[This Week's Books] 'The Essence Does Not Change' and More

The Essence Does Not Change

In Japan, more than 1,000 companies celebrating their 100th anniversary are born every year. In 2022, for the first time, the number of shinise (long-established) companies over 100 years old exceeded 40,000. The author explains that most of Japan’s long-lived companies are small and medium-sized enterprises, and their longevity secret lies in the belief of ‘불역유행 (Bulyokyuheng).’ 불역유행 means changing without changing. In other words, it means maintaining unchanging principles while innovating appropriately according to the times and circumstances. Through interviews with Japan’s small but strong companies, this book uncovers what essence they sought to preserve amid innovation. (Written by Oh Taeheon / 21st Century Books)

Martin Scorsese Film Class

This records the entire film career of Martin Scorsese, a “film director respected by filmmakers.” Focusing on Scorsese’s representative works and artistic worldview, it portrays the essence of Scorsese’s films three-dimensionally from the perspectives of the director himself and various related persons. From his early works as a student at New York University to 21 representative films including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull, it contains messages, creative backgrounds, hidden intentions behind filming techniques, and stories behind the screen. (Written by Mary Pat Kelly / Translated by Han Changwook / Hyunik Publishing)

Smoke and Ashes

This traces the enormous impact of the 19th-century opium trade on Britain, India, China, and the world at large. The author, born in India, consistently criticizes Western-centered history and stands on the side of colonized subjects oppressed under imperialism’s shadow. While exposing the vices and greed of Western imperial powers as colonial rulers through opium, the book also foregrounds the presence and agency of colonized nations. The author argues that historically, modernity is not a virus spreading from one place to another but a global and interconnected phenomenon. (Written by Amitav Ghosh / Translated by Kim Hongok / Ecolivre)