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Translator's Note

In this book, Things Korean, the writer attemps to show us how the nature of Koreans is expressed in the nature of the things they create. The book itself is also a creation of a Korean, and thus shows us the nature of its Korean author. It also shows us how a great number of Koreans see themselves and the world outside Korea.

At the same time, many Koreans strongly disagree with the attitudes and notions expressed in these pages. Still, most of those who have read Lee 0-Young's works enjoy his vigorous style, and his ideas do stimulate, whether or not we agree with them. His style and ideas make him one of Korea's most widely read writers.

It is because of these factors-his essays' representation of the mentality of many Koreans, his provocative ideas, and the quality of his style—that this book is offered to readers outside Korea.

John Holstein

John Holstein was born in Chicago in 1944 and came to Korea in 1967. He took graduate courses in Korean literature at Seoul National University and has since produced several award-winning translations and continued writing extensively about Korea. After two years of linguistics study in graduate school in Chicago, he returned in 1981 to Seoul, where he teaches at Sungkyunkwan University.