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Magazine
nŏmŏ Winter 2022: The Future of Korean Diaspora Literature
너머 2022 겨울호: 디아스포라 한글 문학의 미래
Diaspora Webzine nŏmŏ
November 14th, 2022, marks the first publication of Diaspora Webzine nŏmŏ.
The theme of the first issue, “The Future of Korean Diaspora Literature,” embodies nŏmŏ’s ambition to propose the future direction of and open new horizons for Korean diaspora literature.
The “nŏmŏ’s New Works” section introduces new releases from domestic and overseas Koreans, foreigners, and North Korean refugees writing from all over the world, including Korea, the US, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Türkiye.The short stories featured are Seo Su-Jin’s “Korean Night,” Lee Sook-jong’s “The Studio Above the Button Factory,” Kwak Miran’s “Ttamahawi (鱼),” and Kim German’s “In the Maze of My Childhood Memories,” presented alongside twelve poems, two each from Gim Si-jong, Kwak Sang-hee, An Hee-yeon, Jeon Eun-joo, Jeon Hee-jin, and Ha Jongo.Also available is a collection of four essays, consisting of Lee Sung-sook’s “A Bit of Miscommunication,” Yoo Jae-won’s “Renting in High Heaven,” Goksel Turkozu’s “Hassan the Fruit-Selling Syrian,” and Kim Jung-ae’s “Americano."
The “nŏmŏ’s Perspectives” section highlights the life and spirit of diaspora literature through a variety of featured attractions.The “Deep Reading the Diaspora” section examines Maps by the Somali writer Nuruddin Farah, Jini’s Puzzle by the Japanese writer Shiru Che, and five poems by Park Namsoo, an emigrant to the US, in depth through the lens of literary criticism. “Diaspora Scenes” offers vivid travel journals by the Korean Literature Society of America, while “K-Culture Reviews” provides famous pop music critic Im Jin-mo’s analysis of the key factors of K-Pop’s success.
This issue’s “Photostory” captures the scenery of Dandong, “Writers Crossing Boundaries” the life of German writer Yi Mi-Ruk, who carved out a place in the literary canon.The “Special Feature” section offers expert analyses of the present state and future prospects of diaspora writing by region through four papers presented at the 2022 Korean Diaspora Literature and Anthropogeography academic conference co-hosted with the International Association for Literature of Korean Residents Abroad last July.
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Magazine
KLN Autumn 2022: In Search of Lost Hope
KLN 2022 가을호: 잃어버린 희망을 찾아서
Korean Literature Now Autumn 2022 (Vol.57)
The topic of Autumn 2022 issue of KLN is “In Search of Lost Hope.”
Discussing the disconnect between Korean society and hope as perceived in the narratives of modern literature, we speculate on the current state of Korean literature.The Featured Writer section presents an interview with poet Lee Sumyeong, an analytic essay on her work, and ten of her poems, including selections from her collection City Gas.In Cover Feature section, three essays explore how Korean literature looks at and portrays hope. At a time when the dark clouds of pandemic, war, climate change, and inflation loom over us, hope is what will get us through.Bookmark section introduces two short stories in their entirety, Cheon Un-yeong’s “Half of Half of Half” and Wi Soo Jung’s “Landscapes and Love” and four poems by Yoo Heekyoung and Baek Eunsun,The English translation of the classic The Story of Jeon Unchi also introduced in Inkstone section.And finally, Reviews section, where we take a look at several exciting new titles, including a rare Amharic translation of a Korean classic.
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Magazine
KLN Summer 2022: Polarizing Properties_The Story of Real Estate in Korean Lit
KLN 2022 여름호: 부동산 시장을 통해 바라본 양극화 문제
Korean Literature Now Summer 2022 (Vol.56)
The topic of the Summer 2022 issue of KLN is ‘Polarizing Properties: The Story of Real Estate in Korean Lit’.We examine how Korean literature unravels the issues surrounding real estate, which have always been closely intertwined with their sociopolitical context, for a century.Experience the poetic world of our Featured Writer Kim Seung-hee through an interview with her, an analysis of her work, and ten of her poems, including selections from her collection The Truthful Human of Pickled Radish and Bacon.In Cover Feature, where we carry long-form essays that explore the theme in detail, you can read stories about the polarization in society as seen through real estate narratives in Korean literature.From Issue 56 onward the Bookmark section, our dedicated literary showcase, will be newly expanded and restructured to feature works by various young writers active in the current Korean literary scene, such as entire short stories by Kim, Mella and Jung Jidon, and poems by Heo Yeon and Eugene Mok.The intersection was also overhauled, moving away from keyword introductions into the direction of printing full works: this issue will feature the English translation of A Thorn Hairpin Romance: The Wang Sibung giu gi.And finally, the Reviews section, where we take a look at several exciting new titles, including a rare Amharic translation of a Korean classic.
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Magazine
KLN Spring 2022: The Female Family Tree
KLN 2022 봄호: 여성가계도
Korean Literature Now Spring 2022 (Vol.55)
The topic of the Spring 2022 issue of KLN is ‘The Female Family Tree’ In Featured Writer section, adding an essay by the writer and an analysis of their work to our usual offerings of interviews and excerpts, we have a multifaceted spotlight on Kim Soom in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of her literary debut. Get to know Kim Soom’s “The Man Who Touches Waves” here! Meanwhile Introducing works related to the concept of the female family tree, the Special Section recalls the memories of specific histories connecting one woman to another through the novels of Hwang Jungeun, Choi Eunyoung, and Chung Serang. And Inkstone, which presents aspects of our traditional culture, introduces foreign readers to the royal culture of Joseon through explanations of the royal palace and its court ladies. You can find the full text of Lee Misang’s “When a Woman Subways” under Bookmark. And finally, the Reviews section, where we take a look at several exciting new titles, including a rare Amharic translation of a Korean classic.
