Ian Haight's Blog
February 14, 2014
Translations in Asymptote
Before I forget, Asymptote's new issue has some translations Taeyoung and I did of poems by Nansorhon.
Check out who Nansorhon is here:
http://www.mezzocammin.com/timeline/t...
You can find out translations here:
http://www.asymptotejournal.com/artic...
Look for the book in coming years.
Check out who Nansorhon is here:
http://www.mezzocammin.com/timeline/t...
You can find out translations here:
http://www.asymptotejournal.com/artic...
Look for the book in coming years.
Gone Girl and 1984
Lately I've been relishing my space offline--lurking about online, reading and "liking" things as appropriate, but devoting the bulk of my energies to more immediate and pressing needs offline. Working abroad, son aiming for a competitive university next year, and trying to sustain a semblance of a writing career certainly create a lot of pressing needs.
In the meantime I continue to read. Escapist literature (Can it be called literature? I think so.) has been an effective salve recently. And unfortunately, as I began to come to the close of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl this past week, I began to stay up later and later, somehow surviving on 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Is this a good thing? Well, I just finished the book so now that it's over I don't have to answer that question. :)
Still, I picked up Gone Girl firstly because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. And secondly I noticed the book had some billing as a social commentary--a subject I am always interested in. Now that I've finished the book, what do I think?
I think Gone Girl is readable, but not for everyone. To me the book is more escapist literature than anything, but I enjoyed my time with the book.
Gone Girl's social commentary is about how our consumer/greed/desire-driven culture creates a "deadening" effect in people, and how these people act when they become "deadened": their love for life and each other becomes corrupted and highly dysfunctional. Amy was apparently dysfunctional long before she met Nick, but it was only when both Nick and Amy's livelihoods and way of life fell apart did their love begin to collapse. There's social commentary here about love between partners for life and what part civilization plays in such love. If both Nick and Amy are merely enactments of social forces, do their decisions matter in the end? If their means of survival is to carry out the expectations of society, is there anything left of them as individual human beings? In fact, in the end, both acknowledge they live together in a facade of marriage and love that occasional feels real. The habits of marriage Amy and Nick carry out to keep up appearances lead both to experience flashes of genuine marital bliss. What then is true love? Gone Girl offers the word "derivative" every 30-40 pages.
1984 in its own way asks the same questions, but the lovers are complete victims of society in a different way. Winston and Julia are aware of the risks of their love but they roll the dice to be together no matter what. When discovered and judged by their government/society, as a consequence Julia and Winston are physically and psychologically broken. They survive, but they are broken.
As readers, during their meetings, we witness what appears to be Winston and Julia having a chance to enjoy love outside the boundaries of their government's legal social norms. Nick and Amy, conversely, never really break or leave the boundaries of their love's social impulses. Those same impulses drive both of them together, apart, and together again, but the impulses never leave the couple.
So when I think about Gone Girl as social commentary I don't think it offers any means or hope for individual survival, which may be because the characters are irreparable products of a corrupt civilization. 1984 gives us tragedy because Winston and Julia create--through their intimacy--a place of love separate from government oppression. Had they never been discovered their love may have flourished within the confines of their political circumstances. Nick and Amy can only create what society has empowered them to create. Their love is already enthralled and defined by America's culture of social and political economic power, and so their love will never rise above these circumstances. It's hard for me to find tragedy when there may never have been hope for something positive in the end.
I'm not sure what it is in me lately that makes me want to read escapist titles on dystopian themes. Is it a sublimated sense of doom from the so called 6th extinction? Or is it I am a character enthralled in America's socio-economic, class-driven pressure cooker (well, partially enthralled, in any event)? Do I feel angst, but like so many Americans don't know what to do about it?
My answer is this: I like to read everything. This is just my most recent kick. I'll change again. Already I can feel it. I'm going to next read Stephen King's The Stand. I will be reading the book with Yeats' poem "The Second Coming" on my periphery, given that was supposed to have been an influence on the novel. And last month I finished Max Brooks' World War Z and Zombie Survival Guide, the latter more interesting for its writerly style--the diction and tone--than anything else. Well that's not true. There is something to be said for the creative imagination behind those books: what kind of person writes a zombie survival instruction guide, and why? And how does such a book become a NYTimes best seller? What, if anything, does that say about an American reading audience's demographics?
Sometimes the best thing to do is simply turn out the lights, meditate, and then go to sleep. Right now that's what I think I will do.
In the meantime I continue to read. Escapist literature (Can it be called literature? I think so.) has been an effective salve recently. And unfortunately, as I began to come to the close of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl this past week, I began to stay up later and later, somehow surviving on 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Is this a good thing? Well, I just finished the book so now that it's over I don't have to answer that question. :)
Still, I picked up Gone Girl firstly because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. And secondly I noticed the book had some billing as a social commentary--a subject I am always interested in. Now that I've finished the book, what do I think?
I think Gone Girl is readable, but not for everyone. To me the book is more escapist literature than anything, but I enjoyed my time with the book.
Gone Girl's social commentary is about how our consumer/greed/desire-driven culture creates a "deadening" effect in people, and how these people act when they become "deadened": their love for life and each other becomes corrupted and highly dysfunctional. Amy was apparently dysfunctional long before she met Nick, but it was only when both Nick and Amy's livelihoods and way of life fell apart did their love begin to collapse. There's social commentary here about love between partners for life and what part civilization plays in such love. If both Nick and Amy are merely enactments of social forces, do their decisions matter in the end? If their means of survival is to carry out the expectations of society, is there anything left of them as individual human beings? In fact, in the end, both acknowledge they live together in a facade of marriage and love that occasional feels real. The habits of marriage Amy and Nick carry out to keep up appearances lead both to experience flashes of genuine marital bliss. What then is true love? Gone Girl offers the word "derivative" every 30-40 pages.
1984 in its own way asks the same questions, but the lovers are complete victims of society in a different way. Winston and Julia are aware of the risks of their love but they roll the dice to be together no matter what. When discovered and judged by their government/society, as a consequence Julia and Winston are physically and psychologically broken. They survive, but they are broken.
As readers, during their meetings, we witness what appears to be Winston and Julia having a chance to enjoy love outside the boundaries of their government's legal social norms. Nick and Amy, conversely, never really break or leave the boundaries of their love's social impulses. Those same impulses drive both of them together, apart, and together again, but the impulses never leave the couple.
So when I think about Gone Girl as social commentary I don't think it offers any means or hope for individual survival, which may be because the characters are irreparable products of a corrupt civilization. 1984 gives us tragedy because Winston and Julia create--through their intimacy--a place of love separate from government oppression. Had they never been discovered their love may have flourished within the confines of their political circumstances. Nick and Amy can only create what society has empowered them to create. Their love is already enthralled and defined by America's culture of social and political economic power, and so their love will never rise above these circumstances. It's hard for me to find tragedy when there may never have been hope for something positive in the end.
I'm not sure what it is in me lately that makes me want to read escapist titles on dystopian themes. Is it a sublimated sense of doom from the so called 6th extinction? Or is it I am a character enthralled in America's socio-economic, class-driven pressure cooker (well, partially enthralled, in any event)? Do I feel angst, but like so many Americans don't know what to do about it?
My answer is this: I like to read everything. This is just my most recent kick. I'll change again. Already I can feel it. I'm going to next read Stephen King's The Stand. I will be reading the book with Yeats' poem "The Second Coming" on my periphery, given that was supposed to have been an influence on the novel. And last month I finished Max Brooks' World War Z and Zombie Survival Guide, the latter more interesting for its writerly style--the diction and tone--than anything else. Well that's not true. There is something to be said for the creative imagination behind those books: what kind of person writes a zombie survival instruction guide, and why? And how does such a book become a NYTimes best seller? What, if anything, does that say about an American reading audience's demographics?
Sometimes the best thing to do is simply turn out the lights, meditate, and then go to sleep. Right now that's what I think I will do.
How I Spent Christmas
As I write it’s still December 31st in the states, although here in Guam it’s lunch time on the first day of the New Year. Thought I would write a bit about my recent trip to the Philippines; there are some things I don’t want to forget.
We returned from the PI at around 2 AM 1/1/14 and then I finally got situated and in bed around 4 AM. So the return felt like a journey. We went because the boys’ (I have 2 sons) basketball team arranged a bunch of scrimmages and practices there to help warm up for the season. I’d never been to the PI before and Jungson (wife) wanted to go to monitor the kids so I figured we would make it a family trip.
The first few days were a bit rough. The signs of wealth disparity were probably the most extreme I’ve seen in a long time. When we got to our hotel, a little girl, probably 4-5, ran up to me and asked for money, of which I had none because I hate cash. I was however carrying a can of chips she wanted which I would have gladly given except it was empty, and I demonstrated this fact to her and she kind of gave a half nod. Barefoot, dressed in an oversized brown t-shirt, her skin was—I don’t know how to describe it—looked like it had the surface of sandpaper. Hair in a pony-tail but still somehow unkempt, the contrast between her and my daughter was stark. Two other kids ran around us searching for handouts of all kinds. And then a man appeared from nowhere, started yelling at them, and chased them off. I entered the 4 star hotel feeling sick to my stomach.
We were right next to the Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, which on the outside looked big, old, and run down, but on the inside was quite beautiful in all the Catholic church ways that are good. When open for services it appeared to be always full. Christmas Eve people were camped out at the church steps—whole families on flattened cardboard boxes so they weren’t touching the dirty sidewalk. It looked sad and pathetic but in hindsight such an idea was probably a cultural judgment. I don’t remember seeing so many families on the days after so they were probably gathering for church services, not for handouts.
In the end I decided I had a good time in Manila and there’s more to explore and learn from the Philippines. There are a lot of things to mention that feel noteworthy, but I’m starting to feel pressed for time, so I’ll just gloss some things and emphasize what I want to remember.
Our first game was with a poor community center team (champions in their community) who we were demolishing by 20+ points in the 1st-2nd quarter. The opponents looked like middle school kids but I was assured they were high-schoolers. The court was outside in a run-down housing area (industrial revolution tenement housing-ish) about 50 feet from train tracks, which had a train running approximately every 5 minutes, and blowing it’s horn all the way. Lining the tracks were people just sitting around all day with not much to do. I guess some people didn’t like that their kids were losing so they joined in the fray. I say fray because fouls were never called unless we committed them; meanwhile the opposing team was running screens that looked like blocks in football. And who were these people who joined in the fray? Cock fighters, gamblers, local gangsters (according to our driver). And then elbows, punches, and trips started to enter the fray. It got so bad we ended the game and walked off the court. I was afraid a riot might start because of course the community had turned out en masse to watch the game, and tempers were certainly running high. At the same time, there was an element in the crowd that thought the game was being played fair and couldn’t understand why we were leaving early. They felt hurt. I don’t have a salve for that wound, but I wish I did.
Next two games were with local college teams who beat us fairly and mostly cleanly. Losses were in the 40-50 point range though and I was genuinely questioning what the point was of coming to the PI to play a series of painful games with dubious opportunities for sincere learning.
Next two games after that were with legitimate teams—one high school and one college—and in good facilities. We won both but again, tempers were flying high and it just wasn’t a positive atmosphere, at least in the first game. I was proud of the boys to win against a college team. I don’t know where that college team was from and I don’t know if we only played against their “B” team but we dug deep for that win, and there was genuine learning that took place.
Ok, here’s what I don’t want to forget: one night we went to a seafood market. The way it worked is you go to the market, pick out the animals you want to eat, and then bring it to a nearby restaurant where they will prepare everything for you to eat. It was a big market surrounded by a great assortment of restaurants.
Henry (first son) doesn’t like seafood and my daughter is even more picky so the three of us walked to a nearby shopping arcade that looked promising with food alternatives. With luck, we found a kimbap house (Korean sushi bar) run by a young Korean lady. It felt like we were in Korea—a place everyone in my family misses. All the music, decoration, food choices, and prices, were Korean. I didn’t eat much as I’d already had dinner (not knowing we were going out), so I watched my eldest son of 17 who will graduate high school next year be a good brother to his younger, nine-year-old sister and help her with her food. Conversation was familial, and mostly between the two of them. Dinner was an occasion parents dream of: kids not only getting along, but loving and respecting one another in a shared space. They probably didn’t see it that way but I did. Happy parent-family moment. :)
Other happy moment came soon after that dinner. I was walking around because I heard live music, which I figured would be more entertaining than sitting outside that seafood restaurant. Walking along I found a live band, different from the first one I had heard. The band was a 3 man set up: guitar, keyboard, and a backup vocalist who helped remind the group of lyrics if anyone forgot. They were great though. The keyboardist had an angelic voice; I don’t know what Philippino song he sang but he drew a crowd of appreciative listeners. I didn’t understand any of it but he had a wonderful high range.
Then they announced they were going to soon sing “Careless Whisper,” one of Jungson’s favorite songs. So I went back to the restaurant and told her, and she enthusiastically came with me. She bought a couple bottles of San Miguel which turned out to be rather strong stuff and proceeded to get semi-sauced as the band took her requests for “Knife” and a repeat of “Careless Whisper,” among other tunes. It was fun to watch her and watch the band. They seemed to be grateful to us.
The poverty of the Philippines is a fact of life there. One night we saw kids (5-10 years in age?) just run across a highway. Didn’t stop, didn’t look, almost got hit by oncoming traffic, screeching tires and all. My wife wondered aloud about what the kids were thinking and doing. Our driver said, memorably, “This is their playground. They do it all the time.”
Young girls with toddlers hand in hand or on their shoulders walked among cars at traffic lights, tapping on windows, begging for money. We just ignored them. Would anything I give them make a difference to their situation? And if you give money, you are literally swarmed in seconds by outstretched hands. Even the church leaders in Manila ran stories in the papers about how people should give the children food, not money, because the money just goes to their gang leaders. Begging and poverty is a different kind of racket in Manila—at least one I hadn’t encountered before.
Back at home in Guam, I’m relieved to be in my home. Not so relieved with all the work to be done in the short time available, but grateful to be in territory that makes sense, that feels less class divided than the Philippines. Money seems to have a greater currency in the Philippines. People there are willing to do a lot for money, and the cost of material goods is less than in America. I feel guilty being in a higher economic class than the locals in their own country, but it’s obvious why so many Americans like to go to the PI and retire.
I’m glossing so I didn’t mention the malls, the food at restaurants (hit and miss), the pro b-ball tournament we went to see (and then one of the star players we later spotted in a restaurant), the Enchanted Kingdom amusement park, and the nicely-mannered people. I’d like to think the positive attitude of the people towards me and my family wasn’t just because we were foreigners with money.
I hope this New Year brings blessings to the world, and enough healing so the poor can at least get by.
We returned from the PI at around 2 AM 1/1/14 and then I finally got situated and in bed around 4 AM. So the return felt like a journey. We went because the boys’ (I have 2 sons) basketball team arranged a bunch of scrimmages and practices there to help warm up for the season. I’d never been to the PI before and Jungson (wife) wanted to go to monitor the kids so I figured we would make it a family trip.
The first few days were a bit rough. The signs of wealth disparity were probably the most extreme I’ve seen in a long time. When we got to our hotel, a little girl, probably 4-5, ran up to me and asked for money, of which I had none because I hate cash. I was however carrying a can of chips she wanted which I would have gladly given except it was empty, and I demonstrated this fact to her and she kind of gave a half nod. Barefoot, dressed in an oversized brown t-shirt, her skin was—I don’t know how to describe it—looked like it had the surface of sandpaper. Hair in a pony-tail but still somehow unkempt, the contrast between her and my daughter was stark. Two other kids ran around us searching for handouts of all kinds. And then a man appeared from nowhere, started yelling at them, and chased them off. I entered the 4 star hotel feeling sick to my stomach.
We were right next to the Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, which on the outside looked big, old, and run down, but on the inside was quite beautiful in all the Catholic church ways that are good. When open for services it appeared to be always full. Christmas Eve people were camped out at the church steps—whole families on flattened cardboard boxes so they weren’t touching the dirty sidewalk. It looked sad and pathetic but in hindsight such an idea was probably a cultural judgment. I don’t remember seeing so many families on the days after so they were probably gathering for church services, not for handouts.
In the end I decided I had a good time in Manila and there’s more to explore and learn from the Philippines. There are a lot of things to mention that feel noteworthy, but I’m starting to feel pressed for time, so I’ll just gloss some things and emphasize what I want to remember.
Our first game was with a poor community center team (champions in their community) who we were demolishing by 20+ points in the 1st-2nd quarter. The opponents looked like middle school kids but I was assured they were high-schoolers. The court was outside in a run-down housing area (industrial revolution tenement housing-ish) about 50 feet from train tracks, which had a train running approximately every 5 minutes, and blowing it’s horn all the way. Lining the tracks were people just sitting around all day with not much to do. I guess some people didn’t like that their kids were losing so they joined in the fray. I say fray because fouls were never called unless we committed them; meanwhile the opposing team was running screens that looked like blocks in football. And who were these people who joined in the fray? Cock fighters, gamblers, local gangsters (according to our driver). And then elbows, punches, and trips started to enter the fray. It got so bad we ended the game and walked off the court. I was afraid a riot might start because of course the community had turned out en masse to watch the game, and tempers were certainly running high. At the same time, there was an element in the crowd that thought the game was being played fair and couldn’t understand why we were leaving early. They felt hurt. I don’t have a salve for that wound, but I wish I did.
Next two games were with local college teams who beat us fairly and mostly cleanly. Losses were in the 40-50 point range though and I was genuinely questioning what the point was of coming to the PI to play a series of painful games with dubious opportunities for sincere learning.
Next two games after that were with legitimate teams—one high school and one college—and in good facilities. We won both but again, tempers were flying high and it just wasn’t a positive atmosphere, at least in the first game. I was proud of the boys to win against a college team. I don’t know where that college team was from and I don’t know if we only played against their “B” team but we dug deep for that win, and there was genuine learning that took place.
Ok, here’s what I don’t want to forget: one night we went to a seafood market. The way it worked is you go to the market, pick out the animals you want to eat, and then bring it to a nearby restaurant where they will prepare everything for you to eat. It was a big market surrounded by a great assortment of restaurants.
Henry (first son) doesn’t like seafood and my daughter is even more picky so the three of us walked to a nearby shopping arcade that looked promising with food alternatives. With luck, we found a kimbap house (Korean sushi bar) run by a young Korean lady. It felt like we were in Korea—a place everyone in my family misses. All the music, decoration, food choices, and prices, were Korean. I didn’t eat much as I’d already had dinner (not knowing we were going out), so I watched my eldest son of 17 who will graduate high school next year be a good brother to his younger, nine-year-old sister and help her with her food. Conversation was familial, and mostly between the two of them. Dinner was an occasion parents dream of: kids not only getting along, but loving and respecting one another in a shared space. They probably didn’t see it that way but I did. Happy parent-family moment. :)
Other happy moment came soon after that dinner. I was walking around because I heard live music, which I figured would be more entertaining than sitting outside that seafood restaurant. Walking along I found a live band, different from the first one I had heard. The band was a 3 man set up: guitar, keyboard, and a backup vocalist who helped remind the group of lyrics if anyone forgot. They were great though. The keyboardist had an angelic voice; I don’t know what Philippino song he sang but he drew a crowd of appreciative listeners. I didn’t understand any of it but he had a wonderful high range.
Then they announced they were going to soon sing “Careless Whisper,” one of Jungson’s favorite songs. So I went back to the restaurant and told her, and she enthusiastically came with me. She bought a couple bottles of San Miguel which turned out to be rather strong stuff and proceeded to get semi-sauced as the band took her requests for “Knife” and a repeat of “Careless Whisper,” among other tunes. It was fun to watch her and watch the band. They seemed to be grateful to us.
The poverty of the Philippines is a fact of life there. One night we saw kids (5-10 years in age?) just run across a highway. Didn’t stop, didn’t look, almost got hit by oncoming traffic, screeching tires and all. My wife wondered aloud about what the kids were thinking and doing. Our driver said, memorably, “This is their playground. They do it all the time.”
Young girls with toddlers hand in hand or on their shoulders walked among cars at traffic lights, tapping on windows, begging for money. We just ignored them. Would anything I give them make a difference to their situation? And if you give money, you are literally swarmed in seconds by outstretched hands. Even the church leaders in Manila ran stories in the papers about how people should give the children food, not money, because the money just goes to their gang leaders. Begging and poverty is a different kind of racket in Manila—at least one I hadn’t encountered before.
Back at home in Guam, I’m relieved to be in my home. Not so relieved with all the work to be done in the short time available, but grateful to be in territory that makes sense, that feels less class divided than the Philippines. Money seems to have a greater currency in the Philippines. People there are willing to do a lot for money, and the cost of material goods is less than in America. I feel guilty being in a higher economic class than the locals in their own country, but it’s obvious why so many Americans like to go to the PI and retire.
I’m glossing so I didn’t mention the malls, the food at restaurants (hit and miss), the pro b-ball tournament we went to see (and then one of the star players we later spotted in a restaurant), the Enchanted Kingdom amusement park, and the nicely-mannered people. I’d like to think the positive attitude of the people towards me and my family wasn’t just because we were foreigners with money.
I hope this New Year brings blessings to the world, and enough healing so the poor can at least get by.
Magnolia and Lotus: 2013 WLT Notable Book in Translation
The past few months I've had my head in the sand while I worked on other projects. Social media is incredibly addictive to me. I love information--however useless it may turn out to be in my life. As much as I can't seem to quit lurking about my usual internet haunts, I did decide to cut back on posts and updates for awhile. I knew I would come back, just didn't know when.
Well, it's time to come back for some news--news I was unaware of until writing friend Yvette Moreno gave me a little nudge.
Magnolia and Lotus was listed as a Notable Book in Translation by World Literature Today. There are 75 books listed, and the weight of them appear to be fiction or non-fiction--a very nice reward to years and years of hard work. Outside of reviews, this is the first recognition I've received for my translation work in America (besides publication in US journals, of course). Shocked and happy to learn of this.
See details of the listing here:
http://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/w...
Yvette asked me what my next project is, and I thought this forum best suited to try to explain.
What I'm trying to get published now is a book currently titled An Homage to Green Tea by Ch'oui. Ch'oui was a Korean Buddhist monk who lived in the 19th century. Long story short, he was an expert on Korean green tea and wrote two literary pieces on the subject: "The Divine Life of Tea" (Tashinjon) and "A Poem for Green Tea" (Tongdasong). An Homage to Green Tea collects both these pieces into a single volume. The translation and publication is supported by a grant from the Korea Literature Translation Institute and a grant from the Pusan Community Culture Fund.
This book is a little different from other book projects I have been involved with for a number of reasons. First, I'd like the book to be illustrated. If you click on this file, you can see some excerpted pages from the manuscript, illustrated by the "always delivers" David Angstead and his partner for this project, Stephen Doyle:
http://jungpulenmae.typepad.com/blog/...
I think they've done an outstanding job and really get what this book is and how it could be presented. I'm very grateful to be able to work with them.
I'm almost ready to send out everything. There are two book companies who have expressed interest in this project so I need to send them what I have soon. Problem is, I have never done a book proposal on the scale of this project.
The concept behind this book is a national level marketing campaign funded by a large foundation in Korea (not KLTI). The idea is to go to major cities across America and have each reading be a cultural event. The events would include readings from An Homage to Green Tea, a tea ceremony done by children, possibly Korean dance and music, definitely samplings of Korean tea, tea snacks, and maybe some products from Asia that are made with the green tea leaf but unavailable in the US. There's also a group interested in catering the events with free Korean food. I'm hoping to have first proposals in the mail before Christmas--maybe by this coming weekend if I'm lucky.
One final note: I just learned my co-translations of Hyesim and Nansorhon are live at Loch Raven Review. You can see them here:
http://thelochravenreview.net/hyesim-...
Many thanks to Danuta E. Kosk-Kosicka, Translations Editor for LRR. She worked closely and painstakingly with me to get the submission right. She was wonderful and patient, and I'm glad to have my translations appear there.
Well, it's time to come back for some news--news I was unaware of until writing friend Yvette Moreno gave me a little nudge.
Magnolia and Lotus was listed as a Notable Book in Translation by World Literature Today. There are 75 books listed, and the weight of them appear to be fiction or non-fiction--a very nice reward to years and years of hard work. Outside of reviews, this is the first recognition I've received for my translation work in America (besides publication in US journals, of course). Shocked and happy to learn of this.
See details of the listing here:
http://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/w...
Yvette asked me what my next project is, and I thought this forum best suited to try to explain.
What I'm trying to get published now is a book currently titled An Homage to Green Tea by Ch'oui. Ch'oui was a Korean Buddhist monk who lived in the 19th century. Long story short, he was an expert on Korean green tea and wrote two literary pieces on the subject: "The Divine Life of Tea" (Tashinjon) and "A Poem for Green Tea" (Tongdasong). An Homage to Green Tea collects both these pieces into a single volume. The translation and publication is supported by a grant from the Korea Literature Translation Institute and a grant from the Pusan Community Culture Fund.
This book is a little different from other book projects I have been involved with for a number of reasons. First, I'd like the book to be illustrated. If you click on this file, you can see some excerpted pages from the manuscript, illustrated by the "always delivers" David Angstead and his partner for this project, Stephen Doyle:
http://jungpulenmae.typepad.com/blog/...
I think they've done an outstanding job and really get what this book is and how it could be presented. I'm very grateful to be able to work with them.
I'm almost ready to send out everything. There are two book companies who have expressed interest in this project so I need to send them what I have soon. Problem is, I have never done a book proposal on the scale of this project.
The concept behind this book is a national level marketing campaign funded by a large foundation in Korea (not KLTI). The idea is to go to major cities across America and have each reading be a cultural event. The events would include readings from An Homage to Green Tea, a tea ceremony done by children, possibly Korean dance and music, definitely samplings of Korean tea, tea snacks, and maybe some products from Asia that are made with the green tea leaf but unavailable in the US. There's also a group interested in catering the events with free Korean food. I'm hoping to have first proposals in the mail before Christmas--maybe by this coming weekend if I'm lucky.
One final note: I just learned my co-translations of Hyesim and Nansorhon are live at Loch Raven Review. You can see them here:
http://thelochravenreview.net/hyesim-...
Many thanks to Danuta E. Kosk-Kosicka, Translations Editor for LRR. She worked closely and painstakingly with me to get the submission right. She was wonderful and patient, and I'm glad to have my translations appear there.
October 12, 2013
Journey of Spirit/October (mini) Virtual Tour
Just a brief update before some much needed relaxing. Summer of 2012 I was approached to help translate a Korean monk's blog. This particular monk ("Sunim" as he is affectionately called here in the Americas) is on a personal pilgrimmage, traveling from Canada to the tip of South America. Recently Sunim reached the southern tip of South America, so in many ways the purpose of his pilgrimmage has been completed. You can find a Facebook page with regular updates on his journey here:
https://www.facebook.com/JourneyOfSpirit
The English translations of sunim's Korean blog entries sort of fizzled for reasons beyond my control. It's always bothered me because it was a project I had an interest in and it was a way to bring people together through translation work--always a good thing in my book. This past summer I assembled a new team to help translate Sunim's Korean blog entries. It's been going ok. The blog is currently being redesigned and all the posts we've been able to translate to date should be posted within the next couple of weeks.
Hopefully I'll be able to keep a team together so that this work may continue. It's a daunting task though. Sunim's early entries were fairly voluminous; his April 2012 entries alone total over 60 pages of pictures and commentary. Check out English translations of Sunim's Korean blog entries as well as the English blog we have made to record Sunim's journeys:
http://sunimsjourneyofspirit.blogspot...
In other news, I have a mini virtual tour for Magnolia and Lotus running through the month of October. This past week I blogged at Literarily Speaking on slush piles and how beginning writers can deal with them. Find my blog post:
http://literarilyspeaking.net/2013/10...
https://www.facebook.com/JourneyOfSpirit
The English translations of sunim's Korean blog entries sort of fizzled for reasons beyond my control. It's always bothered me because it was a project I had an interest in and it was a way to bring people together through translation work--always a good thing in my book. This past summer I assembled a new team to help translate Sunim's Korean blog entries. It's been going ok. The blog is currently being redesigned and all the posts we've been able to translate to date should be posted within the next couple of weeks.
Hopefully I'll be able to keep a team together so that this work may continue. It's a daunting task though. Sunim's early entries were fairly voluminous; his April 2012 entries alone total over 60 pages of pictures and commentary. Check out English translations of Sunim's Korean blog entries as well as the English blog we have made to record Sunim's journeys:
http://sunimsjourneyofspirit.blogspot...
In other news, I have a mini virtual tour for Magnolia and Lotus running through the month of October. This past week I blogged at Literarily Speaking on slush piles and how beginning writers can deal with them. Find my blog post:
http://literarilyspeaking.net/2013/10...
September 28, 2013
Magnolia and Lotus: A Poem Set to Music
Composer Eun Young Lee, inspired by one of the poems in Magnolia and Lotus, set it to music. I can’t upload music files to Goodreads, but I was able to post the file at my blog. Check out details and the music here:
http://jungpulenmae.typepad.com/blog/...
http://jungpulenmae.typepad.com/blog/...
September 23, 2013
Wellesley Composers Conference/Moving Across Guam
Since I arrived in Guam, as always, it has been a whirlwind. Within a week of arriving on island we were pressured to move out of our house. This wasn't so bad in and of itself for reasons I will keep offline, and after exploring the other options made available to us, being forced to move out has (so far) been a tremendous blessing. We've moved into a better house with a much better view, among other things. Go here for a shot of dawn about 5 yards off my front lawn:
http://jungpulenmae.typepad.com/blog/...
We are all much happier with our new house. The way things occurred it felt like a grand divine plan. In any case, the last 3-4 weeks have been an involved process of packing and unpacking as we traversed and transposed from the southern part of Guam to the northern.
Unpacking has been a challenging but fun process. There are things we've had packed away for 5-10 years. Projects I laid the foundation for but completely forgot about. Pictures, books, papers, ideas--our new house is large enough to accommodate and organize everything. Feels like I'm living and exploring my life and ideas for the first time in quite a long time. Now that I have the space to get a grip on everything, it's been a pleasure thinking about the next project I will commence.
Having said that, this past weekend I had personally decided to forget my internet footprint for the next few months at least. The plan is to concentrate on writing. There's a lot of good writing work I'd like to do and for the first time in 4-5 years I feel like I can get to it and be productive.
Magnolia and Lotus, however, continues to blossom. Composer Eun-young Lee set one of the translations from Magnolia and Lotus to music. Eun-young was one of the composers at the recent Wellesley Composers Conference and Chamber Music Center, and the composition was made for that conference's competition. She recently sent me a file of the composition she made and it is inspirational. As an artist, I love collaboration and being able to cross artistic disciplines in this manner is something I'm grateful for. Thank you Eun-young. :)
Out of respect for the work of the musicians and composer, I'm still working out how to post the file to protect the copyright of all concerned. Hopefully in the next few days I will have the kinks of that worked out.
http://jungpulenmae.typepad.com/blog/...
We are all much happier with our new house. The way things occurred it felt like a grand divine plan. In any case, the last 3-4 weeks have been an involved process of packing and unpacking as we traversed and transposed from the southern part of Guam to the northern.
Unpacking has been a challenging but fun process. There are things we've had packed away for 5-10 years. Projects I laid the foundation for but completely forgot about. Pictures, books, papers, ideas--our new house is large enough to accommodate and organize everything. Feels like I'm living and exploring my life and ideas for the first time in quite a long time. Now that I have the space to get a grip on everything, it's been a pleasure thinking about the next project I will commence.
Having said that, this past weekend I had personally decided to forget my internet footprint for the next few months at least. The plan is to concentrate on writing. There's a lot of good writing work I'd like to do and for the first time in 4-5 years I feel like I can get to it and be productive.
Magnolia and Lotus, however, continues to blossom. Composer Eun-young Lee set one of the translations from Magnolia and Lotus to music. Eun-young was one of the composers at the recent Wellesley Composers Conference and Chamber Music Center, and the composition was made for that conference's competition. She recently sent me a file of the composition she made and it is inspirational. As an artist, I love collaboration and being able to cross artistic disciplines in this manner is something I'm grateful for. Thank you Eun-young. :)
Out of respect for the work of the musicians and composer, I'm still working out how to post the file to protect the copyright of all concerned. Hopefully in the next few days I will have the kinks of that worked out.
August 23, 2013
Back in Guam/Updates
I made it back to Guam last weekend. Still not fully recovered from jet lag, which is not a bad thing. I like being forced by drowsiness to go to bed early and then wake up early. Feels like a positive natural living routine and it's good for meditation.
I finished My Korean Deli by Ben Ryder Howe. I felt a kinship with Howe having worked in convenience stores, being married to a Korean woman, and also working in the field of literature. I enjoyed his plain-spoken writing style, but also the elevated diction that goes with someone who writes or works with literature. Also an exaggerated sense of comic proportions; it's a fun read.
I've just picked up Water-Rites by writing friend Ann E Michael. I'm a little surprised by the book so far. It has a different range of poems in it than I expected. I thought Water-Rites would have some of her earlier more lyric poems in it, so the book is coming together in ways I hadn't imagined. Which is good for readers of Ann because I can personally guarantee she has a whole bunch of other poems out there ready for publication. Go Ann!
As for me, it has been a time of travels and juggling activities. This summer was incredible with vacation trips to Michigan's Upper Penninsula and Washington DC. Consulting took me to Ithaca, NY, Baltimore, NYC, Providence, and Boston. I forget the highway but the corridor (if I can call it that) from Ithaca through south eastern Pennsylvania on to Baltimore/DC is gorgeous and looks to somehow be fairly remote. Several "time stop" small towns along the way. When I see America like this I often wish I could live in these communities or my children could. I see first hand that--by appearances anyway--community bastions remain in America and our country has not become one giant Walmart. In fact, come to think of it, most of the places I went were very local. When I did want the services of a place like Walmart I really had to do some searching. Hmmmmmm.
The virtual tour wraps up next week. I'll have a summary of stops and some initial final thoughts on my experience with it next week. Unless of course I am in the throws of packing...looks like I will be moving to the northern part of Guam in the hopefully not too distant future. The new location will be good for us though I am sure, so I am looking forward to it.My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store Water-Rites
I finished My Korean Deli by Ben Ryder Howe. I felt a kinship with Howe having worked in convenience stores, being married to a Korean woman, and also working in the field of literature. I enjoyed his plain-spoken writing style, but also the elevated diction that goes with someone who writes or works with literature. Also an exaggerated sense of comic proportions; it's a fun read.
I've just picked up Water-Rites by writing friend Ann E Michael. I'm a little surprised by the book so far. It has a different range of poems in it than I expected. I thought Water-Rites would have some of her earlier more lyric poems in it, so the book is coming together in ways I hadn't imagined. Which is good for readers of Ann because I can personally guarantee she has a whole bunch of other poems out there ready for publication. Go Ann!
As for me, it has been a time of travels and juggling activities. This summer was incredible with vacation trips to Michigan's Upper Penninsula and Washington DC. Consulting took me to Ithaca, NY, Baltimore, NYC, Providence, and Boston. I forget the highway but the corridor (if I can call it that) from Ithaca through south eastern Pennsylvania on to Baltimore/DC is gorgeous and looks to somehow be fairly remote. Several "time stop" small towns along the way. When I see America like this I often wish I could live in these communities or my children could. I see first hand that--by appearances anyway--community bastions remain in America and our country has not become one giant Walmart. In fact, come to think of it, most of the places I went were very local. When I did want the services of a place like Walmart I really had to do some searching. Hmmmmmm.
The virtual tour wraps up next week. I'll have a summary of stops and some initial final thoughts on my experience with it next week. Unless of course I am in the throws of packing...looks like I will be moving to the northern part of Guam in the hopefully not too distant future. The new location will be good for us though I am sure, so I am looking forward to it.My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store Water-Rites
August 9, 2013
Promotional Giveaway
There's another giveaway running at My Cozie Corner. A nice review and excerpts from the book are included here:
http://coziecorner.blogspot.com/2013/...
http://coziecorner.blogspot.com/2013/...
August 8, 2013
Virtual Tour Giveaway for Magnolia and Lotus
Last July, more than 600 people entered the Goodreads giveaway to win a free copy of Magnolia and Lotus, my new book of poetry in translation. Only 25 books were given away, so a lot of people missed out. I've even received emails requesting if there would be another giveaway or some other means to get a free book.
The virtual tour rolls on and as part of the tour there will be several other giveaways. The ones coming up, however, are not hosted by Goodreads, but by blogs. Melissa's Midnight Musings is one of those blogs.
Check out Melissa's review and how to enter the giveaway here:
http://midnight-orchids.blogspot.com/...
The virtual tour rolls on and as part of the tour there will be several other giveaways. The ones coming up, however, are not hosted by Goodreads, but by blogs. Melissa's Midnight Musings is one of those blogs.
Check out Melissa's review and how to enter the giveaway here:
http://midnight-orchids.blogspot.com/...
