Recent Books
The Way
So Ji-sub; Sallim Books: 329 pp., 19,800 won
Top actor So Ji-sub has published his first ever photo travel essay. The book will appeal to fans, not only for the various beautiful photos but also because of the snippets of personal thoughts and impressions within.
The photos were taken of the scenic backdrops of Gangwon Province, including the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Cheorwon, along with his simple but candid writings. “I am neither a novelist nor a photographer. I started this project with the excitement that I would be able to experience a region that is regularly forbidden to civilians in deep Gangwon Province. Also, I think I can present a different aspect of myself not as an actor who is seen as a fictional character in a drama,” he wrote in the epilogue.
The book includes dialogues with sarcastic cartoonist Park Jae-dong, celebrated novelist Lee Oi-soo and hip hop singer Tiger JK who accompanied So in his travels.
The 34-year-old says that like the DMZ that has remained unaltered for the last 60 years, he wants to establish his own way as an actor for good. “The way is open to anyone and which way to choose is always a dilemma until we die. Whether I have to break the line in front of me or not is always a conflict with myself. Now I want to share this issue with many people around me,” he wrote.
-Chung Ah-young
Nietzsche
Edited by Kyoko Noda; Translated from Japanese to Korean by Choi Seon-im; JK Publishing: 228 pp., 12,800 won
Friedrich Nietzsche is widely known as one of the greatest thinkers in postmodernism, but the 19th-century German philosopher’s existentialist beliefs or eloquent moral reasoning might seem too esoteric for the average reader.
Here comes a coffee table book of select quotes by Nietzsche that brings his philosophy closer, rendering them completely relatable and applicable in daily life. They suggest that philosophy is nothing grand or difficult, and it is simply thinking about thinking and reflecting upon life.
The book presents 228 short and simple yet profound sayings that are intended to inspire and provide wisdom for the various needs of the human condition. They are categorized under seven themes: Respect Yourself, Be Strong, Learn about the Human Condition, Expand Your Horizons, Doubt What You Know, Love, and Rest Your Heart.
The first chapter, for example, begins with advice winged with hope for men who have not yet learned to fly: ``Earth and life seem grave to him; and thus the spirit of gravity wants it. And verily, this is no command for today and tomorrow, to learn to love oneself.’’
-Lee Hyo-won
Curing Cancer in the Mountains
SBS Special team; Tot: 214 pp., 13,500 won
For most patients with a terminal disease such as cancer and for their friends and family as well, finding a cure is a major concern. An SBS documentary that featured some patients whose health improved after moving to the mountains prompted many to follow suit and realize the many natural benefits of the countryside.
``Curing Cancer in the Mountains’’ is the book version that introduces how living in the mountains can help some patients to get better and further change their lives.
Although moving to the mountains is not a cure for cancer, it can sometimes reduce the possibility of making it worse, according to the writers. The book explains three major factors that patients react well to: the clean and fresh environment, slight physical exertion and emotional uplifting.
The book doesn’t insist that moving to the woods will help everyone, but it simply shows how some patients gave it a try and how they learned to adapt to their new surroundings. Cure or no cure, nature can help a great deal in our lives, and the book will work as an encouraging reminder for everyone.
-Han Sang-hee
Language Inquiries
Choi Pom-yong; Jongnyeo Namu: 384 pp., 15,000 won
Choi Pom-yong may be a geologist and prominent researcher at the Korea Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources, but he’s also a linguist and analyst of the much-disputed Altaic languages. Having harbored an interest in languages since university, Choi explores the connections between Koreanic, Manchu-Tungusic, Mongolic and Turkic dialects in this book that provides evidence in the ``anti-Altaicist’’ theory _ that is, the language similarities of the regions arise from geographical interaction as opposed to common ancestry.
Choi traveled Inner Mongolia and Shanxi for several years, researching among the natives of the land and communicating often without the aid of interpreters. But his research encompasses more than geography, and also delves into the past to trace the nuances in phonemes and its histories. In one surprising instance, Choi finds an ancient Korean word from the Gaya kingdom that is comparable to a Japanese or Hindi word. Other chapters include examples showing similarities between current Jeju Island dialects and ancient Silla speech.
His methodical research paints an intriguing portrait of the Altaic languages, providing a glimpse into the way speech connects people across borders.
-Ines Min