Story of Hong Gildong | 
Our Korean meal was Ojingeo Bokkeum (Korean Spicy Stir-fried Squid), Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim), and kimchi from lidl (not buying it again - it was bland and seemed cooked, for some reason?) Will make everything again.
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I finished the Story of Hong Gildong, a classic tale first written by anonymous Korean authors in the 19th c. It relates the woes, adventures and rise to power of the son of a high-born minister and his lowly concubine. The story was very interesting for its cultural/historical insights (Kang Minsoo's translation, notes and introduction are invaluable), but I can't say I was taken by Hong Gildong as a hero.
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I am all set for #FoodandLit in #SouthKorea in March! And in #Venezuela in April 😁
I must say the animé-type illustration on the cover of a classic work is rather disconcerting, but then the hero is compared to Robin Hood, and I can think of plenty of cartoon representations of him, so...
@Catsandbooks @Texreader
pickThis classic work of Korean fiction tells the story of the brilliant & talented but illegitimate son of a government official. Dismayed by his status, which means he can‘t address his father or brother as such, Hong Gildong leaves home. Thus begins a wonderful tale of adventure filled with magic, bandits, fame and glory, military prowess & much more. The introduction provides some great background on the origin & intent of the tale. A good read.
Going with a book regarded as a classic of Korean fiction for my next read…
I grew up watching Korean tv and listening to what is now called kpop. But I know so little about Korean history. I'm trying to fix that and I'm looking for books on folk tales and #mythology. Just came across this one. Apparently it's a Robin Hood type of story that is very well known and I've never heard of it! This version was just published by Penguin Classics last year. #aprilbookshowers @RealLifeReading
Shhh... spoilers! Don't tell me what this page says. I only read the intro and note on translation yesterday. I'm looking forward to reading more during my lunch break a little bit later. 😆 #page24ofcurrentread #readjanuary
I've sadly been lax in the #readjanuary challenge the last few days... and I'll eventually catch up on what I missed. I'm back in the game today with #bookandasnack - taking a short break at work 😁
Friday night game strong with a new translation of a Korean classic.
My spring of Korean authors continues with a bit of old school. Hong Gildong is as ubiquitous as Daniel Boone in Korea and also serves as the Korean version of John Doe.
