David – (reader who don’t know, David is editor of Beatdom) one of the problems with being a champion of the Beats (and Hunter and Bukowski) is that part of their artifice was to make things look entirely spontaneous. This has been entirely too enticing to lazy writers who think that was the sum of the thing and all you need to do is get drunk and blather.

I’ve felt that way about half the submissions I’ve received this year. Some people seem to think that weirdness and greatness are the same damn thing; that just because great artists think outside the box that anything odd or random becomes great.

You neglected to state that this thing won the 1996 Yi Sang Prize. Perhaps you were too embarrassed to mention it.

This book has nothing to redeem it in my opinion. I’ve read books before that make no sense, at least in the narrative, or even the deconstructed, way. I can deal with that–even like ‘em, sometimes. I don’t know if he was trying to be Barthelme-ish, or if as you wonder “seasonal bucolic” (whatever that is), but he couldn’t have done a worse job of it short of writing backwards. I slugged though it, but that’s the nicest thing I can say.

There may be something I’m missing, but only because it’s so obscure. As you point out, a very rare Jimoondang Short Fiction offering that is not worth the 5000 W printing cost.

PS: This Saturday is “foreigners day” at Sangam, FC Seoul vs Daegu, at a discount! (10,000 W gets a 12,000 E section ticket, a beer and a dog!)

And Amazon often does post these trailers. You can see this one here:

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Republic-Calling-You-Young-ha/dp/0151015457/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283516093&sr=1-1

Thanks,
Hannah