Samguk Yusa: Legends And History Of The Three Kingdoms Of Ancient Korea Extremely misleading Title – Megret (sometimes…) –
I love international folklore and legends. This book, however, was unable to hold my interest. Too many references to things I don’t yet know about Korea and very poor “readability” made reading a chore. This is neither “legend” nor “history” — if this was the only book I owned about Korea, I might think there IS no “culture” in Korea, and they have no “history.” I purchased this book specifically because it looked like it MIGHT be closer to “source” material than the usual translations. The lack of organization, the poor English, and the lack of consistency within the book itself make this virtually useless for my needs.
I am not likely to purchase any further books written/translated by this author.
The Samguk Yusa is written in the 13th century and is a collection of various Korean legends, myths and folktales. While the title may indicate otherwise, this collection does not limit itself to the Three Kingdoms period.
What makes this book so interesting is that it tells the stories as they were, without much editing, but with lots of useful annotations by the translators. As such, you really get a good sense of how people think or act during that period, which also helps to better understand modern Korean culture today.
I thought that Samguk Yusa is one of the few historical Korean works existing today, especially which are translated into a foreign language, which makes it mandatory reading for anyone interested in Korean history and culture. : A fascinating work, dating from the late 1200s. This book (Yusa), is not just a story but a collection of histories, anecdotes and memorabilia, covering the origins of Korea’s three monarchies–Silla, Paekche and Koguryo, offering an account of the latter nation that differs quite a bit from what you’ll read in Chinese history books. Translated by Professor Ha Tae-Hung of Yonsei Univeristy, with special help from Grafton Mintz (the first Westerner ever to become a naturalized citizen of the Republic of Korea.) read more
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