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Not knowing whether word is out and around, I wanted to bring to the
attention of the list a new Korean history, <u>Everlasting Flower, A
History of Korea</u> by Keith Pratt. I got wind of it rather close to
the start of the semester, asked for an examination copy, and had
enough of a look to order it for my course this fall. It would be good
to have some historians' comments in this circle of friends and
colleagues, but from my perspective, from the literary/cultural side of
things the book seems to have many virtues: among them, an uncluttered
narrative, with a reasonable amount of detail; consistent reference to
contemporary issues and/or reflections of the historical (The Chang
Pogo Foundation, for example); and a series of two-page Picture Essays,
examples of Korean material culture, ranging from the Emille bell to
Song Shiyôp's "The Sound of Creation," a "<i>juche</i> realist painting
from 1998, with interpretive commentary.<br>
<br>
David McCann<br>
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