These nine stories span half a century of contemporary writing in Korea
(1970s-2010s), bringing together some of the most famous
twentieth-century women writers with a new generation of young, bold
voices. Their work explores a world not often seen in the West, taking
us into the homes, families, lives and psyches of Korean women, men, and
children.
In the earliest of the stories, Pak Wan-so, considered the elder
stateswoman of contemporary Korean fiction, opens the door into two
Identical Apartments where sisters-in-law, bound as much by competition
as love, struggle to live with their noisy, extended families. O
Chong-hui, who has been compared to Joyce Carol Oates and Alice Munro,
examines a day in the life of a woman after she is released from a
mental institution, while younger writers, such as Kim Sagwa, Han Yujoo
and Ch'on Un-yong explore violence, biracial childhood, and literary
experimentation. These stories will sometimes disturb and sometimes
delight, as they illuminate complex issues in Korean life and
literature.
Internationally acclaimed translators Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton have won
several awards and fellowships for the numerous works of Korean
literature they have translated into English.
Featuring these authors and stories:
Pak Wan-so: Identical Apartments Kim Chi-won: Almaden So Yong-un: Dear
Distant Love O Chong-hui: Wayfarer Kong Son-ok: The Flowering of Our
Lives Kim Ae-ran: The Future of Silence Han Yujoo: I Am the Scribe--Or
Am I Kim Sagwa: Today Is One of Those
The-More-You-Move-the-Stranger-It-Gets Days, and It's Simply Amazing
Ch'on Un-yong: Ali Skips Rope
