Em ơi! #354: The First Tragedy of the 21st Century

File under DS932 .L86 2011, for History of Asia—Korea—Democratic People’s Republic, 1948-—General Works.

Considering how obsessed I have been with North Korea over the past couple of years, I am a little surprised that I haven’t drawn any comics about Kim Jong-il before. I did find this one about Kim Il-sung I drew about three years ago:

File this one under DS932 .L86 2009.

If you’re looking for a good book on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or North Korea as it’s typically known here in the West, I recommend:

Martin, Bradley K. Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty. N.P.: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2006.
–At over 800 pages, an exhaustive look at the Kim personality cult.

Myers, B. R. The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves – And Why it Matters. New York: Melville House, 2010.
–In many ways a refutation of everything Martin claims, this book is both short and immensely readable.

Church, James. A Corpse in the Koryo. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2006.
–A brilliant little pot-boiler of a mystery written by a guy who gives Raymond Chandler a run for his money. Allegedly very accurate with regards to DPRK society.

As a warning, a lot of defector memoirs have, uh, cannibalism. A lot of it.

I’m leaving on vacation tomorrow (Thursday) and won’t be back until the beginning of 2012, so have a good Saturnalia without me. I’m off to spend Hanukkah in Santa Monica (well, New Orleans and points south, but that doesn’t rhyme).

While we’re talking about books, here’s what I’m reading:

1.   Potocki, Jan. The Manuscript Found in Saragossa. New York: Penguin, 1996.
2.   Winichakul, Thongchai. Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-body of a Nation. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1997.
3.   Mattson, Ingrid. The Story of the Qur’an: Its History and Place in Muslim Life. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2008.

(All links provided for ease of reference only; I am not receiving any kick-backs from Amazon.)

I feel very diverse. What are you reading this winter, anything good? If you have recommendations, feel free to leave them. I do so love hearing about what people are reading.