Korean American Books

Summaries and reviews of fiction and nonfiction books by Korean American authors,
books about Korean Americans and Korea, and Korean literature in English translation,
including some academic works and a sampling on the Korean War

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Twofold Song, by Yi Mun-Yol

In a beautifully illustrated and bound bilingual edition, famed writer Yi Mun-yol's story of the last encounter of an affair presents as allegory of ancients and modern mixed together, with a coda that changes all that primordial prehistoric metaphor into something altogether different. The title of the story and its writing parallel each other with a constant shifting of sides and views, past and present, contrasts and similarities, profound with mundane. At times, the story has the flavor of Korean drama (melodrama) on its surface, but the thought and structure of this story are subtle, complex and interwoven without answer, much like how life is. Translated by Kwon Kyong-Mi, illustrated by Kwak Sun-young. Hollym, 2004.

1 comment:

Charles Montgomery said...

All of the books in this Hollym run (including Tower of Ants, Weathered Blossom, and A Walk in The Mountains) are super. Definitely worth a trip to Amazon to purchase.

Charles
www.ktlit.com