Yalu Flows: A Korean Childhood [Hardcover]

Mirok Li (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1987 | ISBN-10: 0930878752 | ISBN-13: 978-0930878757

Excerpts from The Yalu Flows are included in some high school language textbooks in Germany.

Editorial Reviews

Review

As the son of a Korean family of substance the author of this autobiographical sketch grew up, in the early years of the century, among unsettling influences from east and west. Europe, known as "West of the Ocean," supplied modern education to replace the old classics of China and Korea. From the east came Japanese troops to annex the country in a bloodless war. Mirok Li, a perceptive and receptive schoolboy, saw this political scene in terms of his day-to-day experience. The remarkable thing is that he continued to see it with the same clarity, truth and detail when came to write the story many years later in Europe, using a simple German that his translator may perhaps have improved on Mr. Hammlmann's English version, at least, is lucent calm and fully expressive of the closely felt Korean scene that stirs the reader by its blend of intimacy and remoteness. Mirok Li, with a sequel on his European impacts barely started, died in Bavaria in 1950. But the little book he has left us is a work of finished and haunting art that conveys a spiritual repose beneath the unrest and progress of his period. --Times Literary Supplement

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 204 pages
• Publisher: Hollym International Corporation (June 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930878752
• ISBN-13: 978-0930878757
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,765,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, May 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Yalu Flows: A Korean Childhood (Hardcover)

This book was originally witten in German by Mi-rok Li after he was exiled in Germany to escape persecution from the Japanese for having taken part in student demonstration between 1910 - 1945 Korea. I haven't read it in German but its passages are beautifully written in both English and Korean. Li masterfully depicts the transition between the traditional Korea and the start of Japanese occupation in 1910. This book is a portrayal of what once was in the old Korea seen through the eyes of the author as a child up until he becomes a young man having to face the harsh consequences of a country's fate. Reading this book will be a unique experience for anyone. My favorite book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another world, November 25, 2004

By 

Peter (Vestal, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yalu Flows: A Korean Childhood (Hardcover)

In simple, lucid prose Mirok Li brings his readers into the idyllic yet also vibrant world of his childhood and youth. Through carefully chosen words he conveys to the reader the beautiful dream of his past: Korea, his home, his family, and his friends; his aspirations, fears, longings, sadnesses and joys.

This book is written in a calm, at times lyrical style that is soothing to read.