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English book on Korea's modern, contemporary art published

“Korean Art 1900-2020,” published by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) / Courtesy of MMCA By Kim RahnAn English-language introduction to Korea's 20th and 21st-century art has been published. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) said, Friday, it recently published the English version of “Korean Art 1900-2020,” about a year after the Korean version came out. It is comprised of five parts: From Calligraphy and Painting to Fine Art, Art in a Time of War and Division, Tradition/Modernity Dynamic in the Modernization Era, Democratization and the Pluralization of Art and Globalism and Contemporary Korean Art.The book encompasses the dynamic changes in Korean society and its art scene, ranging from the birth of modern art and the development of modern art through the Korean War to the emergence of various discourses and mediums in the 1980s and '90s, and the expansion of contemporary art in the global era.Colored il

Oct 29, 2022By Kim Rahn

English book on Korea's modern, contemporary art published

Disappearance of 'average consumer' to dominate 2023's trend

Kim Nan-do, a professor of consumer studies at Seoul National University, speaks during a press conference held to promote his latest book, “Trend Korea 2023,” at a cafe in Seoul's Mapo District, Oct. 5. Courtesy of Miraebook PublishingBest-selling author unveils consumer trend outlook in Korea for 2023By Park Han-solThe cover of “Trend Korea 2023” by Kim Nan-do et al. / Courtesy of Miraebook PublishingThe likelihood of a global recession is feared to grow throughout the rest of 2022, with the chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, warning that the agency would issue downgrades to its growth projections for next year.Painting a grim picture of the global economy during her speech on Thursday at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., she noted that “any country can be thrown off course more easily and more often.”Korea, of course, is no exception.Amid this looming predicament, Kim Nan-do, a professor of consumer studies at Seoul National University (SNU), and his team at the SNU Consumer Trend Research Center, have

Oct 7, 2022By Park Han-sol

Disappearance of 'average consumer' to dominate 2023's trend

What language and translation mean for 2 Korean-born poets

Poet Kim Hye-soon, center, and Korean American poet and translator Don Mee Choi, right, speak during the writers' talk session, “Languages Walking Side by Side,” at the Seoul Community Cultural Center Seogyo in Mapo District, Sept. 24, as part of this year's Seoul International Writers' Festival. Courtesy of the Literature Translation Institute of KoreaAward-winning literary duo ― Kim Hye-soon and Don Mee Choi ― reunites at Seoul Int'l Writers' FestivalBy Park Han-sol“Languages Walking Side by Side,” the title of the Sept. 24 talk session between poets Kim Hye-soon and Don Mee Choi at this year's Seoul International Writers' Festival, couldn't have been more of a fitting descriptor for the literary duo's relationship.Kim made headlines in 2019 as the first Asian woman to be named the winner of the prestigious International Griffin Poetry Prize for her “Autobiography of Death,” the words of which muse on the nature of individual and collective historical traumas, which were masterfully translated into English at the hands of Choi.The pair's collabor

Sep 30, 2022By Park Han-sol

What language and translation mean for 2 Korean-born poets

Animal rights, pet book sales grow in domestic market

From left are the covers of “A Dog Writer,” “Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy” and “Welcome to Cat Restaurant.” Courtesy of Yes24By Park Han-solNearly one out of four Koreans ― or 14.48 million according to the 2021 KB Management Institute's survey report ― live with animal companions. As the number of pet owners is on the rise, so are the sales of books on animal rights and pet culture in the domestic market, according to Yes24, one of the country's leading online bookstores.The total sales of literary works that address topics such as animal rights, animal welfare and ethics have shown a steady increase, especially over the last five years ― with this year's figure, as of Sept. 25, being 4.8 times higher than that of the same period in 2018.The largest age group of buyers are those in their 40s and 50s, who constituted 70.98 percent of the total, followed by those in their 20s and 30s at 24.94 percent.The bestsellers on this year's list include the revised edition of “All Life is Beautiful,” which was penned by acclaimed ecol

Sep 29, 2022By Park Han-sol

Animal rights, pet book sales grow in domestic market

Seoul Int'l Writers' Festival to present lineup of global literary heavyweights

Kwak Hyo-hwan, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), speaks during a press conference for the upcoming Seoul International Writers' Festival held in central Seoul, Sept. 14. Courtesy of LTI KoreaAuthors, translators and critics to discuss role of literature in post-pandemic eraBy Park Han-solAn official poster for the 11th Seoul International Writers' Festival, scheduled to run from Sept. 23 to 30 / Courtesy of LTI KoreaA number of global literary heavyweights who have won awards such as the Pulitzer Prize, Hugo Award and the National Book Award, among other prestigious accolades, will land in Korea for the upcoming Seoul International Writers' Festival (SIWF). First launched in 2006 as a platform for fruitful literary exchanges between Korean and international authors and readers, SIWF will make its return as an in-person event for the first time in three years following the pandemic-induced online transition.Under the theme of “Beyond Narrative,” the festival, running from Sept. 23 to 30, will span three different venues in the city: Se

Sep 18, 2022By Park Han-sol

Seoul Int'l Writers' Festival to present lineup of global literary heavyweights

Lebanese-born French author to be awarded Park Kyung-ni prize

Lebanese-born French author Amin Maalouf, Copyright JF PAGA Grasset / Courtesy of Toji Cultural FoundationBy Park Han-solLebanese-born French novelist Amin Maalouf has been named this year's recipient of the Park Kyung-ni Literary Prize, the award's organizer, the Toji Cultural Foundation announced, Wednesday.In the 1970s, Maalouf served as the director of An-Nahar, an Arabic-language daily newspaper published in Beirut, Lebanon, until the civil war broke out in his home country in 1975. He moved from Beirut to Paris the following year, where he continued to work in journalism as editor-in-chief of the pan-African weekly news magazine, Jeune Afrique.The 73-year-old writer made his literary debut in 1983 with his thought-provoking historical essay, “The Crusades Through Arab Eyes.”Some of his most well-known pieces include “The Rock of Tanios,” which earned him the prestigious Goncourt Prize in 1993 and “In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong,” which received the European Essay Award in 1998.Maalouf has numerous other recognitions

Sep 7, 2022By Park Han-sol

Lebanese-born French author to be awarded Park Kyung-ni prize

Graphic novel 'The Waiting' nominated for Harvey Award

Keum Suk Gendry-Kim's “The Waiting,” translated into English by Janet Hong / Courtesy of Drawn & Quarterly By Park Han-solGraphic novelist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim's “The Waiting,” which tells the heart-wrenching story of families forcibly separated during the 1950-53 Korean War, has been nominated for this year's prestigious Harvey Awards.The Harvey Awards have celebrated quality comic books, graphic novels and manga since its establishment in 1988 to commemorate the literary achievements of Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993), the American cartoonist, editor and pioneer of the genre.“The Waiting,” first released in 2020 and later translated into English by Janet Hong, is in the running for the prize in the Best International Book category.The other five competing titles are: “Ballad for Sophie,” “Castaways,” “Sweet Paprika,” “This is How I Disappear” and “Yellow Cab.”Gendry-Kim's graphic novel was first inspired by her mother's confession when she revealed that she had been se

Aug 17, 2022By Park Han-sol

Graphic novel 'The Waiting' nominated for Harvey Award

Popularity of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' pushes up sales of drama script book

The two-volume script book for drama series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” / Courtesy of Yes24 By Kim RahnThe script book of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” is expecting high sales following the popularity of the ongoing TV series. Yes24, one of Korea's leading online bookstores, said Friday that it has received reservations for more than 5,000 copies combined of the two-volume screenplay book in just 20 hours since reservations started on Thursday afternoon.The second volume ranked 10th on Yes24's bestseller list and the first volume, 11th, as of Friday, while the actual release of the book is still about a month away, set for Sept. 15.“Selling more than 5,000 copies in 20 hours is an extraordinarily high figure,” an official of the online bookstore said. The script book was written by the drama's writer, Moon Ji-won. It features various behind-the-scenes stories about the series, such as about how the protagonist was named “Woo Young-woo” and what the writer had in mi

Aug 13, 2022By Kim Rahn

Popularity of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' pushes up sales of drama script book

Star novelist's 'Harbin' on Korean independence fighter becomes bestseller

Veteran author Kim Hoon speaks during a press conference held for the release of his new book, “Harbin,” in Seoul's Mapo District, Aug. 3. YonhapBy Park Han-solKim Hoon's latest book, “Harbin,” on independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910), has become a new bestseller in major local online bookstores.Published on Aug. 3 ahead of the 77th anniversary of Liberation Day on Aug. 15, the novel has climbed to the top of the bestseller lists of both YES24 and Kyobo Books for the first week of August.“Harbin” is a compact 308-page story that focuses on a short time period before and after the fateful encounter between Ahn and Hirobumi Ito, the four-time prime minister of Japan and the first resident-general of Korea.It was Oct. 26, 1909, a year before Korea was annexed by the Japanese Empire, when the activist pulled the trigger on Ito upon his arrival in Harbin, Manchuria. After the assassination, Ahn was arrested on the spot and sent to Lushun Prison, where he spent the final days of his life before being sentenced to death the following year.The sto

Aug 12, 2022By Park Han-sol

Star novelist's 'Harbin' on Korean independence fighter becomes bestseller

'Pachinko' author Min Jin Lee credits Korean Wave for her success

Min Jin Lee, author of the novel "Pachinko," speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Monday. YonhapMin Jin Lee, the author of historical novel "Pachinko," on Monday gave credit to artists behind the Korean Wave for the wide recognition of her works and other Korean American novels in the United States.In a press conference to promote the publication of the new Korean edition of her second novel "Pachinko" (2017), she said the rising global popularity of Korean pop culture, known as "hallyu," has been creating synergy in the U.S. to bring more attention to works by Korean-American novelists like her."I'm also benefiting from (the Korean wave) as a Korean American," she said in English. "I'm grateful for the excellent art and writings coming from Korea. Those are people who have made sacrifices to be writers, painters, filmmakers, actors and singers."She said there have been many Korean-American writers in the U.S., including Younghill Kang and Ronyoung Kim, whose presence was hardly felt. But in recent years, the Korean wave has helped create another kind of wave in America."(Korea

Aug 8, 2022

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