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``Sleepless Night in Seoul'' by Vera Hohleiter. Translated from German to Korean by Kim Jin-a; Munhak Segye-sa Publishing: 216 pp., 9,800 won |
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Vera Hohleiter, a German celebrity from the popular KBS2 TV show, ``Chitchat of Beautiful Ladies,'' came under fire for her book ``Sleepless Night in Seoul'' when it was published in Germany in July.
Many Koreans were enraged and felt betrayed as Hohleiter revealed some of the negative sides of Korean society in the book. She has repeatedly said she loves Korea as she shared her experiences with other foreign panel members on the show.
Three months later, she has published her book in Korean to ``clear up the misunderstanding'' for Korean readers. She says that misunderstanding and distortions were added when parts of her book were randomly translated from German to Korean by a Korean blogger who lives in Germany.
``I didn't have any bad intentions. It was my personal experience and very subjective. The book is about what happened to me and there is no made-up story at all. But I don't mean that my opinions about Korea are the absolute truth,'' Hohleiter said in a recent press conference.
The 30-year-old German appeared in public for the first time after the controversy and delivered her message clearly and firmly.
She said the book was originally intended to be published for Germans who wanted to learn about Korea because there were only a few books about the country there. After it was released in Germany, the book received positive reviews from readers and critics.
The controversial parts are actually humorous from the perspectives, of Europeans but cultural difference lead to different between the lines interpretations, she said.
One of the most controversial parts was the description of Koreans likened to a group of mice that bite each other when they are packed in a small space. She mentioned in reference to Koreans' bad manners on the crowded subway.
But Hohleiter said that it's a cultural difference in translating ``desert dormouse'' which is raised as a pet among Germans, not like a street mice.
She portrays Koreans as they appear in the eyes of foreigners. Her tone of the writing doesn't seem to be hostile and is just curious about Korean culture and the way of thinking in the process of adapting herself to the differences.
Of course, the book deals with sensitive subjects. For example, Hohleiter writes that ``Korean girls are obsessed with keeping up with the popular trends of the time and therefore they predominantly wear mini-skirts. But then, when they walk up the stairways in the subway station, they make every possible effort to hide their exposed bodies. I don't understand why they even wear mini-skirts.''
She pens that in Europe, fashion is a means of expressing individuality but in Korea fashion focuses on following the trend and means uniformity among peers.
As a vegetarian, she finds difficulty in having a meal at Korean restaurants which mostly don't offer a separate menu for vegetarians.
When discussing controversial subjects, Koreans turn ``emotional or nationalistic'' so it is hard to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Nationalism and patriotism are among the characteristics of Koreans she describes in the book.
As for life in the capital, the German writer captures the beauty of a city where tradition and high-tech ironically coexist, such as traditional palaces among skyscrapers in downtown Seoul, creating a ``grotesque atmosphere'' of the contradicting images that is part of the irresistible charm of Korea.
She also points out that Koreans enjoy drinking, which mostly leads to binge drinking among college students and workers. Drinking binges seem weird to her but she thinks that it is a way of beating stress.
``I have never seen such workers who suffer from the extreme fatigue resulting from stress. I have never seen such stress-stricken people anywhere from New York to Paris,'' she says.
The author introduces the importance of the Korean drinking manner between seniors and juniors and depicts the social atmosphere about the drinking culture in the workplace and universities.
The writer does complain that ``Koreans have the bad habit for gossiping about foreigners. When they spot them in a public place such as in the subway, they delve into a very detailed criticism of their appearance and do it in a loud voice.''
Her perspective is valuable not only for foreigners but also Koreans as it gives them the opportunity to look back on themselves and clues to understand how Korean society is reflected in outsiders' views.
``Koreans don't know how expats live in Korean society. Also, Germans would not know how foreigners live in German society. I hope Koreans become aware of how foreigners live in Korea through this book," she said.
Then, why does she live in Korea? Hohleiter says that she has had a lot of experiences that she never imagined could happen in her country or anywhere.
``Every day is full of surprises. Sometimes, it's a very pleasant surprise and other times it's an embarrassing surprise. But everyday life in Korea is dynamic, flamboyant, unexpected and fast-changing,'' she said.
``The book was written to arouse interest in Korea with humors and in fun. Readers don't want just positive reviews of a country. A beautiful and romantic description of Korea might draw questions rather than interest. There is no perfect country in the world. I just want them to know cultural shock is not an exceptional situation but an ordinary one,'' Hohleiter said.
chungay@koreatimes.co.kr |
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yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
