Check out the new Reading Korea blog/website!
The Ask A Korean website, written by the “The Korean” (TK) of the title, has long been an indispensable source of wit and wisdom related to Korea and its culture. Now, with his career apparently completely under control and family life pacific^^ TK is branching out and has created the Reading Korea website, which he describes as:
…an attempt to create a helpful resource for more in-depth studies about all things Korea–its politics, society, culture, history, arts, people, of both North and South Korea. The end product of the creation will be the Reading List, where I will present a selection of books that would provide a solid footing of understanding Korea.
The layout makes clear that both English and Korean language books will be under discussion, and TK has begun by reviewing friend-of-KTLIT Daniel Tudor’s Korea, the Impossible Country. A quick look at the “reading list” page also shows that the reviews will be organised by topic (History, Culture, etc…) so you can easily find the kind of book you need.
For those of you who would like to explore books on Korea in ways beyond literature, this is a site to watch for recommendations (and I’m eagerly awaiting the first pan of a book – let’s just say that TK’s writing style in attack or defence can be characterised as ‘active’^^). This certainly would have been useful to me before I came to Korea, and I’m certain it will also help overseas fans of Korea find ways to attain better understanding of this…. well…. impossible country.^^
“I’m eagerly awaiting the first pan of a book – let’s just say that TK’s writing style in attack or defence can be characterised as ‘active’^^”
This is a major part of the blogger’s motivation, I fear. “The Korean” is most likely to paraphrase standard praise of well known books about Korea that received high media exposure upon publication, then “pan” anyone who has dared to try something different, humorous, original etc. It is why he has chosen nonfiction as his sphere of criticism, because they must not offer an alternative narrative to The Korean’s, and the site will wind up being just another weapon in his armory to be deployed against the “expats” who he, ironically enough, mirrors head to toe over there in Washington, unhappily exiled from his Korean homeland. He may have the basic cultural knowledge to initiate newcomers into the folk mysteries of why everyone in Korea gets one year older upon the first full moon of the year or the traditional table layout at Chuseok, but he sorely lacks the nuance, synpathetic will, or fairminded nature necessary to shine an illuminating light on books about “his” country. Wrong man for the job.
Dan,
Thanks for commenting.
I’m inclined to like The Korean in most cases, even when I believe him to be dead wrong. He certainly does have that percentage of cases in which I think he responds reflexively, as a cheerleader or defender, but in general I appreciate if not always agree with his points of view. After all, we all have that little core of things we’re passionate but dead wrong about.^^
If I have any problems with his site it is that he seems to be a little more reflexive as time goes by – which could be a reaction to the arguments he gets involved in, the simple conservatism that often accompanies aging, or the fact that some of the folks who array against him are, well, lunatics with their own reflexivities (I think becoming a contributor to Marmot’s has, in some ways, hastened TK’s journey here).
It’s true TK is a stern defender of his narrative, but to me this is one of the good things about the site – you won’t get away unexamined, even if the examiner is not objective.
As to his critical stance, I suppose that awaits more fleshing out. I’m just always pleased when another literate and persuasive voice is commenting on printed matter related to Korea, and in this aspect I expect TK to come up aces.
YMMV.^^