Anthology 1908-1965); and that the collection also includes Na To-hyang’s The Watermill … [Read More]
Archives: Books (page 121)
The Stars and other Korean short stories
Bruce Fulton describes this collection as a “good sampling of a consummate short story writer; includes an excellent introduction.” in his article on The Korean War and Beyond, in Modern Korean Fiction in Asianstudies.org. Contains the following stories: A Matter of Custom A Numerical Enigma An Old Man’s Birthday Coarse Sand Conch Shells The Calf … [Read More]
North Korean Writers in Exile PEN Literature (VOLUME Book 4)
North Korean Writers in Exile PEN Center is the 144th member of PEN International. Since defecting from North Korea because of their opposition to the dynastic dictatorship, the members of the center have been creating literature that depicts the harsh reality of North Korea and engaging in various activities to improve conditions there. The single … [Read More]
Surfacing Sadness: A Centennial of Korean-American Literature 1903-2003
This book is published to commemorate the centennial of the first landing of Korean immigrants in America in 1903. An anthology of poems, essays and short stories by thirty-seven Korean-American writers, Surfacing Sadness is the first serious effort to bring together the Korean-American literary experiences to join mainstream American literature. The book primarily contains translations … [Read More]
The Rabbit’s Tale 2020
The Korean classical novel Rabbit’s Tale (kor. Toggijeon) tells the story of a Dragon King who falls ill, and learns that only the special properties found in a rabbit’s liver can make him well again. He sends a terrapin ashore to find the rabbit and trick him into coming to the Dragon Palace. The rabbit … [Read More]
Sky, Wind and Stars
From the publisher’s website: Born and raised in northern Manchuria during the colonial period of Korea, Yun Dong-ju was a poet of the utmost purity, beauty, and sincerity. His posthumously published collection of poems under the title Sky, wind, stars, and poems is one of the all-time favorites of Korean readers. Wishing not to have … [Read More]
King Sejong: A Novel
No synopsis available. The National Library of Australia categorises the book as biographical fiction. This title is pretty hard to find outside of university libraries. [Read More]
The Love of Dunhuang
Translated from the Korean by Kyung-nyun Kim Richards and Steffen F. Richards. Yun Humyong’s first novel, THE LOVE OF DUNHUANG, originally published in Korea in 1982, takes as its theme the melancholoy and despair common to contemporary life. The main character/narrator is unemployed after having quit his job as a magazine reporter. He barely survives … [Read More]
I Met Loh Kiwan
This captivating short novel follows the journey of North Korean refugee Loh Kiwan to a place where he doesn’t speak the language or understand the customs. Loh’s story of hardship and determination is gradually revealed in flashbacks by the narrator, Kim, a writer for a South Korean TV show, who learned about Loh from a … [Read More]
Love in Winter
An anthology of young adult stories that take place in early Korea. Illustrated by Park Minja The review by an Amazon user is very enthusiastic. [Read More]
The Running Water Hermitage
No synopsis available [Read More]
A Washed-out Dream
Contains exactly the same stories and translations as Ten Korean Short Stories, with the addition of an eleventh, Ha Keun-chan’s The White Paper Beard. However, you may find the other publication easier to track down. The White Paper Beard is available in the collection Two Travellers – though that’s pretty hard to track down too. … [Read More]
Floating Grass
No synopsis available. The Korea Herald has a brief feature on Han Soosan coinciding with the publication of his novel Forgiving in 2020 [Read More]
The History of Korean Literature: From Ancient Times to the Late Nineteenth Century
An easy to read, extensive exploration of premodern Korean literature. The work covers the beginning of Korean literature until the end of the nineteenth century and would be ideal for students in Korean or Asian literature classes. [Read More]
Classical Writings of Korean Women
This work is a collection of essays travelogues written by women during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The work ranges from a eulogy for a broken needle to a travelogue describing various trips to scenic spots on the Korean peninsula, including to the Keum-Gang Mountains. Now available in English, this collection gives us a sampler of … [Read More]
The Song of Ch’unhyang: Musical Text as compiled by Master Singer Kim Yŏn-su
The Song of Ch’unhyang is one of the most popular p’ansori pieces in the genre’s classic repertoire. Its story is simple. Ch’unhyang (“Spring-Fragrance”) is the beautiful daughter of a deceased aristocrat and Wŏlmae, a retired kisaeng. Her ambiguous social status becomes the key dramatic complication when she falls in love with Yi Mongnyong, the young … [Read More]