Encounter: A Novel of Nineteenth-Century Korea Volume 5

A must-read tour-de-force for anyone with even a slight interest in Korean history or literature. Tasan was a highly regarded Confucian scholar, who chose a life of poverty and scholarship, and to learn more about Catholicism, which had just entered Korea via the Jesuits in China (a Bible was brought from Beijing during one of Korea's regular tributary visits to its suzerain leader). Less than a Christian testament, this exceptional narrative reveals a precise picture of 18th and 19th century Korean life, politics, class and culture. Hahn explores a deeply thoughtful and informed internal struggle, and how Confucian and Christian ideals, when realized, are compatible. This is a Korean literary classic, in translation.