The American Prospect has just published an article on Korean literature in translation, entitle Korean Lit Comes to America, including some comparisons to Japan and China, and it’s worth checking out, and not just because I am in it using my favorite comparison of the place of Korea literature in respect to other translated literatures:
Charles Montgomery, a California native who’s now a professor in Seoul and the proprietor of a lively literary blog, puts it this way: “Imagine, we’re drinking martinis with a bunch of educated people, and I say, ‘Who is your favorite Japanese author?’ You can say one of ten names. ‘Who is your favorite French author?’ One of ten names.” Montgomery continues: “But ‘Who is your favorite Korean author?’ Everyone will run to refill their drinks.”
In the print version there is also a short sidebar in which I was briefly allowed to mention five books I might recommend for a beginner in Korean literature (and they gave me up t0 10 words to describe them!). The list will come as little surprise to regular readers, but I include it here for any recent readers of the blog:
- I Have the Right to Destroy Myself
By Kim Young-ha
Art, Angst and suicide – Korean postmodern fiction - Lonesome You
By Park Wan-suh
Brilliant stories of family and women in modern Korea - Our Twisted Hero
By Yi Munyol
Orwellian fable of power and corruption in a school. - A Distant and Beautiful Place
By Yang Kwi-ja
Short glimpses of the cost of modernization - The Wings (Ignore the crazy prices on Amazon and order from Kyobo!)
By Yi Sang
Expresses the psychological burden of colonialization.
So, go on over there and read it, again that link is: http://prospect.org/article/korean-lit-comes-america