[KS] Re: Imjin War Materials

[Walter K. Lew]

Gari,

I don't think there's any need to feel embarrassed.  We shd feel
embarrassed for not citing you in the first place.

Thank you for the wonderful lunch and conversation at Columbia--it was
great to see you and it warmed my heart that you were enthusiastically in
the audience for the performance.  Now it's back to attempting my final
year of courses here (I hope!) at UCLA.  I'm taking a very helpful Japanese
academic texts reading course and a seminar on Natsume Sóseki (both taught
by Michael Bourdaghs, trained at Cornell under Bret deBary and Naoki
Sakai), as well as a Buddhist texts seminar taught by Robert Buswell--the
focus is Wônhyo's commentary on the Vajrasamadhi-Sutra (Kûmgang
sammaegyông-non), which was the subject of his book, but now within the
context of readings we're doing on East Asian traditions of exegesis.  (I
look forward in particular to reading John B. Henderson's _Scripture,
Canon, and Commentary: A Comparison of Confucian and Western Exegesis_.)

I've begun talking w a university publishing house that might be willing to
do a new edition of Kang's _East Goes West_ , with (compared to the Kaya
edition) a more accurate biography and bibliography, a less offensive
cover, way less typos, a section of photos from Kang's student days and
early career, and perhaps an introductory essay (by yrs truly).  Being able
to offer the donation to the project that you mentioned might very well be
the factor that persuades the press's director to do it.  Before pursuing
negotiations any further, I wanted to make sure one last time that you can
give $3,000 to the project and whether there are any conditions or
restrictions you wish to impose on the gift, such as its timing, whether it
wd be given in one sum or installments, whether you wish to avoid public
acknowledgement of it in the book, specification of which aspect of the
editing and publishing process the gift shd be used for, etc.  Shd you be
interested, I wd welcome a preface, afterword, or backcover comment or
"blurb" by you.  I wd also like to be able to use your name and position at
Columbia in any efforts I make to raise additional moneys.  For I am
thinking that, aside from republication of _East Goes West_, maybe I cd
also pursue publication of either _The Grass Roof_ or a selected works
(including selected translations and some of his essays, letters, and book
reviews), and your name and founding gift might inspire others to give to
these (unless, of course, you feel that is only _East Goes West_ that you
wd like to contribute to).

Again, it was wonderful to see you.  As I've mentioned to you several times
before, you were my first Korean Studies professor and the narrative flow,
analytical rigor and proper imagination of your lectures have remained as
an undercurrent whenever I read Korean history.  Thank you.

Yours,
Walter K. Lew



>        It's embarrassing to have to cite one of my own efforts on Imjin
>War studies, but although a short article it comes closer to addressing
>some of the more general questions about the Imjin wars than many of the
>items posted in the last few days:
>
>        Gari Ledyard: "Confucianism and War: The Korean Security Crisis of
>1598," _The Journal of Korean Studies_ (formerly University of Washington,
>now UCLA), Vol. 6 (1988-89), pp. 81-119.
>
>Gari Ledyard

Walter K. Lew
11811 Venice Blvd.  #138
Los Angeles, CA  90066




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