[New Release] and Others

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park]

◆ Quarterly Parang Issue 16 = 'Quarterly Parang' revamped its format starting with issue 16 (Spring 2020). Until issue 15, it was published in a form close to a standalone book focusing on issues, but from issue 16, it is organized around new poems and reviews. The new poems section features two poems each by poets Cheon Yanghee, Kang Hyunguk, Lee Changgi, Yoon Jerim, Hong Yonghee, Kim Jungil, Lisan, Song Seungun, Lim Seungyu, Kim Jungha, Kim Junhyun, Jung Dayeon, Kang Hyebin, Kim Jiyeon, and Yoo Jihyun.

A new review section was established, featuring reviews by poet Shin Dongok (on Choi Seungcheol's 'When Gods Also Feel Loneliness Like You'), poet Lee Hyunseung (on Park Semi's 'The Probability That I Am Me'), poet Jang Seokwon (on Go Juhee's 'If Everything We Endured Is Love'), critic Lee Chan (on Kim Minjung's 'Your Place Is Small and Mine Is Big, So We Are Breaking Up'), critic Nam Seungwon (on Lee Eungyu's 'A Story Worth Whispering For a Long Time'), critic Ahn Jiyoung (on Kim Geonyoung's 'Pie'), poet Kim Geonyoung (on the creative group Ppul's 'Not a Single Line Could Forget You'), poet Jung Wooshin (on Shin Dongok's 'The Night Will Continue'), critic Jeon Younggyu (on Oh Youngmi's 'Please Give Me an Unwearable Candy'), critic Jo Daehan (on Shin Haewook's 'Immortality Without Feet'), critic Shin Sujin (on Kang Soon's 'How to Become a Happy Orange'), critic Kim Dongjin (on Kim Yurim's 'Bidirectional'), and critic Lim Jihoon (on Lee Seolbin's 'Song of the Fence').

Critic Lee Chan interprets the profound sorrow and love passionately expressed by poet Kim Suyoung in director Bong Joonho's film 'Parasite.' Lee explains that the essence of the so-called 'Bongtail' is "an honest 'confrontation' with the 'dirty traditions' we have lived through and the 'backward reality' that inevitably inhabits the 'modernity' we will live in, and the ongoing 'loving struggle' with these."

◆ The Humanities of Color = Written by Michel Pastoureau, a leading French medieval historian and expert on the history of color. The book is structured as a dialogue where novelist and journalist Dominique Simonnet asks questions and Pastoureau answers.

Pastoureau argues that we live within a system composed of six 'basic colors': blue, red, white, green, yellow, and black. He explains that societies reflect various social norms, taboos, and prejudices in colors, which causes colors to be varied in meaning and influence our social and cultural environments, attitudes, language, and imagination. According to Pastoureau, blue represents timidity, red arrogance, white purity, yellow complexes, black flamboyance, and green hypocrisy and cunning, making it a color with a poor reputation.

Additionally, after these six colors, purple, orange, pink, brown, and gray hold important symbolic meanings. Pastoureau clarifies that the symbolism of these colors is not fixed but constantly changes depending on time and place, and that most colors have dual aspects, both positive and negative. (Written by Michel Pastoureau and Dominique Simonnet / Translated by Go Bongman / Misulmunhwa)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.