The Korea Society and KoreanAmericanStory.org co-host a literary conversation and reception with three accomplished Korean-American writers: Catherine Chung, Eugenia Kim, and Yuliana Kim-Grant. These authors have written deeply personal and moving novels about loss, hope, and heritage and will share both their stories, as well as their characters’, with readings from their books. Each of these debut novels garnered critical acclaim:
Forgotten Country (2012) by Catherine Chung
“I was left utterly devastated by the wonder and heartbreak captured in these pages. Forgotten Country is overflowing with folktales and family secrets, with American and Korean traditions, with haunting prose and mathematical beauty. Here is a book to cherish, and to celebrate.”
—Justin Torres, author of We The Animals
The Calligrapher’s Daughter (2010) by Eugenia Kim
“Eugenia Kim’s sweeping debut. . . rises tall from a riveting scene that begs to be read and re-read—as does her entire novel about the painful change that Japanese occupation and modern ways bring to traditional, ritualistic Korea. . . . “
—Geeta Sharma Jensen, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
A Shred of Hope (2011) by Yuliana Kim-Grant
“Each moment of Yuliana Kim-Grant’s novel is strikingly unique and recognizably familiar. . . . Her compassionate but unflinting portrait turns the opaque rock of the lives of the Parks and the Pattersons into the translucent diamond formed by A Shred of Hope.”
—Amazon Review
Monday, February 11, 2013
6:30 PM
Monday Salon @ The Korea Society: A Trio of Writers
with
Catherine Chung
Author, Forgotten Country
Eugenia Kim
Author, The Calligrapher’s Daughter
Yuliana Kim-Grant
Author, A Shred of Hope
The Korea Society is very pleased to present the traditional music and dance of the Chosŏn Kingdom courtesan, performed by Han TeRra, an extraordinary kayagŭm (12-string zither) player from Korea. Dr. Robert Provine, a renowned ethnomusicologist, will provide historical context for her performances, shedding light on the life and artistic world of a kisaeng.
FIRST LOOK hosted by MoMI (Museum of Moving Image) selects the most inventive, groundbreaking, new international cinema from all over the world from newcomers. The Korea Society proudly co-presents Sleepless Night as part of FIRST LOOK.
Soon-young lives with her mentally handicapped father, unscrupulous uncle, and Soon-Ja, her younger sister. When an uncle arranges Soon-young’s adoption to American family for money, the younger sister, who adores her Barbie doll and dreams of one day living in America, decides not to let the adoption happen.
The Korea Society proudly presents renowned p’ansori singer, Kim Sumi, in a rare New York performance of Korean traditional opera. P’ansori is a storytelling genre traditionally performed by a solo vocalist and a drummer playing a puk (barrel drum). The entire dramatic and narrative progression of the story rests on the singer who acts out all the characters, describes the scenes, and provides cultural and historical references. Kim Sumi will perform the “Song of Simch’ŏng, a classic tale of filial love in which a daughter sacrifices for her blind father.
Chef Haelin Lee returns to The Korea Society for a special holiday cooking demonstration and hands-on workshop on seasonal teas and Korean sweets. We’ll brew Omija and Honey Tea; prepare several traditional Korean sweets (Walnut and Persimmon Roll Gotgamssam, Chestnut Paste Yullan, and Sesame Candy Kang Jung); and discover how to bake dried fruit. Chef Lee will also share some holiday packaging ideas so you’ll be able to take home the perfect holiday gift to family or friends.
Lauryn Chun, founder of Mother-in-Law’s Kimchi, launches her new book, The Kimchi Cookbook: 60 Traditional and Modern Ways to Make and Eat Kimchi, at The Korea Society on Wednesday, November 28. A superb introduction to making kimchi, the evening will inspire you to try Chun’s inventive Kimchi-inspired recipes, like Kimchi Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs, and make many different kinds of kimchi at home.
Youn-ho, who is about to be engaged to a longtime girlfriend, discovers that his mother has run away. Soon a loan shark comes calling. Now he must find his mother in order to survive.
James Church’s Inspector O novels have been hailed as “crackling good” (The Washington Post) and “tremendously clever” (Tampa Tribune), with Church himself embraced by critics as “the equal of le Carre” (Publishers Weekly). Now Church—a former Western intelligence officer who pulls back the curtain on the hidden world of North Korea in a way no one else can—comes roaring back with a new series featuring Inspector O’s nephew, Bing, the director of state security in a region in northeast China bordering North Korea. When clues point to a beautiful woman’s disappearance and Bing’s sensitive assignment to bring an agent across the North Korean border, O reluctantly helps him navigate an increasingly complex and deadly maze. James Church has crafted a beautifully spare prose and layered descriptions of a country and a people he knows by heart. Don’t miss this very special hour.
Dr. David R. McCann, Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Literature at Harvard University, reveals the unique correlation between 20th century Korean photographs and modern Korean poetry through examples from Traces of Life: Seen Through Korean Eyes 1945-1992, the current exhibition at The Korea Society Gallery.