Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Han Kang wins Man Booker prize

Author Han Kang, right, and translator Deborah Smith from Britain pose after winning the Man Booker International Prize with the novel “The Vegetarian” during a ceremony at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Monday. The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language, and published in the United Kingdom. / EPA-Yonhap'Vegetarian' honor stresses importance of translation of Korean literatureBy Yun Suh-youngNovelist Han Kang won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize with her novel "The Vegetarian," becoming the first Korean to receive the prestigious literary award.The award is given to the best non-English novel translated into English and published in the United Kingdom within the year.Deborah Smith, the British translator of the novel, was also equally recognized for her work and will share the prize money worth $70,995 with Han.“The Vegetarian,” first published in Korean in 2007, is Han’s first book to be translated into English. The English version was published

May 17, 2016

Korean novel 'The Vegetarian' wins Man Booker International Prize

Han Kang / YonhapSouth Korean fiction writer Han Kang won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for her novel "The Vegetarian," the organizer announced Tuesday."The story of a Korean woman who awakens from uneasy dreams to find herself transformed into an enigma without a key. Evocative and suggestive, 'The Vegetarian' startles for the depth of its strangeness," the organizer said.Judging panel chairman Boyd Tonkin said: "In a style both lyrical and lacerating, it reveals the impact of this great refusal both on the heroine herself and on those around her. This compact, exquisite and disturbing book will linger long in the minds, and maybe the dreams, of its readers."He also said, "Deborah Smith's perfectly judged translation matches its uncanny blend of beauty and horror at every turn."Critically acclaimed and a New York Times best-seller, the novel depicts a modern-day Korean life where disturbing, recurring nightmares force the heroine, Yeong-hye, to drop her eating habits and become a vegetarian. In a country where meat, most of the time, is the center of meals and conformity o

May 17, 2016

Korean novel 'The Vegetarian' wins Man Booker International Prize

US author traces Solitary Sage's footsteps

David MasonCover of “Solitary Sage” by David Mason, which covers the life and legacy of ninth-century scholar Choi Chi-wonBy Jon DunbarThousands of books have been written on him in Korean, hundreds in Chinese. But until David Mason came along, there were no English-language books on Choi Chi-won, Korea’s famous “Solitary Sage.”Mason, an American professor at Chung-Ang University, recently published "Solitary Sage: The Profound Life, Wisdom and Legacy of Korea’s Go-un Choi Chi-won," his tenth book.Choi, a legendary scholar, poet and civil servant, was born in 857 at the end of the Silla Dynasty (57 BC - 935 AD), a figure of recorded history as well as myth and legend. He is an influential figure in Korean Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism. His descendants, the Gyeongju Choi clan, number 2.1 million today, the fourth-largest family in Korea. He was also known by his penname, Go-un, or "lonely cloud," after a youth spent in China led to a lifetime of alienation."Back in my early years (in Korea) I really identified with Choi Chi-won when re

May 13, 2016

US author traces Solitary Sage's footsteps

'Enjoy China' is more than just a travel guide

he Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor, discovered in Xian in Shaanxi Province. Roh Keun-tae, the author of “Enjoy China,” says travelers can enjoy the unique culture that native Han Chineseand minority ethnic groups have made in Xian, the starting point for the ancient Silk Road. / Courtesy of Nexus BooksCover of “Enjoy China”By Park Jin-haiChina is known to Koreans as a country with a thousand faces. The fourth-largest country in the world, part of a vast continent with 56 different ethnic groups, often seems like a puzzling maze for travelers.But a new travel book aims to solve that puzzle.“Enjoy China,” written by longtime China aficionados Ko Seung-hee and Roh Keun-tae, is the latest version of Nexus Books’ popular “Enjoy” travel series that has sold over 1 million copies here.The 924-page book, published last month, not only includes the latest travel information and tips the authors have gathered, but also offers a guiding light to those who lose their way when it comes to the vast land.Divide

May 6, 2016

'Enjoy China' is more than just a travel guide

'World history is about connections between countries'

American history teachers and textbook writers, from left, Patrick Whelan of Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School, Barbara Ozuna of Paschal High School and Jay Harmon of Houston Christian High School, speak during an interview with The Korea Times at the Press Center in central Seoul, April 27. / Courtesy of Academy of Korean StudiesAmerican teachers learn history from Korean perspectiveBy Kwon Mee-yooThe cover of “Ways of the World,” a world history textbook published by Bedford/St.MartinsEight world history specialists, including professors and teachers from the United States, visited Korea last week and had an opportunity to better understand Korean history.The Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) runs fellowship programs to correct wrong descriptions of Korea in textbooks around the world and raise awareness about the country.The institute invited the textbook specialists to a seminar after an AKS researcher met them at the National Council for Social Studies in the U.S. last year.Among the participants, three are history teachers in Texas who took part in creating resou

May 3, 2016

Musical producer reveals secrets of success

A scene from “Mamma Mia!” / Courtesy of Seensee Company“I Thought as Much” by Park Myung-sungBy Kwon Mee-yoo Park Myung-sung, artistic director of Seensee Company, is one of Korea’s top theater producers. He stages a wide repertoire of plays and musicals, from worldwide hits such as "Mamma Mia!" and the award-winning play "Red," to a musical adaptation of the Korean epic novel "Arirang."In his latest book, "I Thought as Much," the producer, 53, reveals what it is like being a producer in Korea.Park does not consider himself an entrepreneur. But, ironically, he is one of the most successful commercial theater producers in Korea, raking in money with big hits such as "Mamma Mia!" and "Chicago.""Mamma Mia!," the British jukebox musical featuring the music of ABBA, is one of the most popular musicals in Korea, attracting over 1.8 million theatergoers and sales reaching upwards of 100 billion won ($88 million) since its Korean premiere in 2004.Though he openly jokes that, "We are staging 'Mamma Mia!' to fill in the losses for 'Let the Right One in,&rsquo

Apr 29, 2016

Musical producer reveals secrets of success

Korean hero Yi Sun-sin returns

/Courtesy of Onrie KompanBy Lee Han-sooKorean hero Yi Sun-sin (also known as Yi Soon-shin), a famous naval commander from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) who thwarted a Japanese invasion during the Imjin War (1592-1598), will come to life, thanks to U.S. cartoonist Kompan.Titled “Yi Soon Shin: Fallen Avenger,” segments of his latest cartoon have been released on the official site of the upcoming Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival on Thursday. The post commemorates Yi Sun-sin Day.The cartoon covers the famous naval battle of Myeongnyang, where 12 of his ships defeated 330 Japanese warships.“The hero community is saturated,” Kompan said when asked why he drew the cartoon. “I wanted to draw a real-life hero who people all over the world could relate to, and I believe that is Yi Sun-sin.”Kompan started his Yi series in 2009 with “Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender.” It has since sold more than 51,000 copies.

Apr 28, 2016

Don Quixote's value still holds

By Park Jin-haiPark Chul, former president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS)This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes, one of the greatest writers of all time and the most renowned writer in the Spanish language, who is known for his novel “Don Quixote.”Park Chul, the former president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) and one of Asia’s leading Cervantes scholars, took turns with dignitaries from Spanish diplomatic circlesto read out their favorite pages of Don Quixote, on World Book Day, which fell on April 23. it was the celebration in honor of the deaths of two great authors — Cervantes and William Shakespeare, whose 400th anniversary is also celebrated this year .Park says Don Quixote, which has become a symbol for someone exceedingly idealistic and reckless, has long been neglected and underestimated in Korea and elsewhere in the world.“It has been only recently that we began to pay renewed attention to this tall, thin and fancy-struck Quixote. In fact, compared with Japan and China, Korea has

Apr 27, 2016

Designer Ko shares tips for success

Fashion designer Ko Tae-yongCover of Ko Tae-yong’s book, “The World Cannot Put Me Down”By Kim Jae-heunThere have been many Korean fashion designers who have published books about their paths to success. 35-year-old Ko Tae-yong is a fashion designer who wrote a new self-help book called “The World Cannot Put Me Down.”  His publishers discouraged him from publishing the book at first but Ko was confident that it could truly tell a unique experience for two reasons: he had not studied abroad and he joined the fashion industry late in his mid-20s. Now, his book is a bestseller at the online bookstore YES 24 and it’s already in its third printing.“Most of the successful Korean fashion designers who have written books either have an educational background abroad or grew up in a dressmaking environment,” said Ko during his interview with The Korea Times, Monday. “People want to find answers in the lives of others who grew up in similar or worse backgrounds than themselves.“In that sense, I started late in fashion, I

Apr 22, 2016

Foreign translators discuss challenges of Korean literature

Translating Korean literature, while challenging, has opened up a whole new, joyful world, said foreign translators during a panel discussion in Seoul Monday.In the closed-session organized by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, translators from England, Germany, India, France, Mexico, and Uzbekistan, shared their experiences of and thoughts on translating Korean books into their respective languages. All translators either finished or are attending a translation program run by the institute.Irma Zyanya Gil Yanez, a translator from Mexico, said Korean literature is a "means to get to know a real Korea," which, she said, isn't always easy to do so by listening to K-pop or watching Korean TV shows."In literature, Koreans seem freer in expressing their thoughts on social and personal issues than they do in real life. So I think reading a Korean book is very helpful to understand the Korean society."She became interested in Korean while she was teaching Spanish to Koreans in 2007-2009. In December 2015, she translated Koo Byung-mo's "Wizard Bakery" into her native language, wh

Apr 18, 2016

'Translating subtitles is like translating poetry'

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