Literature
K-pop Confidential with Stephan Lee
Thursday, December 10, 2020 | 6:00 PM
In K-pop Confidential, the YA novel from journalist Stephan Lee, a Korean-American girl plunges into the complex world of an idol factory and K-pop trainees in South Korea while staying true to herself in the process. Join us for a lively conversation with Stephan Lee about his debut novel and everything K-pop, including its ever-increasing popularity in the U.S., the challenges the K-pop trainees face, and the issues Korean Americans…
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A Conversation with David Yoon
Wednesday, November 18, 2020 | 6:00 PM
When David Yoon’s debut novel Frankly In Love hit shelves last year, it was an instant New York Times bestseller and a William C. Morris Award finalist. With his sophomore novel Super Fake Love Song, David Yoon offers another contemporary YA must-read where a case of mistaken identity kicks off a string of (fake) events that just may lead to (real) love. Join us for an in-depth conversation with David…
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Korean Art from 1953
Thursday, October 15, 2020 | 5:00 PM
Korean Art From 1953: Collision, Innovation, Interaction is a richly illustrated book containing fourteen essays written by leading Korean art historians and scholars, topics range from the 1950s avant-garde to the feminist scene in the 1970s, the birth of the Gwangju Biennale in the 1990s and the lesser known North Korean art scene, and many Korean-born artists who have emerged to secure a place in the international art world. Yeon…
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East Goes West: Younghill Kang, His Life and Works
Thursday, September 17, 2020 | 6:00 PM
Drawing by Karl Stevens for the New York Review of Books What if the finest, funniest, craziest, sanest, most cheerfully depressing Korean-American novel was also one of the first? - Ed Park Join Alexander Chee and Ed Park in their conversation on Younghill Kang, the first Korean-American novelist and a pioneer of Asian American literature. As they discuss the life and career of Kang and his novel East Goes West,…
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New Narratives in Korea: Drawings for My Grandchildren
Monday, August 31, 2020 | 6:00 PM
Image Credit: Instagram @drawings_for_my_grandchildren In this interview series, we take a dive into contemporary culture in South Korea. Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina are influencers on Instagram, perhaps unlike anyone else you see on that platform, maybe just because of their age. Their Instagram account Drawings for My Grandchildren started in 2015, for which Grandpa Chan draws and Grandma Marina writes stories of their lives for their grandchildren. After 1100…
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BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears with Tamar Herman
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 | 6:00 PM
America's leading authority on BTS, K-Pop, and East Asian entertainment, Tamar Herman returns to the Korea Society with her book BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears. BTS has conquered Western music charts and social media on their way to being the biggest band in the world. With record-breaking firsts and three Billboard No. 1 albums within a year, their music and messaging has gone on to transcend the limitations of language,…
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New Narratives in Korea: Manhwa with Creators of Banned Book Club
Monday, August 3, 2020 | 6:00 PM
In this series, we take a dive into contemporary culture in South Korea. In this second episode, we explore the world of "manhwa," the world of Korean graphic novels and comic books, with the creators of just-published Banned Book Club: how was "manhwa" consumed by South Koreans in the past and present, how it is influencing and being adopted into different forms of entertainment, and how the new generation of…
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Friend: A Novel & Popular Culture of North Korea
Thursday, July 9, 2020 | 6:30 PM
First published in Pyongyang in 1988, Friend by Paek Nam-Nyong is one of the few North Korean novels that has reached an international audience. Professor Immanuel Kim, the translator of Friend and a specialist in North Korean literature and cinema, offers a glimpse into contemporary life in North Korea through this novel and other popular culture from Pyongyang. "a beguiling introduction to the everyday, with none of the rockets and…
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Author Talks: You-Jeong Jeong
Thursday, June 4, 2020 | 5:00 PM
VIDEO RELEASE: In this inaugural episode of the new video series Author Talks, Korea’s leading author of psychological thrillers You-Jeong Jeong discusses her career and award-winning novels, including Seven Years of Darkness and The Good Son. To buy Seven Years of Darkness, please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/604960/seven-years-of-darkness-by-you-jeong-jeong/ To buy The Good Son, please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557620/the-good-son-by-you-jeong-jeong/ Author Talks: You-Jeong Jeong The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017 Join…
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Frances Cha: If I Had Your Face
Thursday, May 28, 2020 | 6:00 PM
A riveting tale of four women navigating contemporary Korea, If I Had Your Face is a debut novel from Frances Cha, a former travel and culture editor for CNN in Seoul. This utterly compelling novel follows the interconnected lives of four young women balancing on the edge of survival in contemporary Seoul, a world of strict social hierarchies, extreme plastic surgery and K-pop fan mania. Cha will discussed her debut…
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