[KS] Re: Reginald Horace Blyth

[Walter K. Lew]

I haven't read Drake's book myself (and I thoroughly trust Chuck's
judgement of it as interesting), but for a rollicking, vituperous review of
it by the early Korean American author Younghill Kang (d. 1972), see:

Younghill Kang, "China and Korea in Revolt," Rev. of _Korea of the
Japanese_, by H. B. Drake, _The Inner History of the Chinese Revolution_,
by T'ang Leang-li, and _The Spirit of the Chinese Revolution_, by A. N.
Holcombe,  _The New Republic_ 7 Jan. 1931: 224-25.

Kang also had the nerve to be the only negative critic in prominent US
periodicals of the time (roughly 1929-mid-30s) of authors like Pearl Buck,
who must have been a gracious soul, bc she often helped Kang out afterwards
once he ran afoul of the US Military Government in Korea, Rhee, red-scares
at American universities, etc.

/Walter


>Ross,
>
>Though not at Keijo U., there was a British teacher at a Korean middle
>school in Seoul in the 1920s/early 1930s who wrote an interesting memoir
>called "Korea of the Japanese", last name Drake. His book is fairly widely
>available.
>                                                      Charles
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ross King <jrpking at unixg.ubc.ca>
>To: korean-studies at mailbase.ac.uk <korean-studies at mailbase.ac.uk>
>Date: Saturday, July 15, 2000 7:37 AM
>Subject: Re: Reginald Horace Blyth
>
>
>>Hi Christine:
>>
>><snip>
>>
>>>I am attaching a skimpy and tantalizing chronology of Blyth's life;
>>...
>>>http://www.gardendigest.com/blyth.htm#Biography
>>
>><snip>
>>
>>Fascinating link! Many thanks.
>>
>>>I will check out the textbook . . .
>>
>>I found UBC's copy (of the second edition, from 1962; 1st ed. was 1950)
>>about an hour ago (I had been under the mistaken impression a few hours ago
>>that it had been lost), which only mentions on the title page that Blyth
>>was 'Formerly Professor at Keijo Imperial University', and otherwise
>>provides no information (not much to look at as a textbook, either -- more
>>of a teach-yourself-type booklet).
>>
>>Major bummer that "His home and extensive library were destroyed in a
>>bombing raid during
>>the war."
>>
>>One presumes his two daughters from his second marriage to Tomiko Blyth
>>(Nana and Harumi) are still alive, and might have preserved materials from
>>his years at Keijo Imperial University starting in 1925. It would also be
>>interesting to know what happened to his first wife, Annie Bercovitch, whom
>>he divorced in 1935.
>>
>>Does anybody know how many such non-Korean/non-Japanese professors there
>>were teaching at Keijo Imperial University?
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>Ross King
>>

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




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