The Korea Herald

MacArthur and Truman face off in H.W. Brands’ new history

Oct 26, 2016

After nearly seven decades, it is easy to forget the fierce, frantic terrors of the early Cold War.Despite victory in World War II, America had lost its nuclear monopoly because of Soviet spies, was confronting Soviet pressure in Europe, had “lost” China to communists and was battling the demons of McCarthyism at home.But the only shooting war in late 1950 was in distant Korea. US forces fighting under a UN mandate were being mauled by Chinese troops who had crossed into the country.In Washingto
Beatty becomes first US author to win Man Booker Prize

Oct 26, 2016

LONDON (AFP) -- Paul Beatty has become the first US author to win the Man Booker Prize for his novel “The Sellout,” which the novelist said should not be read as a “mono-directional” take on race.The jury behind the world’s most prestigious English-language literary award said the novel was a “shocking and unexpectedly funny” portrayal of Beatty’s native Los Angeles, using satire to explore racial equality in a fictional neighborhood.Beatty said readers should think of the novel as a work of fic
Oxford says Shakespeare will share credit for Henry VI

Oct 25, 2016

LONDON (AP) - The Bard was not a solo act.Oxford University Press’ new edition of William Shakespeare’s works will credit Christopher Marlowe as co-author of the three Henry VI plays, underscoring that the playwright collaborated with others on some of his most famous works.Marlowe, a playwright, poet and spy, will share billing in the latest version of the New Oxford Shakespeare being published this week. While scholars have long suspected that Shakespeare’s plays included the work of others, n
Highlands murder tale tipped for Booker Prize win

Oct 24, 2016

EDINBURGH (AFP) -- A tale of murder and class warfare in the Scottish Highlands by a little-known novelist is one of the favorites to win this year's Booker Prize for literature on Tuesday.“His Bloody Project,” the second novel by Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet, has been outselling the other five nominees, leaving its small Glasgow-based publisher struggling to meet demand.“One of the great side-effects of being shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize is the interest that it has created abroa
Belgian author creates stir with tale of ice-cold revenge

Oct 20, 2016

FRANKFURT (AFP) - She's a literary sensation whose debut novel has sold over 100,000 copies, yet unless you speak Dutch you’ve probably never heard of writer Lize Spit. But all that's about to change as publishers line up to translate her dark tale of friendship and betrayal.Why would a traumatized young woman return to her hometown with a block of ice in her car?It is this question at the heart of “The Melting” that has gripped readers and caused a stir unlike any other Dutch-language debut in
Novel looks at life as damaged goods in violent Minnesota

Oct 19, 2016

“The Heavens May Fall”By Allen EskensSeventh Street Books (300 pages, $15.95)In Allen Eskens’ novels, Minnesota is a dark, violent place. His recurring characters routinely wrestle with loss, loneliness and loathing as they work their way through the carefully plotted mayhem imagined by the lawyer turned mystery writer.Eskens’ third book, “The Heavens May Fall,” is not exactly part of a trilogy, but it does follow a familiar pattern with familiar names. Minneapolis detective Max Rupert, who appe
French woman smitten by America in ‘Champagne Baby’

Oct 19, 2016

“Champagne Baby” By Laure DugasBallantine (316 pages, $26)In many a light memoir or novel, an American moves to Europe and is transformed. “Champagne Baby” upends that theme - and lots of cultural assumptions. Laure Dugas, who comes from a French winemaking family, moves to New York for what’s supposed to be a six-month job and finds herself surprised and smitten by America -- “Blasphemous!” she says playfully.Despite its bubbly title, her story is mature, thoughtful and well written. It’s half
Ready to start your fall reading list? 13 suggestions

Oct 19, 2016

There’s something about a crisp fall day that just makes you want to curl up in an armchair and read a good book, right? (Preferably, as is often the case at my house, with a purring cat squeezed in next to you.) Here are some fall reading ideas from the season’s new crop of paperbacks, perhaps destined for an armchair near you.Fiction“Harbour Street,” by Ann Cleeves (Minotaur Books, $16.99). This tale of a murder investigation during the holidays is the sixth installment in Cleeves’ popular Bri
A stranger-than-fiction tale of a murder conspiracy, among posh Brits

Oct 19, 2016

Suppose you had a secret. A secret that would cost you your career, your friends and your place in a very stratified society. The list of things you shouldn’t do is pretty basic: don’t put anything on paper, don’t tell anyone and don’t continually plan a homicide in earshot of your colleagues.Yet all of those are exactly what Jeremy Thorpe, a charismatic and nattily dressed Liberal member of Parliament, did, and he ended up “in the dock,” as the English say, on charges of conspiracy to murder, i
83-year-old US Supreme Court judge Ginsburg is pop culture icon

Oct 19, 2016

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Known for her lacy white collars and fastidious vocabulary, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg seems like a figure from a bygone era in the austere chambers of the US Supreme Court.Yet the “Notorious RBG” is a liberal trailblazer, championing progressive views that have made the 83-year-old a beloved pop culture icon.The doyenne of the venerable court has a new book out, “My Own Words,” a compilation of her writings and speeches that shine with finely crafted arguments.Its publicati
Nobel panel gives up knockin’ on Dylan’s door

Oct 18, 2016

STOCKHOLM (AFP) -- The Swedish Academy says it has given up trying to reach Bob Dylan, days after it awarded him the Nobel Prize in literature.“Right now we are doing nothing. I have called and sent emails to his closest collaborator and received very friendly replies. For now, that is certainly enough,” the academy’s permanent secretary, Sara Danius, told state radio SR on Monday.So far the American troubadour has responded with silence since he won the prize Thursday. He gave a concert in Las
Frankfurt fair shakes up book world with art, tech gadgets

Oct 17, 2016

FRANKFURT (AFP) - There will still be more books than you could ever read, but visitors to this week’s Frankfurt Book Fair will also be invited to don virtual reality goggles, visit an interactive classroom and discover 3-D-printed art as publishers plug into new technology.Organizers of the world’s largest publishing event say the focus on art and technology is a logical next step as the creative industries become ever more connected.The fair, which opens on Wednesday and is expected to draw so
Lawrence Ferlinghetti on Nobel: ‘Bravo for Dylan’

Oct 17, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- Lawrence Ferlinghetti, one of the last links to the early days of the Beat poetry movement, never doubted the artistry of Bob Dylan or his worthiness of the Nobel prize.“Bravo for Dylan, Nobel Laureate!” the poet, publisher and bookstore owner told the Associated Press in an email Friday, a day after Nobel judges stunned, delighted and also dismayed the world by making the singer-songwriter its latest winner of the literature prize.Dylan was close to Allen Ginsberg and other Bea
Cho Chong-nae’s ‘The Human Jungle’ available in English

Oct 12, 2016

Korean historical fiction writer Cho Chong-nae’s epic tome “The Human Jungle” has been published in English by Chin Music Press Inc., a San Francisco-based company. The novel, which portrays China through its turbulent struggle of being an industrial hegemon, has sold over 1.8 million copies in Korea. It is a muckraking drama as well as a transnational love story encompassing migrant workers, Korean manufacturers, high-flying venture capitalists, street thugs and shakedown artists. “The picture
Today will be different. Except, of course, it won't

Oct 12, 2016

“Today Will Be Different” By Maria SempleLittle, Brown (336 pages, $27)Maria Semple understands women on the verge -- she just likes to have a little fun at their (our?) expense. She’s empathetic, sure, but as a former television writer (“Arrested Development,” among other shows) with a formidable sense of humor, she can‘t help but reflect sardonically on bad decisions, questionable behavior, neurotic lapses and self-sabotage.In her first book, “This One is Mine,” a TV writer-turned-stay-at-home