Island Ablaze and Other Stories: The Us Empire in North and South Korean Literatures

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.

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.