The Korea Herald

Korea Best Seller

Mar 25, 2011

Growing up in a port cityChinatownBy Oh Jung-hee(Jimoondang, 5,000 won)Set in the port city of Incheon in the 1950s, author Oh Jung-hee’s novella “Chinatown” explores the theme of growing up in post-war Korea.The narrator is a 12-year-old elementary school girl who has recently moved to Incheon with her family after the Korean War. Her family settles in Incheon’s Chinatown, where the streets are s
‘Dreadfully’ yours, Jane Austen fans

Mar 25, 2011

The further they get from Jane Austen, the better the zombie mash-up books become.Enter “Dreadfully Ever After” by Steve Hockensmith, book three in a zombie trilogy that started with “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” which was a combination of Jane Austen’s classic novel of manners set in the early 1800s and contemporary zombie movie mania.The first in the series was “Dawn of the Dreadfuls” by Ho
Wesley Stace fuses music and literature

Mar 25, 2011

Singer-songwriter’s new book tells story of fictional English composerJohn Wesley Harding is Wesley Stace.That is, Wesley Stace is John Wesley Harding.That is, they’re the same person. Folk-rocker Harding ― intelligent, bardic songwright ― is the nom de rock of Wesley Stace, novelist, whose splendid new book “Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer” is out now.As usual, all sorts of things are a
N.Y. judge calls off plans for Google library

Mar 23, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― A judge on Tuesday rejected a deal between Internet search leader Google and the book industry that would have put millions of volumes online, citing anti-trust concerns and the need for involvement from Congress while acknowledging the potential benefit of putting literature in front of the masses.U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan said the creation of a universal library
For some Christians, King James is the only Bible

Mar 20, 2011

400-year-old translation still commands a loyal followingCHICAGO ― On its 400th anniversary, the King James Version of the Bible is universally recognized as a literary masterpiece that profoundly shaped both modern Christianity and the English language.But at the Bible Baptist Church in Mount Prospect, Illinois, it’s accorded a much higher level of reverence.“Using anything but the King James Ver
Korea Best Seller

Mar 18, 2011

A man torn by history Land of BanishedBy Jo Jung-rae(Jimoondang, 5,000 won)A heart-rending tale of a man warped by the hardships of the Korean War, Jo Jung-rae’s “Land of Banished” vividly portrays a victim of Korea’s checkered history.Mahn-seok, the protagonist, is born into a family of landless peasants in the late 1920s Korea. All the members of his family are servants of a nobleman called Choi
New books

Mar 18, 2011

Journalist takes readers back to future Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live in Now Our Culture, Our Politics, Our EverythingBy David Sirota(Ballantine Books, $25)Ah, the 1980s. Those carefree years spent spinning the gears of Rubik’s Cubes, popping Pac-Man cartridges into Atari consoles, slipping on legwarmers or parachute pants, and checking out the latest episodes of “Fam
52 women recount their time in the deep south of the ’60s

Mar 18, 2011

A restlessness in her soul would not let Gloria House be.She was a graduate student in 1963 studying French at the University of California at Berkeley.But how could she study when four little black girls were blown to bits by dynamite that tore through their Birmingham, Ala., church? And when the bodies of three boys ― two white, one black ― who’d gone south to help black people, were found burie
China writer Bi Feiyu wins Asia’s top literary prize

Mar 18, 2011

HONG KONG (AFP) ― Acclaimed Chinese author Bi Feiyu on Thursday won Asia’s top literary prize for his “Three Sisters,” set during the Cultural Revolution.Bi edged out four other shortlisted authors to secure the $30,000 Man Asian Literary Prize with the story of three women who “strive to change the course of their destinies” in one of China’s most chaotic political periods.“When I entered the sho
Multiple lives of a Swedish literary giant

Mar 18, 2011

STOCKHOLM (AFP) ― In one life, Per Olov Enquist has been an oppressed child, an athlete, a journalist and a depressed and destructive alcoholic, but in another life ― the one that really counts in his eyes ― he is an author, a giant in the world of Swedish literature.Spry for his 76 years, Enquist tells AFP in an interview that he is savoring “a different life,” which is also the title of his latest work, an autobiography.“The last 20 years have been a fantastic time. I’ve written a lot of books
Kim calls Jasmine Revolution another ‘candlelight vigil’

Mar 17, 2011

Poet shares his view on Korea’s 2008 candle-lit protest and its significancePoet Kim Ji-ha thinks Korea’s 2008 candle-lit protest against U.S. beef imports was a crucial moment in world history.“It was the very first protest that was initiated by the most marginalized in the patriarchal society,” Kim said at a literary circle meeting held at the residence of Swedish Ambassador to Korea in Seoul, T
S. Korea welcomes accord with France on transfer of 'Oegyujanggak' royal books

Mar 17, 2011

South Korea on Thursday welcomed an agreement with France to transfer centuries-old Korean royal books from Paris to Seoul between March and May beginning with the first shipment later this month.Officials from the national museums of the two countries signed the agreement in Paris on Wednesday to transport 297 volumes of the "Oegyujanggak" to Seoul in four shipments from March 28, according to th
New Books

Mar 11, 2011

Essays on mountain, life Story of Dobong MountainBy Pyo Jae-doo(Hansom Publishing House Co., 10,000 won)Former journalist Pyo Jae-doo loves climbing mountains, especially Dobong Mountain in Seoul. He finds the mountain fascinatingly beautiful and therapeutic, offering opportunities for its visitors to connect with nature.Pyo’s newly released book, “Story of Dobong Mountain” consists of seven chapt
Korea Best Seller

Mar 11, 2011

Trauma and ethicsThree Days in That AutumnBy Park Wan-suh(Jimoondang, 5,000 won)Among the many Korean novels dealing with the Korean War (1950-1953), Park Wan-suh’s “Three Days in That Autumn” tells a rare and original account of a female protagonist who tries to overcome her personal trauma while faced with ethical questions surrounding her profession.Raped and pregnat with an unwanted child duri
How independent bookseller survives

Mar 11, 2011

‘Focusing on good books, experience: key to success’As thousands of booksellers around the United States lose their jobs this month at bankrupt Borders, Nicola’s Bookstore buyer Bill Cusimano feels no pain.Here in the cramped back office at this profitable, American independent bookstore, Cusimano is swamped getting new orders in for rush customers, planning events such as the appearance of local