Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Lee praised for modern translation of 'Beowulf'

By Yun Suh-young Cover of the book Beowulf by Lee Sung-il   /   Courtesy of Lee Sung-il "Why read this translation of Beowulf? Because there isn't a better one to be found," writes Robert D. Stevick in the foreword of the newly published "Beowulf in Parallel Texts" by Lee Sung-il. Stevick is a professor emeritus of the University of Washington.Why so? Because it "reads so well aloud," and "nothing gets in the way," according to the American professor."The choice of words is always true to the text being translated, and always belongs to the active literary language of Modern English. Each (word) seems and smells like a careful choice by a connoisseur of English literary composition."Further, the book is lauded by several Western scholars who wrote recommendations, including professor emeritus Derek Pearsall from Harvard University, who said, "The naturalness of the flow of language is one of the most admirable features of the translation."Such compliments from scholars of Western background means a lot to a Korean scholar whose mother tongue is not English."I was

Sep 29, 2017

Lee praised for modern translation of 'Beowulf'

Pilgrimage to remember poet Yun Dong-ju

Choi Yearn-hong poses in front of poet Yun Dong-ju’s gravestone in Jilin Province, China.By Choi Yearn-hong Poet Yun Dong-ju / Korea Times fileYun Dong-ju is one of the most revered Korean poets in modern history, as many opinion polls have indicated. He was born on Dec. 30, 1917, and died in a Fukuoka prison during his study at Doshisha University. In commemoration of Yun’s centennial year, the Korean Writers’ Association organized a trip to trace Yun Dong-ju’s life, from his birth at Myungdong Village in North Kando, Manchuria, to his college life at Rikkyo University in Tokyo and Doshisha University in Kyoto and to his time at a Fukuoka prison, where he died on February 1945, before the Liberation of Korea in August 1945. After the 10-day trip, the group visited Yonsei University, where he completed his undergraduate education.He produced his 10 most memorable poems at Yonsei University and wrote five more poems in Tokyo. His poems from Kyoto are not available, as the Japanese police confiscated his intellectual properties. Since my middle school days,

Sep 22, 2017

Sociologist's Trump book predicted Charlottesville

By Jon DunbarWriting about the Donald Trump presidency is about as easy as describing a building collapse in mid-demolition, while you’re on the top floor. Each week, a new disaster or national embarrassment changes everything, producing a high volume of new information as well as disinformation, chipping away at the very way society shares knowledge. But Jon Huer, a sociology professor and former Korea Times columnist, presents a great deal of insight into Trump as well as his supporters in his 12th book “Donald Trump: Made in the USA.”Writing between Trump’s upset victory last November and around his January inauguration, Huer couldn’t have known how ugly Trump’s presidency really would be. But his analysis is so thorough as to be predictive of future events, such as the racially driven clash in Charlottesville and its aftermath.“Imagine the crowd lining up on opposite sidewalks across the street supporting their own candidate, one side having the Trump supporters and the other side the Clinton crowd,” he writes in his book, released

Sep 15, 2017

Hangeul writers discuss peace

By Kwon Mee-yooWriters using Hangeul, or Korean alphabet, will unite to participate in the third International Congress of Writers Writing in Korean in southern city of Gyeongju from Tuesday to Friday.Held at the Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center, the congress is beinf hosted by PEN International Korean Center, the Korean branch of the international literary organization founded in 1921. PEN Korea has been hosting the event for three years, aiming to promote literature in Korean language.The organizers estimate about 300 writers and literary people, 100 Hangeul scholars and experts and some 3,000 general attendees to take part in the third edition of the congress.Sohn Hae-il, president of PEN Korea, said literature in Hangeul should reflect the times. "I hope this congress contributes to promoting Korean language literature to the world as well as world peace through literature," Sohn said.Korea's renowned poet Ko Un will recite a congratulatory poem "Oh! Sejong" at the opening ceremony on Tuesday, celebrating the use of Hangeul. Ko will also give a special lecture on

Sep 11, 2017

Feminist books continue to flourish

By Park Jin-hai"Another Person" by Kang Hwa-gilSince a hate crime committed against a woman at Gangnam Station last year, many women have broken their silence and have described the violence, threats and misogyny they have experienced in their daily lives.The local literary circle also saw many young writers publish feminist books in the latter half of last year as if the subject  “unemployed youth,” that has provided inspirations to so many writers for many years, has been replaced by “misogyny.”  With novelist Cho Nam-joo’s popular novel “Kim Ji Young Born in 82” at the forefront, which has sold over 270,000 copies in 10 months since it was released in October 2016; “The Age of Gentle Violence,” written by Jung Yi-hyun; and “Shoko’s Smile,” written by Choi Eun-young, and many other feminist books have hit the bookshelves.While Cho’s book ranks high on the bestselling book list, two more “young feminist” books _ “Another Person” by Kang Hwa-gil and “The School for Wi

Sep 8, 2017

Ten Korean masterpieces of Buddhism now available in English

The English translations of 10 books about Korea’s modern Buddhism are displayed. / Courtesy of the Jogye Order By Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-sooTen Korean-written masterpieces about modern Buddhism are now available in English.Korea’s biggest Buddhism order Jogye initiated the project and several Buddhism experts and language specialists joined it. Among them are David McCann, a Korean literature professor at Harvard University, and John Jorgenson, a professor in La Trobe University’s college of arts, social sciences and commerce.“This project will help spread the Korean Buddhist culture to people all over the world,” Yonhap News Agency quoted the chief of the Modern Korea Buddhist Literature Compilation Committee as saying.McCann translated “Temple of Word: An Anthology of Modern Korean Buddhist Poetry.” Jorgenson translated “The Gyeongheo Collection.”The other eight books are: “Harmonizing the Hundred Teachings,” “Tracts on the Modern Reformation of Korean Buddhism,” “A Collection of Modern Korean

Sep 7, 2017

Ten Korean masterpieces of Buddhism now available in English

Poetess reminisces about youth's dreams

Kim Joo-haBy Choi Yearn-hong The first poetry book is special to each poet or poetess, because it contains his or her debut poems, usually the best poems in his or her career. Many famous poets have been remembered with their first poems in their literary debut. The first poetry book of Kim Joo-ha, a retired school teacher, conveys her youth’s dreams, hope, love, family, hometown, flowers, four seasons, nature and travels in and outside Korea. Her poems are as colorful as the flowers decorating the four seasons in her sketches as a young girl. Among the flowers, she seems to like the spring flowers best, because they present bright colors on the long barren winter field. However, she portrays all kinds of flowers in her poems, including azaleas, roses, lilies and chrysanthemums, among others.Among the many flowers in her poetry book, I was most touched by the tragic death of Lilan Kurudi, a young Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. She laments about the war in the Middle East as a crime against humanity in her poetry book. Good poets are humanitarians. Poetry

Sep 3, 2017

INTERVIEW 'Why study English? Use Google Translate?'

By Kwon Mee-yooYoo Su-youn, CEO of U-StarCover of Yoo Su-youn's "Reset"English holds great importance in Korea's public and private education and it is common for private English tutors to rise to stardom. Yoo Su-youn, CEO of English institute U-Star English and one of the most popular TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) tutors in Korea, is no exception.Yoo is known for succeeding on her own."I teach five hours a day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In the afternoon, I record videos for online courses. I could reuse previous lecture videos, but I prefer recording new videos every month to keep up with the trends," Yoo said.She has been lecturing TOEIC for 17 years and became a TV celebrity who earns about 2 billion won ($1.7 million) a year. She has published a handful of TOEIC preparation books and self-help books and garnered positive reviews, but her latest release, "Reset," gives the direction of English study in a broader sense."My previous books centered on immediate resolutions,” Yoo said. “Readers want to get a high score on imminent TOEIC tests or need a

Aug 25, 2017

[INTERVIEW] 'Why study English? Use Google Translate?'

Cafes, galleries to host book clubs

By Kwon Mee-yooCafes, galleries and bookstores will open up for local book clubs during idle time.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) will run a test trial of the book club space-sharing project at four regional municipalities ― Gwangjin District in Seoul and the cities of Gunpo, Gangneung and Jeonju.The project aims to provide a reading venue for local book clubs since space shortage is often mentioned as the major constraint of book club activities. The ministry, along with the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, will discover new meeting places to promote reading communities.The municipal governments and local libraries will recruit participating venues throughout the year. A venue should be an independent space that can host gatherings of at least seven people, such as a community service center, cafe, gallery, bookstore or religious or sports facility.Select venues will be open for local residents during idle time and receive subsidies up to 120,000 won per month as well as other aid such as furniture and a traveling library.Visit readin.or.kr for more

Aug 23, 2017

Playboy hits Korea - but no nudes

/ Captured from Playboy Korea's FacebookBy Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-sooThe Korean edition of Playboy magazine hit the shelves of Korean bookstores Monday covering a range of issues from celebrities to social and political stories.But one critical factor that gained the U.S. magazine international fame is missing: nude photos.Korean book distributor Kaya Media signed a contract with Playboy in January under which the Korean edition would have no nude photos. This was in line with the American magazine’s editorial policy for overseas editions.Hugh Hefner launched Playboy in December 1953.The U.S. edition stopped using nude photographs in March 2016, edition, but the policy was revoked in March this year. 

Aug 21, 2017

Books