Skip to main content
University of California Press
Cart(opens in new window)
Download Cover Image(opens in new window)Google Books Preview(opens in new window)
Publishing Services

Zainichi Literature

Japanese Writings by Ethnic Koreans
by John Lie (Editor)
Paperback eBook
Price: $25.00 / £21.00
Publication Date: Dec 2018
Publisher:
Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California Berkeley
Imprint: Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California Berkeley
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 216
ISBN: 9781557291806
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Series:
  • Transnational Korea
Request an Exam or Desk Copy(opens in new window)RightsLink(opens in new window)
Recommend to your Library (PDF)(opens in new window)Rights and Permissions

About the Book

This collection of translated works highlights a selection of writings in translation by Zainichi (diasporic Koreans in Japan). The introduction provides an historical overview of Zainichi diasporic identity; the concluding appendix considers the figure of Kin Kakuei and the flourishing Zainichi literature in the 1960s. Authors whose works are translated and appear in this volume include: Kim Saryang, Kim Talsu, Yang Sogil, Lee Jungja, Won Soo-il, Oka Masafumi, and Yu Miri.

About the Author

John Lie (pronounced "Lee") is professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He studies Korean diasporic trajectories and rethinks the categories of modern peoplehood. His recent works include Zainichi (Koreans in Japan): Diasporic Nationalism and Postcolonial Identity (UC Press, 2008) and an edited volume, Multiethnic Korea? Multiculturalism, Migration, and Peoplehood Diversity in Contemporary South Korea (IEAS, 2015). Education: A.B. in Social Studies, Harvard University; Ph.D. in Sociology, Harvard University

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Contributors ix

Introduction 1
John Lie

 1. Two Essays: “Letter to Mother” and “Colonial Koreans and Peninsulars” 25
Kim Saryang, translated by Nayoung Aimee Kwon

 2. Trash 35
Kim Talsu, translated by Christina Yi

 3. In Shinjuku 55
Yang Sogil, translated by Samuel Perry

 4. Selected Poems from Nagune Taryong: Eternal Traveler  67
Lee Jungja, translated by Haeng-ja Chung

 5. Lee-kun’s Blues 121
Won Soo-il, translated by Nathaniel Heneghan

 6. Selected Poems from I Am Twelve  139
Oka Masafumi, translated by Youngmi Lim

 7. Specimens of Families 165
Yu Miri, translated by Abbie (Miyabi) Yamamoto
 
Appendix 183
John Lie

Reviews

"No longer a postcolonial phenomenon, these samples of Zainichi literature strike universal chords about the need to create and believe in a home, a sentiment wistfully rendered in 'Nagune Taryong: Eternal Traveler,' a collection of tanka poems by Lee Jungja: 'On the verge of my wandering heart/ I attempt to love/ Japan’s wind.'"—Nicolas Gattig, The Japan Times.