Most Popular
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Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head
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Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027
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[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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[Herald Interview] Son Suk-ku chooses to be swayed by others in navigating life
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Book introduces Korean art galleries, museums
Museums & Galleries: Displaying Korea’s Past and Future(Seoul Selection)Art galleries and museums in Korea are relatively little known to the outside world ― at least when compared to the explosive popularity of K-pop. Yet many would be surprised to discover that the history of Korean museums dates back more than 100 years, and Korea now has 11 national museums nationwide ― unified by Seoul’s iconic National Museum of Korea completed in 2005.Korea Foundation and Seoul Selection’s newly released
Dec. 16, 2011
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A dark ‘Noel’: Batman meets Charles Dickens
Somewhere out there, there’s a version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” where clerk Bob Cratchit takes an axe to his employer, Scrooge, steals his cashbox and escapes to the Bahamas without his family. The story has been reinterpreted time and time again in stage, screen, animation, book and probably ancient Greek.Now Batman (aka the Dark Knight) meets Charles Dickens in “Batman: Noel” a graphic novel by artist Lee Bermejo. (For those who read comics only irregularly, a graphic novel is a
Dec. 16, 2011
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An American abroad and on a mission
Few writers are known for combining dark humor and environmentalism in their fiction; in fact, Lydia Millet may be the only member of that club. For her efforts, in the short story collection “Love in Infant Monkeys,” she was named a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize. “Ghost Lights,” her first book since then, is the middle novel of a trilogy that began with 2008’s “How the Dead Dream.”Literary trilogies may be hard to enter midstream, but Millet has made it easy for those not familiar with t
Dec. 16, 2011
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Founder of famous Paris bookstore dies
PARIS (AP) ― George Whitman’s life was packed with the type of adventures that filled every nook and cranny of his bookshop, Paris’ iconic English-language Shakespeare and Company.A bohemian traveler, Whitman was once nursed to health by Mayans in the Yucatan during a 5000-kilometer trek across Latin America and sometimes bragged that he had lived in Greenland with a beautiful Eskimo woman.At home, Whitman was best known as a pillar of Paris’ literary scene. For more than half century, his eclec
Dec. 15, 2011
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Patients get glasses, scissors, cell phones stuck inside
An x-ray from the book "Stuck Up"This embarrassing X-ray reveals a Buzz Light-rear doll — complete with its wings deployed — lodged inside a patient, the Sun reported.The bizarre snap is one of 100 awkward ailments that feature in new book, "Stuck Up! 100 Objects Inserted and Ingested in
Dec. 14, 2011
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New Books
Portrait of a complex manVan Gogh: The LifeBy Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith(Random House)Vincent van Gogh’s autobiography is painted in luminous, powerful brushstrokes, the supreme portrait of the artist. “As my work is,” he said, “so am I.”“Van Gogh: The Life,” the intricate and panoramic biography by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, is a provocative work about the volcanic man and his art.Van Gogh’s story has been romanticized and mythologized, especially in fiction and on film.
Dec. 9, 2011
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Children’s book features Korean folk tale
The Tiger’s TaleBy Kim Myung-sooTranslated by Kim Ok-hee and Betty Chung(Appletree Tales)Among many stories available for children, Korea’s traditional folktales offer a unique reading experience for young readers. The fables, myths and anecdotes present humor and life lessons, as well as a glimpse into traditional values and culture.Local publisher Appletree Tales’ bilingual series of children’s books, titled “Monkey Mama,” carries the essence of Korea’s folk tales. The stories are new interpre
Dec. 9, 2011
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Michael Connelly’s appeal is no mystery
The metaphorical bookstore of crime fiction is crowded with best-selling titles and talented writers, few of whom can outgun Michael Connelly.The prolific Connelly, 55, covered crime for the Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel in the 1980s (where he was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize), then did the same for seven years at the Los Angeles Times. The insider’s knowledge that came with the territory has served him well.“The Drop,” in bookstores this week, is the 17th title in his police-procedur
Dec. 9, 2011
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New book says King Sejong was obese, picky eater
A Joseon Dynasty king would rise about 5 a.m. each day and meet with his courtiers to study and discuss state affairs. After eating breakfast, his official schedule for the day would begin.After lunch, he would again meet with courtiers, before receiving reports from his ministers or handling civil complaints.Although his workday officially ended at 5 p.m., he was usually busy until later handling work left unfinished or meeting again with his retinue.The lifestyle resembles that of a present-d
Dec. 8, 2011
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Publisher says Poe novelist did not lift material
NEW YORK (AP) _ The publisher of a novel about Edgar Allan Poe’s child bride defended the book against allegations that its author, Lenore Hart, lifted material from another work about Poe‘s young wife.St. Martin’s Press released a brief statement Tuesday saying it had compared Hart‘s ``The Raven’s Bride‘’ to Cothburn O‘Neal’s ``The Very Young Mrs. Poe‘’ and found any similarities limited to the inevitable overlap of two novels covering the same subject: Virginia Clemm, who married Poe when she
Dec. 7, 2011
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New Books
MJ book focuses on the musicMan in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael JacksonBy Joseph Vogel(Sterling Publishing), by Joseph VogelWe get it already: Michael Jackson was kind of a weird dude.In the weeks, months and now years since the music icon‘s death, news consumers across the globe have been inundated with examinations of Jackson’s life. And frankly, too much of it has focused on the sensational aspects of his 50 years on Earth.Luckily, for those of us who prefer to remember Ja
Dec. 2, 2011
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Author brings culinary edge to vengeful tale
Tongue: A NovelBy Jo Kyung-ran(Bloomsbury USA)Among the many female writers who broke into Korea’s literary scene in the 1990s, Jo Kyung-ran demonstrates distinctive flair. Known for her poetic prose and depiction of contemporary Korean life, Jo’s works have often dealt with human relationships and their implications. Her 2007 novel, “Tongue,” released in English in 2009, is filled with alluring danger and sensual pleasure, using the tongue as the ultimate symbol for human desire, affection and
Dec. 2, 2011
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Murder, she wrote, and deliciously well
Last summer, while browsing in a used bookstore in San Luis Obispo, Calif., I discovered something I thought no longer existed ― an Agatha Christie novel I had not read. Anyone monitoring my vital signs would have thought I had discovered the next Gnostic gospel or a lost play of Shakespeare’s. Clutching it tightly as if someone might snatch it from me, I quickly bought it. I promised myself I would take my time, savor the experience and read only a few pages at a time. Instead, I finished it th
Dec. 2, 2011
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‘My Three Sons’ child star Barry Livingston acts his age now
Former child actor Barry Livingston, who played the cute-but-nerdy Ernie Douglas on the vintage Fred MacMurray sitcom “My Three Sons,” turned out quite well, thank you.There were a few stumbles along the way. When his career wasn’t even treading water while he was in his 20s, he did turn to cocaine. But his “lost period” lasted only about a year. He’s been happily married for nearly 30 years and has a 22-year-old son and a 19-year-old daughter. The 57-year-old Livingston likes to joke that when
Dec. 2, 2011
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American to publish Korean literature series in U.S.
John O’Brien shares thoughts on marketing foreign literatureIt’s been almost a week since John O’Brien, the founder of American publisher Dalkey Archive Press, announced he will publish a series of English-language translations of Korean literary works, the first time such a project is taking place outside Korea.A joint project with Korea Literature Translation Institute, the series will consist of 25 works by Korean authors and poets. O’Brien, who founded the publisher in Chicago in 1984, is kn
Nov. 30, 2011
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Germany goes out of print as Manroland descends into insolvency
Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Germany, which invented the printing industry more than 500 years ago and dominates the market to this day, has lost its talent for making money from the presses.Manroland AG, the biggest maker of newspaper printing machines, filed for insolvency on Nov. 25, threatening the jo
Nov. 28, 2011
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Book features beauty and history of Jeju
Jeju Island: Reaching to the Core of Beauty(Seoul Selection)Located off the southernmost coast of Korea, Jeju Island houses both beauty and rich culture. For international readers who’d like to learn more about the island, “Jeju Island: Reaching to the Core of Beauty,” jointly published by Seoul Selection and Korea Foundation, would be a great source of information and joy.The book is far from a tour guide. It begins with a brief introduction by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, one of the most accl
Nov. 25, 2011
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New Books
When an obituary is more than just an obitDead Last By James W. Hall (Minotaur)The newspaper obituary isn‘t just the announcement of a person’s death and service schedule. Obits often are homages to a life well lived, an insightful look at a person and the impact he or she had on their world.But in the intriguing “Dead Last,” the obit becomes a sinister weapon that takes aim at Thorn, James W. Hall‘s perennial Key Largo beach bum.Thorn has never been the most sociable of characters -- content to
Nov. 25, 2011
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11/22/63, constantly resetting
Stephen King opens his novel “11/22/63” ― billed as an alternate universe reimagining of the John F. Kennedy assassination ― with an epigraph from Norman Mailer’s “Oswald’s Tale.” “It is virtually not assimilable to our reason that a small lonely man felled a giant in the midst of his limousines, his legions, his throng, and his security,” Mailer writes. “If such a non-entity destroyed the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, then a world of disproportion engulfs us, and we live in a uni
Nov. 25, 2011
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Jack Kerouac’s ‘lost novel’ published
WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The first book from iconic American writer Jack Kerouac, which went unpublished and considered “lost” in his lifetime, was finally published on Thursday.The original 158-page handwritten manuscript was Kerouac’s first novel, begun when the writer ― most famous for his free-wheeling trip across America captured in “On The Road” ― kept a journal of life at sea as a merchant marine, in 1942, when he was just 20 years old.“The Sea is My Brother: The Lost Novel,” published by Pengu
Nov. 25, 2011