The Korea Herald

Modern life in desolation

Sept 9, 2011

Tower of AntsBy Choi In-ho(Hollym)A young man who isn’t happy with his job as a copy writer for an advertising company, one day finds his flat suddenly infested with ants. He tries to get them out of his place, but their numbers only grow until they take over his personal space. This grotesque and r
Colin Meloy tunes into book world with ‘Wildwood’

Sept 9, 2011

A baby is snatched by crows. His sister treks into the woods to find him and is followed by one Curtis Mehlberg, “son of Lydia and David, resident of Portland, Ore., comic-book fan boy, persecuted loner.”Wild adventures ensue.If the story sounds like modern-day folklore from the band the Decemberist
Russian novelist talks about his Korean roots

Sept 9, 2011

Anatoly Kim shares how he inherited artistic spirit from famous ancestorsHis grandfather was a Korean farmer who wanted land of his own.After realizing he would never be able to own land in Korea, his home country, he decided to move to the Russian Far East in 1908, leaving everything behind includi
English book on Korean Wave published

Sept 7, 2011

The Korean Culture and Information Service has published the English-language book “The Korean Wave” to introduce the country’s contemporary pop culture, which has gained attention overseas with the spread of K-pop and Korean dramas. The book is the first publication of the four-part “K-Culture Seri
KBS radio to feature life of late Catholic priest in English

Sept 7, 2011

KBS CoolFM (89.1 Mhz) will feature the life of late Catholic missionary and physician Lee Tae-seok, who devoted his life to helping people in southern Sudan, for its special English program for children Sept. 12-13.Prepared exclusively for the upcoming Chuseok holidays, the show, titled “The Greates
Yi’s novella featured in The New Yorker

Sept 5, 2011

U.S. magazine publishes Korean short fiction for the first timeThe English-language translation of author Yi Mun-yol’s 1982 novella, “An Anonymous Island” will be published on the New Yorker’s upcoming issue on Sept. 12, Yi’s local publisher Minumsa said.The American magazine ― established in 1925 ―
Author Yi Mun-yol’s novella featured in The New Yorker

Sept 5, 2011

New York magazine publishes Korean short fiction for the first timeThe English-language translation of author Yi Mun-yol’s 1982 novella, “An Anonymous Island” will be published on the New Yorker’s upcoming issue on Sept. 12, Yi’s local publisher Minumsa said. Yi Mun-yolThe American magazine -- estab
Pelecanos’ new crime novel

Sept 2, 2011

The CutBy George Pelecanos(Little, Brown and Co.)At Thrillerfest, a crime writers conference held in Manhattan this summer, dozens of literary agents spent half a day listening to would-be authors pitch their ideas for books about grizzled Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who return to the states t
The Dangun legend for children

Sept 2, 2011

Dangun Wanggeom: Founder of the First Korean KingdomBy Chung Chul-heon(Seoul Selection)He is said to be the grandson of heaven, and his mother a bear who transformed into a human.The story of Dangun Wanggeom ― the semi-legendary founder of Gojoseon, Korea’s very first kingdom ― is an entertaining re
‘Rosemary’s Baby’ with bedbugs

Sept 2, 2011

“Bedbugs,” a modern gruesome horror novel by Ben H. Winters. (MCT)After reading “Bedbugs” you might want to fumigate any apartment you rent. You also might want to call in an exorcist.Ben H. Winters, who authored the mash-ups “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters” and “Android Karenina,” takes on
It’s been a very goon year for Jennifer Egan

Sept 2, 2011

Jennifer Egan takes bold leaps all over the literary map. Her latest novel, “A Visit From the Goon Squad,” has been called wildly ambitious, bravura, a virtuoso performance. “Is there anything Egan can’t do?” crowed the New York Times Book Review.Heck, yes, she’d say if you asked her. At the moment,
‘Having foreign readers gives me strength’

Aug 29, 2011

Author of ‘Please Look After Mom’ shares her experience of first world book tourWhen author Shin Kyung-sook took off to New York City in September of last year, she was just looking forward to relaxing in the foreign city. She absolutely had no idea she’d have to go through her first world book tour
Chinese writers call for more translations

Aug 28, 2011

BEIJING (AP) ― More Chinese books need to be translated and more thought-provoking ideas need to be used in novels to elevate China’s literary standing in the world, some of the country’s top writers said Friday.Speaking to promote China’s top literary award ― the Mao Dun Literature Prize ― the auth
Lippman’s new stand-alone

Aug 26, 2011

The Most Dangerous Thing By Laura Lippman(William Morrow)In 1979, two girls and three boys on the brink of adolescence spent an idyllic summer exploring heavily wooded Leakin Park on the outskirts of Baltimore. But one day, something happened there that none of them wanted to talk about.The friends
Love in the turbulent 80s

Aug 26, 2011

The Ancient Garden: A Love StoryBy Hwang Sok-yong(Picador Asia)While undergoing intense industrialization and economic development, Korea had a turbulent political landscape in the 1980s. Many civilians in Gwangju, in particular, stood up against former president Chun Doo-hwan’s military coup d’etat