In the fast-paced, high-urban landscape of Seoul, C and K are brothers who have fallen in love with the same woman – Se-yeon – who tears at both of them as they all try desperately to find real connection in an atomized world. A spectral, nameless narrator haunts the edges of their lives as he … [Read More]
Booklist: Literature Fiction and Poetry (page 50)
Chunchu: The Genocide Fiend
In a time of chaos and war, a godforsaken era, twin sons are born to an emperor. But legend states that the son of the emperor shall be born a demon! But twins? Who is the demon, and who shall reign as emperor? Chunchu is the story of a young man saved from death by his … [Read More]
Four Contemporary Korean Plays
From the publisher’s website: South Korean drama has received considerable attention in Europe and Asia, but, until recently, received only scant attention in the United States. This anthology contains early works (1989-1993) by one of Korea’s leading theatre artists. These works reflect the nature of Lee Yun Taek’s genius, his contributions to contemporary Korean theatre … [Read More]
Hanami International Love Story
Seventeen-year-old Joonho Suk just had the best day of his life. He finally got the guts to ask out his big crush, Sae-un, and she said yes!! But after floating home on cloud nine, he found . . . his family packing up to move to Seoul?! Now tossed into a big new city and … [Read More]
Free Food for Millionaires
From the author’s website: In her critically acclaimed debut, National Book Award finalist Min Jin Lee introduces the indelible Casey Han: a strong-willed, Queens-bred daughter of Korean immigrants who is addicted to a glamorous Manhattan lifestyle she cannot afford. Fresh out of Princeton with an economics degree, no job, and a popular white boyfriend, Casey … [Read More]
Toy City
Toy City is a poignant coming-of-age story of a fourth-grade boy named Yun, depicting the life of a poor family struggling to survive in the years immediately after the Korean War. An autobiographical work, the novel is written entirely from young Yun’s point of view. Alternately heart-wrenching and hopeful, this masterpiece of Korean literature is … [Read More]
Plays of Colonial Korea
From the publisher’s website: During the Japanese occupation of Korea, young intellectuals like Se-dŏk Ham, eager to transform the traditional Korean ways, introduced Western arts, philosophy, and technology and styled themselves as bringing enlightenment. It was in this edgy, tumultuous world that Ham’s plays were first performed. With the end of World War II and … [Read More]
Azaleas: A Book of Poems
Publisher description: Available for the first time in English, Azaleas is a captivating collection of poems by a master of the early Korean modernist style. Published in 1925, Azaleas is the only collection Kim Sowol (1902-1934) produced during his brief life, yet he remains one of Korea’s most beloved and well-known poets. His work is a delightful and sophisticated … [Read More]
The Bird
After the death of their mother, U-mi and her little brother, U-il, are shuttled between relatives until their father retrieves them. He puts the children in the care of a young stepmother, fresh from a brothel, who looks after them during the week while he works at a remote building site. But the stepmother is … [Read More]
Hong Gildong
This book includes two short stories by South Korean writer Seo Hajin: “Hong Gildong” and “The Woodcutter and the Nymph.” In “Hong Gildong,” Seo draws from an early Korean tale to tell the story of a man wading through a midlife crisis. After seeing a psychiatrist, he seeks release from his present condition and wishes … [Read More]
What is Darkening
From the publisher’s website: What Is Darkening is a book of poetry which shows a mature exuviation. Seeing the intrinsic darkness of life, the poet casts off the hard shell of consciousness and can see ‘thousands of colors’ in a tree and hear ‘too many sounds’ in a drop. She is now a ‘discriminator of cries.’ … [Read More]
Gas Light
From the publisher’s website: A Short Piece It must be that the azaleas Bloom at dawn And fall at dusk. Over the low pine grove Behind the rocks in Samchung Dong They droop Whenever the clouds pass. All through April Unnoticed by any This year’s azaleas also Must be blooming in the shade And falling … [Read More]
Shaman Warrior
Presented in the original Korean format, Shaman Warrior is a dramatic fantasy series with a kinetic style that will appeal to fans of Blade of the Immortal and Vagabond! From the desert wastelands emerge two mysterious warriors, master wizard Yarong and his faithful servant Batu. On a grave mission from their king, they have yet to realize the whirlwind of … [Read More]
Woman on the Terrace
From the publisher’s website: Moon Chung-hee’s lyrical poems represent poignant self-examination, evoking moments of bewilderment and hopeful resignation to the passage of time and imprisoning conditions of her life. Her work explores the desire to escape the fetters of domesticity as a vehicle for understanding a woman’s journey and her negotiations between the desire for … [Read More]
Three Generations
Touted as one of Korea’s most important works of fiction, Three Generations (published in 1931 as a serial in Chosun Ilbo) charts the tensions in the Jo family in 1930s Japanese occupied Seoul. Yom’s keenly observant eye reveals family tensions withprofound insight. Delving deeply into each character’s history and beliefs, he illuminates the diverse pressures … [Read More]
Eyes of Dew
From the publisher’s website: Chonggi Mah represents a unique figure in Korean poetry similar to that of William Carlos Williams, but with a twist. While he is recognized as an award-winning poet in Korea, he has worked in the United States as a doctor and professor. Many of his poems reflect his work as a … [Read More]