The New Logic of Disruptive Climate Activism (Analogy)Imagine you are a part of an important social movement. What’s at stake is nothing less than the future of our species, and the planet at…Sep 11, 2023Sep 11, 2023
The Ukrainian War is a Story of Error CorrectionThere has been a lot made of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The theories, and their holders, kick and bubble, searching for brief moments in…Sep 11, 20223Sep 11, 20223
Ukraine: The Sudden and Slow Death of the United NationsUkraineFor some it was a grand statement. The sight of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres walking solemnly through the…Sep 11, 20221Sep 11, 20221
Published inKorean Literature“Faded, threadbare, worn out” — Review of Hwang Sok-yong’s ‘The Road to Sampo’This is something of a departure for Hwang Sok-yong, a pre-departure. Ordinarily he writes to a theme, to what he knows, to what he can…Apr 13, 2022Apr 13, 2022
Published inKorean Literature“The urine and shit dropped by foreigners” — Review of Nam Jung-hyun’s ‘Land of Excrement’Mansu is hiding! Hiding and worrying about the “missiles”, the “soldiers”, their “colossal firepower”, and the “two or three hundred…Apr 7, 2022Apr 7, 2022
Published inKorean Literature“Unwanted life within” — Review of Pak Wanseo’s ‘Three Days in That Autumn’It is one of those novels that starts with firm, knowing, statements about past and future. Short, blunted sentences that stand outside…Mar 15, 2022Mar 15, 2022
Published inKorean Literature“North Korea from the shore of the river, weeping” — Review of Yi Mun-Yol’s ‘An Appointment with…“Father’s death itself was hearsay” writes Yi Mun-yol, “and it was only then that I felt the need to meet my brother.”Nov 18, 2021Nov 18, 2021
Published inKorean Literature“A breath, a breath, a breath…” — Review of Lisa See’s ‘The Island of Sea Women: A Novel’.Off the southern coast of Korea lies Jeju, a chubby little island of volcanos, seafood, and women. Still deep in their traditional lives…Nov 13, 2021Nov 13, 2021
Published inKorean LiteratureThe Korean Romeo and Juliet — Review of Horace Allen’s ‘The Faithful Dancing-Girl Wife’“He was not an ordinary man” goes the story, “in addition to a handsome, manly face and stalwart, he possessed a bright, quick mind, and…Aug 18, 2021Aug 18, 2021
Published inKorean LiteratureThe Korean Cinderella — Review of Rausch, Lee, and Lee’s ‘The Story of Changhwa and Hongnyon’All good stories of a certain age start this way, with disappointment… and a sudden, swollen, belly — a “warmhearted” husband, a barren…Aug 18, 2021Aug 18, 2021
