“No Flower Blooms Without Wavering”　By Do Jong-hwan, translated by Brother Anthony and Jinna Park　Seoul Selection (182 pages, 11,000 won, $18)Do Jong-hwan’s poems have been translated into English for the first time in “No Flower Blooms Without Wavering,” a bilingual compilation of the popular poet’s most recognized work. Overall, the translation stays faithful to the text, never veering too far from the literal definition. The book is divided into four chapters, each containing poems that cente

LOS ANGELES(AFP) - Harper Lee, one of America's most celebrated novelists who died in February, thought Donald Trump’s infamous Taj Mahal casino was hell on Earth, a stash of her private correspondence revealed Monday.　The “To Kill a Mockingbird” author, whose masterpiece about racial injustice was read by millions, slammed the billionaire presidential hopeful's boardwalk resort in New Jersey in a letter to a friend in 1990.　“The worst punishment God can devise for this sinner is to make her spi

Multilingual international lifestyle magazine Eastern Trends is emerging as the go-to source for in-depth, culture-related reporting on major cities in Asia. In its April edition, the magazine features perspectives on Korean television programs and their dynamic production process.The cover of the Eastern Trends April edition, featuring Korean actor Hong Jong-hyun (Eastern Trends)　Titled “Television, A Spectacular Frame,” the cover story peers behind the scenes of Korean TV production, with anec

PARIS (AFP) -- It is nothing short of an existential crisis, as crippling as the ones that had Left Bank intellectuals like Albert Camus or Jean-Paul Sartre staring gloomily into their coffee.　French writers have never felt more badly paid, undervalued or under pressure, with a new survey showing more than half of established authors earn less than the minimum wage.　Many are so depressed by the state of the book industry that they are considering giving up altogether, according to a new report.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney was on her way to meet her family for brunch in New York when she had an idea for the opening scene of her debut novel, “The Nest.”　Sweeney imagined family members “all needing to meet but all needing a drink before they met and all getting their drink in proximity to each other without knowing that they were all doing the same thing,” she said in a recent phone interview from her home in Los Angeles.　She was intrigued by why they needed to drink before s

“The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero” 　By Timothy Egan　Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (384 pages, $28)　Green beer aside, the most appropriate way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day would be to learn more about one of Ireland’s greatest exports, Thomas Francis Meagher.　And there’s no better way to do that than by reading this stirring and magnificent biography by Timothy Egan, “The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero.”　Few people ha

“Creative Journey”　By Ko Seong-yeon 　Yolimwon Publishing Group (280 pages, 13,800 won, $11.90)“Creative Journey” offers a case study into how a small sugar company grew to become CJ Group, a global lifestyle company and the nation’s largest cultural contents provider. 　Locally, the letters CJ have now come to represent Korea’s popular culture, from films, music, and TV programs to food, and the worldwide hallyu phenomena, writes author Ko Seong-yeon. Ko, a journalist with expertise in creative c

“The Dance of the Sea”　By Soosaiya Anthreas　Gatekeeper Press (447 pages, $11.95)　A long-winded tale of people battling for life in a slum fishing town in southern India, “The Dance of the Sea” spans the life of Sebastian, who seeks to escape his squalid hometown of belligerent, mostly uneducated fisherman. After successfully becoming an engineer under the pressure of his parents, he goes on to desert his lover and turn his back on his poverty-stricken sister. A tsunami wave later strikes his hom

PARIS (AP) -- To many Parisians, the letters PUF have always been associated with the intellectual heart of the French capital.　So when the 95-year-old venerable publishing house specializing in human and social sciences was forced to close its historic bookstore on the Place de La Sorbonne in 1999, it left a big void in the heart of many students and researchers.　But Les Presses Universitaires de France (PUF) is back in town, just a stone’s throw from their previous location in the Quartier Lat

Former CNN correspondent, Blue House official, and Arirang TV chief addresses news, North Korea, womanhood in memoir

PARIS (Yonhap) -- An international book fair kicked off in Paris on Wednesday, highlighting Korean books and authors.　Launched in 1981, the Paris Book Fair is considered one of the biggest publishing trade fairs in Europe. More than 250,000 publishers, booksellers, authors, literary agents, librarians, and media and industry suppliers attended the fair last year. 　Korea is taking part in the event as the guest of honor for the first time as it celebrates the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties

LONDON (AP) -- William Shakespeare died 400 years ago, but his stock has never been higher.　To coincide with the anniversary of the Bard’s death, Christie’s is selling copies of the first four editions of his plays -- a collection the auctioneer’s head of books, Margaret Ford, calls “the holy grail of publishing.”　The four folios are going on display in New York April 1-8 and London April 20-28 before being sold in London on May 25.  A Christie`s staff displays an unrecorded copy of the First Fo