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First Impressions

First Impressions Azalea Orhan Pamuk in Insadong with Nana Lee. Korea From the Outside Orhan Pamuk "W hat is your first impression of Korea?" "What does Korean sound like to you?" This was my first visit to Korea. When people began asking me such questions within ten minutes of my arrival at Incheon International Airport, I realized that Koreans are similar to Turks. Like Turks, they are very curious about what other people think of them. Like Turks, they are grappling with issues of national identity and nationalism, but these concerns are not as intense, dangerous, or destructive in Korea as they are in Turkey. Korea's economic miracle over the past twenty years has reduced anxieties about identity, and Koreans generally seem happier and have a more positive and open outlook on life. Speaking to world-renowned writers at the Seoul International Forum for Literature, Korean intellectuals and literary scholars expressed disappointment about how little-known their work is outside of Korea and asked what can be done about this. During these discussions Koreans openly displayed their pride by stating such facts as "our country's gross national product ranks twelfth in the world." The feeling of * This is a translation of http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture University of Hawai'I Press

First Impressions

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Publisher
University of Hawai'I Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 President and Fellows of Harvard College
ISSN
1944-6500
Publisher site
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Abstract

Azalea Orhan Pamuk in Insadong with Nana Lee. Korea From the Outside Orhan Pamuk "W hat is your first impression of Korea?" "What does Korean sound like to you?" This was my first visit to Korea. When people began asking me such questions within ten minutes of my arrival at Incheon International Airport, I realized that Koreans are similar to Turks. Like Turks, they are very curious about what other people think of them. Like Turks, they are grappling with issues of national identity and nationalism, but these concerns are not as intense, dangerous, or destructive in Korea as they are in Turkey. Korea's economic miracle over the past twenty years has reduced anxieties about identity, and Koreans generally seem happier and have a more positive and open outlook on life. Speaking to world-renowned writers at the Seoul International Forum for Literature, Korean intellectuals and literary scholars expressed disappointment about how little-known their work is outside of Korea and asked what can be done about this. During these discussions Koreans openly displayed their pride by stating such facts as "our country's gross national product ranks twelfth in the world." The feeling of * This is a translation of

Journal

Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture – University of Hawai'I Press

Published: May 1, 2007

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