Yi Kwang-su (1892-1950) was one of the pioneers of modern Korean literature. When the serialization of Mujông (The Heartless) began in 1917, it was an immediate sensation, and it occupies a prominent place in the Korean literary canon. The Heartless is the story of a love triangle among three youths during the Japanese occupation. Yi Hyông-sik is a young man in his mid-twenties who is teaching English at a middle school in Seoul. Brilliant but also shy and indecisive, he is torn between two women. Kim Sôn-hyông is from a wealthy Christian family; she has just graduated from a modern, Western-style school and is planning on continuing her studies in the United States. Pak Yông-ch'ae is a musically gifted young woman who was raised in a traditional Confucian manner; due to family misfortune, she has become a kisaeng but remains devoted to Hyông-sik whom she knew as a child. The Heartless goes beyond the level of romantic melodrama and uses these characters to depict Korea's struggles with modern culture and national identity.A long critical introduction discusses Yi Kwang-su's life and work from his birth in 1892 to the publication of his first novel The Heartless in 1917. It contains in-depth analyses of the novel, Yi Kwang-su's literary theory, and early short stories.

Yi Kwang-su (1892-1950) was one of the pioneers of modern Korean literature. When the serialization of Mujông (The Heartless) began in 1917, it was an immediate sensation, and it occupies a prominent place in the Korean literary canon. The Heartless is the story of a love triangle among three youths during the Japanese occupation. Yi Hyông-sik is a young man in his mid-twenties who is teaching English at a middle school in Seoul. Brilliant but also shy and indecisive, he is torn between two women. Kim Sôn-hyông is from a wealthy Christian family; she has just graduated from a modern, Western-style school and is planning on continuing her studies in the United States. Pak Yông-ch'ae is a musically gifted young woman who was raised in a traditional Confucian manner; due to family misfortune, she has become a kisaeng but remains devoted to Hyông-sik whom she knew as a child. The Heartless goes beyond the level of romantic melodrama and uses these characters to depict Korea's struggles with modern culture and national identity.A long critical introduction discusses Yi Kwang-su's life and work from his birth in 1892 to the publication of his first novel The Heartless in 1917. It contains in-depth analyses of the novel, Yi Kwang-su's literary theory, and early short stories.

Since its original publication in 1993, this powerful collection has served as a vivid gateway to the history, society, and culture of contemporary South Korea, reflecting the poignant motif of exile in Korea's experience of modernity. This new edition has been expanded to include four new stories--Scarlet Fingernails (1987) by Kim Minsuk; The Last of Hanak'o (1992) by Ch'oe Yun, one of Korea's most important living writers; Conviction (2003) by Ch'oe Such'ol; and From Powder to Powder (2004) by Kim Hun--adding two important women's voices and extending the anthology's range into the new millennium. None of the stories in this expanded edition remains in print in any other volume, and Conviction and From Powder to Powder appear here in English for the first time.

Bharatvarsha, Land Of The Aryas: 272 BC Bindusar, the second Samrat Chakravartin of all the Aryas, rules the Indian sub-continent from his capital, Patliputra. Fifty years previously, his father, Chandragupta Maurya, had laid the foundations of this vast Samrajya, guided by the famed Guru, Arya Chanakya. But the pinnacle of the Empire’s wealth and glory has now passed… As the Samrat’s health declines due to .a mysterious illness, problems and factions, in-fighting and rebellion, raise their heads across his realm. There is no clear successor as the ninety-nine sons of Bindusar vie to ascend the throne. Bharatvarsha waits for a warrior-king to rise up and lead the Empire once again. Can young Prince Asoka, least favoured of Bindusar’s sons, take on his grandfather’s mantle? Can Radhagupta, a mere Councillor at Court, be the inspiration Chanakya was to his Emperor and his people? Book I of the epic Asoka Trilogy revolves around the haunting question: Who will be the next Samrat of the revered land of the Aryas? The first book of this riveting narrative captures the decline of a golden age, the upsurge of greed and chaos, the dark aspirations of royal heirs, and the dramatic events in the remarkable life of a man of destiny.

Tan Ta Sen has modestly suggested that, as a book to illustrate the peaceful impact of culture contact, he is concerned to show how such cultural influences not only led to transmissions, conversions and transferences involving Inner Asian Muslims from China and Yunnan Muslims, Chams, Javanese, Malays, Arabs and Indians, but also enabled many Chinese in the Malay world to retain their non-Muslim cultural traits. In placing Cheng Ho's voyages in this context, the author offers a fresh perspective on a momentous set of events in Chinese maritime history. - Professor Wang Gungwu, National University of Singapore Tan Ta Sen's book on Cheng Ho and Islam in Southeast Asia is not the first one on the subject, but it is the first book that puts Cheng Hos voyages in the larger context of "culture contact" in China and beyond. He has garnered numerous sources, from published documents to architectural sites and buildings, to support his arguments. He has done much more than previous scholars writing on this subject. - Professor Leo Suryadinata, Chinese Heritage Centre (Singapore) This long-awaited book is welcomed by the academic community ... Tan Ta Sen has used historical facts to strengthen the argument on the existence of the "Third Wave", i.e. "the Chinese Wave", in the spread of Islam in the Southeast Asian region. Until now, we only know two major waves, i.e. the India-Gujarat Wave and the Middle East Wave through the development of trade relations. - Professor A. Dahana, University of Indonesia (Jakarta)

This book offers new insight on how key historical texts and events in Korea's history have contributed to the formation of the nation's collective consciousness. The work is woven around the unifying premise that particular narrative texts/events that extend back to the premodern period have remained important, albeit transformed, over the modern period and into the contemporary period. The author explores the relationship between gender and nationalism by showing how key narrative topics, such as tales of virtuous womanhood, have been employed, transformed, and re-deployed to make sense of particular national events. Connecting these narratives and historic events to contemporary Korean society, Jager reveals how these "sites" - or reference points - were also successfully re-deployed in the context of the division of Korea and the construction of Korea's modern consciousness.

Nostos (noun) (ˈnɒstɒs) a homecoming or return as a literary theme Algos (combining form) (ˈælgoʊs) the Greek word for "pain" Together these words form the English word - Nostalgia. Nostalgia is a recurring theme in one's life, there is no escaping it. It engulfs us on the daily, and we may often find ourselves in the wistful remembrance of the 'good ol' days'. This anthology explores exactly that - the personal yearning and the pain associated with returning home. Be it a place, a person, or a time in your life.

This is a comprehensive narrative history of Korean literature. It provides a wealth of information for scholars, students and lovers of literature. Combining both history and criticism the study reflects the latest scholarship and offers a systematic account of the development of all genres. Consisting of twenty-five chapters, it covers twentieth-century poetry, fiction by women and the literature of North Korea. This is a major contribution to the field and a study that will stand for many years as the primary resource for studying Korean literature.