Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alistaircandlin]

Hi,

Does anyone know of any good contemporary Korean novelists who have been translated into English?

There is loads of Japanese fiction available but I haven't been able to find any korean stuff.

[Woland]

Try Chang-Rae Lee or Nora Okja Keller, both of whom write in English on Korean themes.

[Poemer]

Nora Okja Keller, if I'm not mistaken, was born and raised in the US though. Or at least she has lived a goodly portion of her life in Hawaii and other places in the US. I don't know the other author, is she korean American?

I have also been interested in finding translations of fiction and poetry by Korean authors, by which I mean korean-born authors who have lived and worked in Korea and write in Korean. Translations seem hard to come by though.

Any other recommendations?

[Paji eh Wong]

There's a series of short fiction, translated from Korean. Check out Seoul Selections.

[lawyertood]

Our Twisted Hero

by
Yi Munyol


The complete review's Review:

Our Twisted Hero is a short novella about schoolboy life in South Korea. The narrator, young Han Pyongt'ae, transfers from his prestigious Seoul elementary school to a provincial one after his father comes out on the losing end of an office dispute.
Han Pyongt'ae is twelve at the time. He expects to excel at his new school, since he was already a star pupil at his far more rigorous big-city school. And he expects his new classmates to be impressed -- or at least interested in -- his big-city credentials. Instead, Han Pyongt'ae finds his class singularly unimpressed. Dominated by a single figure, the class monitor Om Sokdae, no one dares to show much interest in the newcomer.
Older and bigger than the other students, Om Sokdae exerts complete control over the class, wielding more power than the teacher. He is not, however, your usual bully. Brute force rarely plays a role. He wields his power more carefully, and more insidiously. Han Pyongt'ae refuses to toe the line, and finds that such opposition comes at a high cost. Om Sokdae does practically nothing outright against Han Pyongt'ae, and still he manages to cause him much grief. Han Pyongt'ae's grades tumble and he constantly gets in trouble. Han Pyongt'ae is sure that Om Sokdae is behind it, but there is no direct proof.
Eventually Han Pyongt'ae gives in, joining the rest of the class in acting for and on behalf of Om Sokdae. Life becomes easier and more pleasant. Submission pays.
But Om Sokdae has a weak point. Han Pyongt'ae chooses not to exploit it when he discovers it, but it is eventually revealed and the tables are dramatically turned. Han Pyongt'ae remains ambivalent. Life goes on.
Our Twisted Hero is, of course, more a political allegory than a tale of school-boy life, but it is successful as both. Yi Munyol describes school life with all its juvenile tribulations, concerns, fears, and obeisance very well. South Korean schools differ markedly from Western ones (notably in regard to official class hierarchies, student powers (and responsibilities), and, of course, the role of class monitors), but Yi conveys this clearly enough to make it readily understood. The same story could not happen here exactly as it happens in the book -- but, in the Lord of the Flies' sense, it could, of course, happen anywhere.
The cult of personality that develops around Om Sokdae could almost be called unremarkable. He is a natural leader, and he has certain advantages -- notably because he is older and bigger than his classmates -- but he wields his power very carefully. The character and his actions are, on a different scale, exactly what one expects in descriptions of totalitarian dictators. And this must have been all the more obvious in Korea, where many also followed charismatic political (and religious) leaders, to the detriment of themselves and their country.
Life under Om Sokdae is not hellish. It is, in fact, fairly pleasant. It is predictable. The cost, at least for Han Pyongt'ae, is not high. And so the book raises difficult questions: when to stand up and how to stand up to such forces. The answers are clear, but, as Yi shows, not easy.

Nicely written, well presented. A strong little book, certainly recommended

------------------------
Expensive, though, for a book of just 122 pages. I read it at the book store.

[alistaircandlin]

Thanks guys, i will definately by checking some of that stuff out as soon as I get a chance. Some of Lee Chang Rae's stuff looks interesting. Which ones have you read? I thought 'Native Speaker' looked good.

The only other Korean writer I have found is Lee Seung-U, who wrote 'The Reverse Side Of Life.' It's got a pretty decent write-up on Amazon.

I just ordered a copy of 'Piercing' by Ryu Murakami, ended up searching for other japanese novelists and found that there are loads in translation. Then I looked for Korean authors and ... zilch ... they seem to by really under-represented.

I'm back in the UK this year after a couple of years in Korea, and I find i feel really nostalgic for Asia every time I see a Japanese movie or (sadly) even an asian woman with a western guy walking round London. So this whole thing was actually set in motion when I watched Babel the other night, a really good movie, by the way. Anyhow soon as I finish this MA I'm intending to read loads of Japanese and Korean fiction, so any more good suggestions will be really appreciated.

Thanks again

Al

[dutchy pink]

If you havent already, you should read Kafka on the Shore. In my humble opinion, it's up there with the likes of 100 Years..., Tin Drum, War at the End of the World... etc, a very far reaching book.

[JeJuJitsu]

[alistaircandlin]

jejuJitsu - that makes total sense really, but I would still like to check out some of the stuff that is being written in Korea.

There is an argument somewhere linking the the quality of novels directly to economics but also to ...., kind of national confidence: the great period of the British novel coincided with the time of the Empire, and American fiction has arguably been the major player in the twentieth century. Its not just enabled by the amount of money and time available to the writer though; more that the economic dominance of the country makes the people feel that have something important to say culturally too. That would tie in with the amount of Japanese fiction produced in the late 20th century until now.

But against that, there have always been writers who produce great work in spite of everything. Marquez, I think, would be a good example, although I've never actually read his stuff. Then again ... what about all the great Irish novelists in the Modernist period - yeats, synge, o'casey even, certainly Joyce and Beckett. And now that Ireland is doing really well economically, who have they got ...? Roddy Doyle. hmmmmm

[Poemer]

Roddy Doyle isn't all bad. I liked Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha well enough. It's not bad as far as Joyce inspired literature goes.

[alistaircandlin]

Sorry poemer - I've not really read much Roddy Doyle to be honest, although I might have read 'The Van' years ago. Maybe he's not a bad writer but I just have a grudge against him for some disparaging remarks he made about James Joyce recently.