Lovers of literature and history are invited to join a book discussion group reading three novels by some of Korea’s best known writers, each about a different time period in Korea’s modern history: the Japanese Occupation, the Korean War, and the post-War period.
October 1 | Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood by Richard E. Kim
October 29 | The Rainy Spell by Heung-gil Yun, translated by Ji Moon Suh
December 3 | Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin, translated by Chi-Young Kim
Dr. Jin Young Choi, a translator and former professor of English literature, will guide our informal discussions of these novels, sharing her first-hand experiences during these turbulent and transformative times and providing a valuable historical and cultural context to our discussions. Snacks will be served.
All books are available in paperback and online at Amazon.com.
Tuesdays, October 1, October 29, and December 3 @ 6:30 PM
Advanced registration or ticket purchase required for this event. Space is limited.
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About the Books
About the Books
Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood by Richard E. Kim
Celebrated novelist, essayist, documentary filmmaker, and professor of literature Richard E. Kim follows one Korean family through the Japanese occupation to the surrender of the Japanese empire.
The Rainy Spell by Yun Heung-gil (Translated by Suh Ji Moon)
The Rainy Spell examines the horrors of the Korean War through the eyes of a child living with his two grandmothers who have sons on opposing sides of the war.
Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin (Translated by Chi-Young Kim)
Winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize, Please Look After Mom is about a family’s search for their mother after she is separated from her husband in the Seoul subway station. It is both a picture of contemporary life in Korea as well as a universal story of family love.
About Dr. Jin Young Choi
Dr. Jin Young Choi was a professor of American literature at Chung-Ang University in Seoul for twenty-seven years. She also taught at a college in North Carolina for several years following her graduate studies in the U.S. Dr. Choi has been teaching Korean literature and culture at TKS for several years.
She has translated several Korean literary works, including Kim Won-Il’s The Wind and the River, as well as short stories and children’s tales. A graduate of Seoul National University, Ms. Choi received an MA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in English Literature from Seoul National University.
