‘A more narrowly defined culture-bond syndrome’: Folklorn (2021) by Angela Mi Young Hur
Folklorn is a contemporary origin story that seamlessly weaves Korean folklore within a narrative of identity, migration, and home.
Folklorn is a contemporary origin story that seamlessly weaves Korean folklore within a narrative of identity, migration, and home.
My ultimate goal here as a voracious reader is to delve right into the literary scene(s) and spaces created by Asian writers–which I’ve been missing out on all these years. Eventually, I’d like to complete a “World Bookshelf Challenge” at the end of which I will have read at least one contemporary text from each country around the world, but let’s see how this particular reading list goes.
Minae is able to move beyond all the ideologies, illusions, and the pressure to belong, which, after twenty-years liberates her. The original version of An I-Novel, published in 1995, mixes Japanese and English seamlessly, creating a literary work that reflects its narrator’s desire to find her true self. Like the novel we hold in our hands, Minae is audacious and multifaceted, and she does not fit into a box.
In a conversation I had with one of my close friends this morning, she told me that September is a month of new beginnings, but it’s also a month that can bring challenges with grief and loss. This does make sense; after all, without endings there is no new beginnings.
‘A Door Between Us’ is a poignant yet heartwarming reflection on the importance of breaking down barriers in an increasingly polarized, politicized world. It’s a contemporary novel that will remain relevant and inspiring for many decades to come.
Without a doubt, 2020 has been a testing time for all of us across the globe. Fortunately for us book lovers, the new decade has been packed with compelling debuts […]