Korean-American Writers List
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Dear READER, Winter/Spring 2021 SQUARE BOOKS TOP 100 of 2020 to Understate It—2020 Was Not Square Books’ Best Year
Dear READER, Winter/Spring 2021 SQUARE BOOKS TOP 100 OF 2020 To understate it—2020 was not Square Books’ best year. Like everyone, we struggled—but we are grateful to remain in business, and that all the booksellers here are healthy. When Covid19 arrived, our foot-traffic fell precipitously, and sales with it—2020 second-quarter sales were down 52% from those of the same period in 2019. But our many loyal customers adjusted along with us as we reopened operations when we were more confident of doing business safely. The sales trend improved in the third quarter, and November/December were only slightly down compared to those two months last year. We are immensely grateful to those of you who ordered online or by phone, allowing us to ship, deliver, or hold for curbside pickup, or who waited outside our doors to enter once our visitor count was at capacity. It is only through your abiding support that Square Books remains in business, ending the year down 30% and solid footing to face the continuing challenge of Covid in 2021. And there were some very good books published, of which one hundred bestsellers we’ll mention now. (By the way, we still have signed copies of many of these books; enquire accordingly.) Many books appear on this list every year—old favorites, if you will, including three William Faulkner books: Selected Short Stories (37th on our list) which we often recommend to WF novices, The Sound and the Fury (59) and As I Lay Dying (56), as well as a notably good new biography of Faulkner by Michael Gorra, The Saddest Words: William Faulkner’s Civil War (61). -
Rhetorical Readings of Asian American Literacy Narratives
ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: ARTICULATING IDENTITIES: RHETORICAL READINGS OF ASIAN AMERICAN LITERACY NARRATIVES Linnea Marie Hasegawa, Doctor of Philosophy, 2004 Dissertation directed by: Professor Kandice Chuh Department of English This dissertation examines how Asian American writers, through what I call critical acts of literacy, discursively (re)construct the self and make claims for alternative spaces in which to articulate their identities as legitimate national subjects. I argue that using literacy as an analytic for studying certain Asian American texts directs attention to the rhetorical features of those texts thereby illuminating how authors challenge hegemonic ideologies about literacy and national identity. Analyzing the audiences and situations of these texts enriches our understanding of Asian American identity formation and the social, cultural, and political functions that these literacy narratives serve for both the authors and readers of the texts. The introduction lays the groundwork for my dissertation’s arguments and method of analysis through a reading of Theresa Cha’s Dictée. By situating readers in such a way that they are compelled to consider their own engagements with literacy and how discourses of literacy and citizenship function to reproduce dominant ideologies, Dictée advances a theoretical model for reading literacy narratives. In subsequent chapters I show how this methodology encourages a kind of reading practice that may serve to transform readers’ ideologies. Part I argues that reading the fictional autobiographies of Younghill Kang and Carlos Bulosan as literacy narratives illuminates the ways in which they simultaneously critique the contradiction between the myth of American democratic inclusion and the reality of exclusion while claiming Americanness through a demonstration of their own and their fictional alter egos’ literacies. -
How a Family Tradition Endures
SOCIETY SOCIETY Left, Min Jin Lee, in blue, and her sisters celebrate the New Year in Seoul, 1976; below, Ms. Lee’s parents, Mi Hwa Lee (left) and Boo Choon Lee, do likewise in New Jersey, 2005. MY KOREAN NEW YEAR How a family tradition endures By Min Jin Lee y finest hour as a Korean took According to Seollal tradition, a Korean has Upon the completion of a bow, we’d receive an practice of observing Jan. 1 as New Year’s Day, place on a Seollal morning, the to eat a bowl of the bone-white soup filled with elder’s blessing and money. A neighborhood when it’s called Shinjeong. Some Koreans still first day of Korean New Year’s, in coin-shaped slices of chewy rice cake in order to bowing tour to honor the elders could yield a do. Consequently the country now observes January 1976. age a year—a ritual far more appreciated early handsome purse. two different national holidays as New Year’s— I was 7 years old, and my in life. The garnishes vary by household; my My cousins and my older sister Myung Jin one on Jan. 1 and the other according to the Mfamily still lived in Seoul, where my two sisters family topped our soup with seasoned finished in a jiffy and collected their rewards. moon. When we moved to the U.S., Jan. 1 and I had been born. Seollal, the New Year’s Day shredded beef, toasted laver (thin sheets of Uncle and Aunt waited for me to bow. -
UC Santa Barbara Dissertation Template
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Diasporic Ethnopoetics Through “Han-Gook”: An Inquiry into Korean American Technicians of the Enigmatic A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature by David Hur Committee in charge: Professor Yunte Huang, co-Chair Professor Stephanie Batiste, co-Chair Professor erin Khuê Ninh Professor Sowon Park September 2020 The dissertation of David Hur is approved. ____________________________________________ erin Khuê Ninh ____________________________________________ Sowon Park ____________________________________________ Stephanie Batiste, Committee Co-Chair ____________________________________________ Yunte Huang, Committee Co-Chair September 2020 Diasporic Ethnopoetics Through “Han-Gook”: An Inquiry into Korean American Technicians of the Enigmatic Copyright © 2020 by David Hur iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This journey has been made possible with support from faculty and staff of both the Comparative Literature program and the Department of Asian American Studies. Special thanks to Catherine Nesci for providing safe passage. I would not have had the opportunities for utter trial and error without the unwavering support of my committee. Thanks to Yunte Huang, for sharing poetry in forms of life. Thanks to Stephanie Batiste, for sharing life in forms of poetry. Thanks to erin Khuê Ninh, for sharing countless virtuous lessons. And many thanks to Sowon Park, for sharing in the witnessing. Thirdly, much has been managed with a little -
Younghill Kang's East Goes West
EURAMERICA Vol. 43, No. 4 (December 2013), 753-783 © Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica http://euramerica.org Asian American Model Masculinities —Younghill Kang’s East Goes West: The Making of an Oriental Yankee Karen Kuo Asian Pacific American Studies and the School of Social Transformation Arizona State University P.O. Box 876403, Tempe, Arizona, USA E-mail: [email protected] Abstract This essay presents a comparative racial and gender analysis of masculinity and power during the post- Depression United States in a reading of Younghill Kang’s novel, East Goes West: The Making of an Oriental Yankee.1 I argue that Kang’s novel, primarily read as an immigrant story yields insight into the multiple racial and class formations of Asian and black men in the U.S. within the context of sexuality, power, labor, and the economy. Kang’s novel shows how the dominant racial paradigm of black versus white in the U.S. depends on an Asian male subject who negotiates his racialized identity within a tripartite racial system of black, white, and Asian. This racial negotiation of Asian masculinity revolves around the figure of the early Asian foreign student who receives privileges Received March 31, 2009; accepted June 5, 2013; last revised July 28, 2013 Proofreaders: Kuei-feng Hu, Chih-wei Wu, Chia-Chi Tseng 1 The first edition of the novel was published in 1937 but for the purposes of this essay, I will be referencing the 1997 edition published by Kaya Press. 754 EURAMERICA and favors by white elites and intellectuals. -
Pachinko by Min Jin
Pachinko Discussion Questions 1. The novel's opening sentence reads, "History has failed us, but no matter." What does the sentence mean, and what expectations might it establish for the reader? Why the tail end of the sentence, "but no matter"? 2. Talk about the thematic significance of the book's title. Pachinko is a sort of slot/pinball game played throughout Japan, and it's arcades are also a way for foreigners to find work and accumulate money. 3. What are the cultural differences between Korea and Japan? 4. As "Zainichi," non-Japanese, how are Koreans treated in Japan? What rules must they adhere to, and what restrictions apply to them? Author: Min Jin Lee 5. Follow-up to Questions 3 and 4: Discuss the theme of belonging, which is Originally published: pervades this novel. How does where one "belongs" tie into self-identity? February 7, 2017 Consider Mozasu and his son, Solomon. In what ways are their experiences Genre: Historical Fiction, Domestic fiction similar when it comes to national identity? How do both of them feel toward the Japanese? 6. How is World War II viewed in this novel—especially from the perspective of the various characters living in Japan? Has reading about the war through their eyes altered your own understanding of the war? 7. How would you describe Sunja and Isak. How do their differing innate talents complement one another and enable them to survive in Japan? 8. Are there particular characters you were drawn to more than others, perhaps even those who are morally compromised? If so who...and why? Author Bio • Birth: 1968, Seoul, South Korea; Raised: Borough of Queens, New York • Education: B.A., Yale University; J.D., Georgetown University • Currently: Lives in New York, NY Min Jin Lee is a Korean-American writer and author, whose work frequently deals with Korean American topics. -
Fiction Catàleg
Spring 2021 Fiction Rights Guide Creative Management 19 West 21st St. Suite 501, New York, NY 10010 / Telephone: (212) 765-6900 / E-mail: [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS THE REDSHIRT THE ALMOST QUEEN RAFT OF STARS WHITE ON WHITE THE ROCK EATERS BEND YOU TO REMAIN IMPOSTER SYNDROME NEXT SHIP HOME SURVIVE THE NIGHT WALK THE VANISHED EARTH THREE WORDS FOR GOODBYE THE MAN WHO SOLD AIR IN THE HOLY LAND NOBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY WILD CAT THE BACHELOR CHEVY IN THE HOLE THE LAST MONA LISA THE COMMUNITY BOARD IMMEDIATE FAMILY FOR THE LOVE OF THE BARD THE BODY SCOUT THE WILD ONE O, BEAUTIFUL NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED... THE UNKNOWN WOMAN OF THE SEINE MORE OF EVERYTHING ALL HER LITTLE SECRETS FLIGHT THE LIGHT PIRATE ISLANDERS GO HOME, RICKY! EXOSKELETONS CAIRO CIRCLES THE MYTHMAKERS THE REDSHIRT A Novel By Corey Sobel NA October 2020 / University Press of Kentucky Final PDF Available Shortlisted for 2020 Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize Corey Sobel challenges tenacious stereotypes in this compelling debut novel, shedding new light on the hypermasculine world of American football. The Redshirtintroduces Miles Furling, a young man who is convinced he was placed on earth to play football. Deep in the closet, he sees the sport as a means of gaining a permanent foothold in a culture that would otherwise reject him. Still, Miles’s body lags behind his ambitions, and recruiters tell him he is not big enough to com- pete at the top level. His dreams come true when a letter arrives from King College. -
Pachinko by Min Jin
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee In early 1900s Korea, prized daughter Sunja finds herself pregnant and alone, bringing shame on her family until a young minister offers to marry her and move with her to Japan, in the saga on one family bound together as their faith and identity are called into question. Why you'll like it: Family saga. Authentic. Historical. Sweeping. About the Author: Min Jin Lee's debut novel, Free Food for Millionaires, was one of the "Top 10 Novels of the Year" for The Times (London), NPR's Fresh Air, and USA Today. Her short fiction has been featured on NPR's Selected Shorts. Her writings have appeared in Nast Traveler, The Times (London), Vogue, Travel+Leisure, Wall Street Journal, New York Times Magazine, and Food & Wine. Her essays and literary criticism have been anthologized widely. She served as a columnist for the Chosun Ilbo, the leading paper of South Korea. She lives in New York with her family. Questions for Discussion 1. “History has failed us, but no matter.” How does the opening line reflect the rest of the book – and do you agree? 2. In a way, Sunja’s relationship with Isak progresses in reverse, as her pregnancy by another man brings them together and prompts Isak to propose marriage. How does Lee redefine intimacy and love with these two characters? 3. “Their eldest brother, Samoel, had been the brave one, the one who would’ve confronted the officers with audacity and grace, but Yoseb knew he was no hero….Yoseb didn’t see the point of anyone dying for his country or for some greater ideal. -
Wednesday, June 19 at 3:00 Pm Or Thursday, June 20 at 6:30
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19 AT 3:00 PM OR THURSDAY, JUNE 20 AT 6:30 PM DISCUSSION GUIDE: PACHINKO By Min Jin Lee ABOUT THE AUTHOR Min Jin Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Queens, New York. A graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, she studied history at Yale College, then received a JD from Georgetown University Law Center. Lee is currently researching and writing her third novel, which explores the role of education for Koreans around the world for her diaspora trilogy The Koreans, which includes Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko. A New York Times best seller, Pachinko was a finalist for the National Book Award and was named to more than 75 best books lists globally, including the top-10 lists of the BBC, the New York Public Library, the New York Times, and USA Today. Lee’s debut novel, Free Food for Millionaires, was a top-10 pick for NPR’s Fresh Air, the Times (London), and USA Today. Her writings about books, food, global affairs, and travel have appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, the Guardian, the New York Times Book Review, the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, the Times, the Times Literary Supplement, Travel + Leisure, Vogue, and the Wall Street Journal, and she served for three seasons as a columnist for the Chosun Ilbo, South Korea’s leading newspaper. Lee, a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow, received the 2000 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Fiction from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the 2002 William Peden Prize from the Missouri Review, and the 2004 NarrativePrize. -
Multiracial Korean American Subject Formation Along the Black-White Binary
THE MILITARY CAMPTOWN IN RETROSPECT: MULTIRACIAL KOREAN AMERICAN SUBJECT FORMATION ALONG THE BLACK-WHITE BINARY Perry Dal-nim Miller A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS December 2007 Committee: Khani Begum, Advisor Rekha Mirchandani ii ABSTRACT Khani Begum, Advisor This thesis applies theoretical approaches from the sociology of literature and Asian Americanist critique to a study of two novels by multiracial Korean American authors. I investigate themes of multiracial identity and consumption in Heinz Insu Fenkl’s Memories of My Ghost Brother and Nora Okja Keller’s Fox Girl, both set in the 1960’s and 1970’s gijichon or military camptown geography, recreational institutions established around U.S. military installations in the Republic of Korea. I trace the literary production of Korean American subjectivity along a socially constructed dichotomy of blackness and whiteness, examining the novels’ representations of cross-racial interactions in a camptown economy based on the militarized sexual labor of working-class Korean women. I conclude that Black-White binarisms are reproduced in the gijichon through the consumption practices of both American military personnel and Korean gijichon workers, and that retrospective fictional accounts of gijichon multiraciality signal a shift in artistic, scholarly, and popular conceptualizations of Korean American and Asian American group identities. iii To my father iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis coalesced with the guidance and support of many people. I am deeply thankful to the members of my thesis committee, Professor Khani Begum and Professor Rekha Mirchandani. Their expert direction, patience, and support taught me to strive toward intellectual and human growth. -
Younghill Kang and Richard Wright by Byung Sun Yu a Dissertation
America(s) in Early Twentieth Century Ethnic Minority Writing: Younghill Kang and Richard Wright By Byung Sun Yu A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnic Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Elaine Kim, Chair Professor Sau-ling Wong Professor Marcial González Fall 2013 ABSTRACT America(s) in Early Twentieth Century Ethnic Minority Writing: Younghill Kang and Richard Wright by Byung Sun Yu Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnic Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Elaine Kim, Chair In this dissertation, I explore the meanings of “America(s)” in the fictional works by early twentieth century ethnic minority writers—Younghill Kang and Richard Wright. They reveal the heterogeneity of America as opposed to the myth of America as a singular formation. I attempt to approach American racialized ethnic minority literature comparatively, to avoid the limitations of focusing on writers of one background. Comparative approaches account for the particular social, cultural, historical, political, and geographical contingencies of different ethnic groups. In the first chapter on Younghill Kang’s East Goes West, I argue that America is a reified society, which is very different from the society Kang has dreamed for a long time. Analyzing Kang’s autobiographical novel East Goes West, I employ the theoretical frame of “reification” to explore the social structure that prevents Han, Kang’s alter ego, from being accepted as an American no matter how ardently he wishes for acceptance. I argue that though he criticizes a reified American society such as rationalization, quantification, and objectification, his criticism of the society is based on an anachronistic organic romanticism. -
5 Books by 5 Women Authors Selected for This Year's
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2019 Contact: Janet Allon | [email protected] | (212) 974-4002 5 BOOKS BY 5 WOMEN AUTHORS SELECTED FOR THIS YEAR’S “ONE BOOK, ONE NEW YORK” PROGRAM Coinciding with Women’s History Month, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and BuzzFeed News celebrate a slate of women authors for country’s biggest book club. 2500 copies of the nominated books will be available in libraries throughout the five boroughs. Voting starts April 1. NEW YORK – Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment Acting Commissioner Anne del Castillo today announced the five finalists for this year’s One Book, One New York campaign, the country’s largest reading program designed to bring New Yorkers together to read the same book at the same time. Now in its third year, and in partnership with BuzzFeed Book Club, this year’s program features five acclaimed titles all written by women. The five nominated books by authors who call NYC home are: • A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza • Nilda by Nicholasa Mohr • Just Kids by Patti Smith • Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson • Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee Beginning on April 1st and continuing all throughout the month of April, New Yorkers will cast their votes at nyc.gov/onebook to determine the one book the whole city will read together. “We’re thrilled to offer books by such a diverse group of women authors for New Yorkers to read, discuss with each other, and vote on this year,” said Media and Entertainment Acting Commissioner Anne del Castillo.