Book explores handaxes from the early Paleolithic Asia

Handaxes in the Imjin BasinEdited by Yi Seon-bok(SNU Press)Many things remain a mystery about the early Paleolithic period, especially the one of East Asia. Many of the Paleolithic remains found in the region have added to such questions. Most importantly, hand axes, which had been considered some of the most significant remains of the early Paleolithic in Europe and Africa, were not found in Asia until the late 1970s.Yet as the first set of Acheulian-like hand axes were found in Korea’s Imjin R

Jan. 27, 2012

Fresh portrait of a monarch

Sure, why not. Let’s have yet another biography of Elizabeth II, this one as she’s about to mark 60 years on the throne.So what is new to justify Sally Bedell Smith’s massive “Elizabeth the Queen”? What is left to uncover, and what should be left uncovered and unknown in the life of this exemplary lady whose predetermined existence of regal obligation is yawningly unenviable, however bejeweled the box it comes in?Smith’s book answers those questions with a double yes ― yes, there are mercifully

Jan. 27, 2012

New Book

‘The Obamas’ surprisingly lacks surpriseThe Obamas By Jodi Kantor(Little, Brown) With all the headlines about Jodi Kantor’s book on Barack and Michelle Obama, the biggest surprise about it is this: There aren’t any surprises.I learned little about the Obamas or the presidency that I didn’t know or imagine, and I’m not even a passionate follower of events in Washington. Well, one thing shocked me. Can you believe the White House residence has a spotty Internet connection and only one extension of

Jan. 20, 2012

Scholar offers thought-provoking study of Korean multiculturalism

Voices of Foreign Brides: The Roots and Development of Multiculturalism in KoreaBy Kim Choong-soon(AltaMira Press)One of the stars to emerge from last year’s silver screen hit “Punch” was Jasmine Lee. The Filipino-born Korean actress and activist, who rose to prominence as a panelist on KBS TV’s multicultural show “Love in Asia,” also appeared as an immigrant in the box-office hit. Aside from the film and TV roles, Lee was appointed one of Seoul City’s first foreign civil servants last year. The

Jan. 20, 2012

Elmore Leonard’s creation is a complex hero for the modern world

Staring down a no-good, gun-toting heir to a marijuana empire in rural Kentucky who’s just thrown a dead rat at his car, Raylan Givens stands unfazed.“You know how many wanted felons have given me that look?” he says, calm as a man on a Sunday stroll. “I say a thousand I know I’m low.”Cool.Raylan Givens is one cool character, whether he’s enforcing the law as a deputy U.S. marshal in Elmore Leonard’s new novel “Raylan” or on “Justified,” the taut, moody FX series that has become a critical favor

Jan. 20, 2012

Rousseau: Geneva celebrates unloved son

GENEVA (AFP) ― Geneva once condemned Jean-Jacques Rousseau and burned his books, but is now preparing to celebrate his birth 300 years ago with pomp.The Swiss city has declared him one of its greatest citizens and a key figure of the Enlightenment.The official launch of the 300th anniversary entitled “2012 Rousseau for All” on January 19 will inaugurate an ambitious year-long programme.It will illustrate the writer’s many facets as a philosopher, thinker, teacher, musician and herbalist, who wro

Jan. 19, 2012

Book series feature Korean, Western classics

“Olje Classics,” a book series consisting of four local and Western classics. (Olje)‘Olje Classics’ sold out one day after hitting bookstore shelvesA book series consisting of four local and Western classics, published at a low-price to provide the texts to the less fortunate, sold out just one day after hitting the shelves last week.Provided by non-profit corporation Olje, the four-volume series in Korean titled “Olje Classics” includes Plato’s “The Republic,” Aristotle’s “Politics,” “Analects

Jan. 16, 2012

New Books

Last of ‘Child 44’ trilogy disappointsAgent 6By Tom Rob Smith(Hachette)There are two books fighting for attention in Tom Rob Smith’s latest novel, and the fact that one of them is fairly compelling isn’t enough to prevent “Agent 6” from becoming something of a mess. The third and final work in what has been up to this point a bracing, original series, “Agent 6” turns out to be a disappointment. It’s overcrowded with plotlines and stretches over too long of a timeline to sustain any narrative mom

Jan. 13, 2012

Ways to appreciate traditional Korean art

Special Lecture on Korean Paintings By Oh Ju-seokTranslated by Lee Subun, Cho Yoon-jung(Hollym)Of the many experts on Korean traditional art and paintings, the late scholar and author Oh Ju-seok had his own way of appreciating them. Oh believed one should “see them through the eyes of the past, and feel with the heart of the past,” while trying to imagine what the art must have meant for the people in those days.One of his popular books on Korean traditional art, “Special Lecture on Korean Paint

Jan. 13, 2012

A few words with V.I. Warshawski’s guardian angel

Thirty years ago, Sara Paretsky published a crime novel about a character that until then hadn’t really existed: the tough, wise-cracking female private investigator. “In Indemnity Only” ― an anniversary edition is due to be published this year ― she introduced the world to V.I. Warshawski, the Polish-American detective in Chicago with a law degree, a way with a gun and a taste for a stiff drink and an attractive man.“It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years,” admits Paretsky, 64, whose latest Wa

Jan. 13, 2012

Author Shin’s novel among finalists of Man Asian Literary Prize

Korean novelist Shin Kyung-sook’s latest novel was put on the shortlist of the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize, the prize’s organizing committee said on its website on Wednesday.“Please Look After Mom” is one of the seven finalists of the prize along with works by authors from such countries as India, Japan, China and Pakistan.It was the first time that a South Korean novel has been included on the prize’s shortlist.“This is a moving and structurally compelling novel which examines a single family

Jan. 11, 2012