[New Release] and More

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee]

◆Only Persimmons for Me= The 12th Changbi Novel Award-winning work. It was the first time in three years that Changbi published a novel that won the award. The author Kim Seol-won debuted in 2002 through the Maeil Shinmun New Year's Literary Contest and also won the Women’s Donga Novel Contest in 2009. The protagonist of the novel is an eighteen-year-old girl named 'Aran.' Aran lives alone with her mother in a rental apartment. When the lease expires, Aran is separated from her mother. She moves into the house of 'Tto and Uncle,' but when Tto and Uncle go bankrupt, Aran loses her home and has to find a job. She drops out of school and starts working at a chicken restaurant while hiding her age. She collects persimmons, which her mother liked, waiting for her mother to return. (Written by Kim Seol-won / Changbi)

◆Living in Namwon= The Seoul City Central District 50 Plus Center is a Seoul municipal institution that supports the second phase of social participation for middle-aged people (aged 50-64) before and after retirement by promoting mindset changes, work and activity support, and self-support projects, converting their rich experiences and careers into social activities. In September last year, 16 middle-aged people traveled to Namwon for 3 nights and 4 days, recording stories about things to do, work, activities, and food. The group included office workers from large corporations, nurses, hoteliers, academy instructors, actors, pharmacists, and kindergarten principals, each preparing for the second half of their lives after living different lives. The book tells the stories of various people who have settled in Namwon and are pioneering their own lives. (Written by Seoul City Central District 50 Plus Center / Publiter)

◆Five Invitations= The author Frank Ostaseski is a world-renowned Buddhist teacher. In 1987, he founded the first Buddhist hospice in the United States, the Zen Hospice Project, and has since accompanied thousands of people through their final moments. The author divided the meaning of life he learned from witnessing countless patients’ dying moments into five categories and titled it "Five Invitations." He emphasizes that we should not wait for the moment of death but welcome and confront life at every moment, maintaining an open and peaceful mind. (Written by Frank Ostaseski / Translated by Joo Min-ah / Panmidong)