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In This Earth and In That Wind
A collection of 50 vignettes of commonplace Korean life allowing the reader to draw from the daily habits, customs and events his own picture of Korean society. The author often contrasts aspects of Korean culture with that of foreign nations and draws a variety of conclusions about Korean society from these contrasts.
226 pages, Softbound
First published January 1, 1967
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September 14, 2022
These essays really reminded me of Lin Yu-tang's in style, and I guess it's good that every country has their own essayist/critique who performs some introspection in a smart, erudite way (Umberto Eco probably fulfilled that role for Italy).
The essays on the peculiarities of the Korean language are fascinating, although some of them veer into Sapir-Whorf territory (much like Lin Yu-tang did with Chinese in his writings)
The chapter comparing Napoleon to Kim Yu-shin was excellent, as was the one comparing Syngman Rhee to Hitler.
Some of these essays are out of date, but in a way that makes them even more interesting, since they are a glimpse into old Korea.
Overall well worth reading. I was given this for free by the RAS Korea and I'm very thankful for that. Otherwise I wouldn't have discovered this author, who unfortunately passed away earlier this year.
The essays on the peculiarities of the Korean language are fascinating, although some of them veer into Sapir-Whorf territory (much like Lin Yu-tang did with Chinese in his writings)
The chapter comparing Napoleon to Kim Yu-shin was excellent, as was the one comparing Syngman Rhee to Hitler.
Some of these essays are out of date, but in a way that makes them even more interesting, since they are a glimpse into old Korea.
Overall well worth reading. I was given this for free by the RAS Korea and I'm very thankful for that. Otherwise I wouldn't have discovered this author, who unfortunately passed away earlier this year.
Displaying 1 of 1 review