Hwang Sok-yong
A bit tardy on this perhaps, but the good folks at LTI Korea have published their March edition online and it is full of fun reading for fans of Korean, or any, literature.
The Feature Story is on Korean author Hwang Sok-yong, titled An Evolving Realist, Dreaming of the Unity of Life and Literature. There is a nice, about 5 minute interview with the author with clear and sensible subtitles in which he discusses what he considers to be his main paired themes:
- Migration and Harmony
- dentity and Universality
- Desire and Restraint
As well as discussing his currrent approach to write attempting to alteri/deconstruct narratives as a form of realism, a technique he uses to excellent advantage in his controversial novel The Guest (reviewed here on KTLIT), which recounts a story of massacre in Korea
The video is also accompanied by an excellent interview by by Shin Hyoung-cheol from Chosun University
And athere is a related essay A Profound Union of Ethics and Aesthetics.
No fan of Hwang’s should miss this issue.
There is also an excellent short video book trailer of Kong’s Garden by Hwang Jungeun, which is available on Amazon by Asia Publishing.
And a bevy of information on younger writers including Hwang Jungeun, Kim Junghyuk, Pyun Hye Young (who is really worth checking out – Here is her Wiki page), and on the second page authors including Cheon Myeong-kwan (Who I also strongly recommend and here is his just updated Wiki page)).
There’s plenty more, as well as a wealth of back issue stuff, so rush on over!
