Island Ablaze and Other Stories - by Ruth Barraclough & Jae-Yong Kim & Jin-Kyung Lee & Sang-Kyung Lee (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Island Ablaze and Other Stories is a collection of thirteen short stories dealing with the relationship between the Korean peninsula and the United States. Taken together, the stories criticize American political, economic, and military interventions and the United States' cultural and social influences on both Koreas"--

Book Synopsis

Island Ablaze and Other Stories is an anthology of thirteen stories--eleven from South Korea and two from North Korea--about these countries' complicated relationships with their most important ally and enemy: the United States. Set in times ranging from colonial Korea to the new millennium, these stories offer a look into the many ways that the US empire shapes the lives of Koreans.

In "Dawn," schoolgirl sweethearts living under Japanese colonial rule reconnect as young mothers amid celebrations of the attack on Pearl Harbor. "Till We Meet Again" addresses the adoption industry and America's treatment of Korean children following the Korean War. In the title story, a North Korean radio operator must choose between abandoning the soldier she loves or dying with him at the famous Battle of Incheon that turned the tide of the Korean War. From camp towns to sugarcane fields, missionary schools to international flights, Island Ablaze and Other Stories shows everyday Korean life in the shadow of the American empire.

About the Author

Ruth Barraclough is Korea Foundation Associate Professor in the Department of History at Columbia University.

Jae-Yong Kim is Professor of Modern Korean Literature at Wongwang University.

Jin-kyung Lee is Associate Professor of Korean Literature at the University of California, San Diego.

Sang-Kyung Lee is Professor of Modern Korean Literature at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.