精選書評：The New Koreans

作者：Michael Breen
出版社：Thomas Dunne Books, 2017

• 本書作者是長居韓國的英國人，他對韓國的熱愛讓本書充滿生命力。
• 內文包含作者與韓國高層人士未公開的私人談話內容。
• 連韓國人都推薦韓國人閱讀本書。

預估閱讀時間：02:40
文章難度：★★★☆☆

Weighing in at a whopping 480 pages, Michael Breen delivers substantial insight into one of Asia’s strongest economies: South Korea. The New Koreans is divided into five sections: “Portraits”, “Roots”, “Wealth”, “Power” and “Next”. The history in this book is not ancient, mostly running from the Korean war and the separation between North and South Korea. This modern history can be extremely helpful to readers who are doing business with Korean companies or plan to work in Korea. Even the first section, “Portraits” is an excellent primer on the current situation of Korea.

本書作者Michael Breen用高達480頁的篇幅，帶我們深刻觀察韓國，這亞洲最具經濟實力的國家之一。《The New Koreans》這本書一共分成五個部分：「概述」、「根源」、「財富」、「權力」、和「未來」。本書並未從古代開始敘述韓國歷史，而是從韓戰將朝鮮半島一分為二時說起。了解這段近代歷史，對於已在韓國發展、或是預計要在韓國工作的讀者而言非常有幫助。本書的第一個章節「概述」，提供了讀者一個對韓國現況很好的入門。

The New Koreans is not a university textbook. This is deeply informed commentary about Korean identity, politics and economy by an experienced journalist. Reading this book feels like an intimate conversation with a close friend about their favourite subject. Sometimes Breen gives incredible insight when he quotes from off-the-record conversations and shares notes from his own conversations with friends in important, powerful positions. Although much of the writing is about society and culture, the author’s close experience with the country and obvious affection for Korea makes it feel like a personal book.

《The New Koreans》並不如大學教科書般平鋪直敘，而是一位資深記者針對韓國的認同、政治、和經濟，所發表的深刻見解。讀這本書時，就好像在和一位好友暢聊他最愛的議題。作者Breen在書中引用了許多他和韓國重要人士的私人對話，並在其字裡行間展現了驚人的觀察力。雖然這是一本關於社會與文化的書，但作者在當地的深刻體驗和對韓國的熱愛，讓這本書就像是一本個人筆記一般。

Learning about other cultures helps you define your own. This book is a useful tool for foreigners to learn about Korean behavior and develop the necessary patience to work productively with Korean colleagues. It can also teach you how Koreans learn and think. The book encourages you to draw comparisons between education, history and politics that will help you appreciate the similarities and differences between your countries. If you plan to do business in Korea or are in business with Korean companies already, this book would be very useful to you.

認識另一個文化，能幫助你詮釋自己的文化。對於外國人而言，這本書能幫助你了解韓國人的習慣，並且培養必要的耐心，找到和韓國人共事的有效方法，同時也能讓你了解韓國人學習與思考的方式。本書鼓勵人們將自己國家和韓國的國情做比較，包含教育、歷史和政治等層面。這麼做有助於讓人們欣賞兩個文化之間相似與相異之處。如果你正準備、或已經在韓國發展，這本書會對你很有幫助。

If you enjoy this book, you should also read: “The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History” by Don Oberdorfer and “Korea: The Impossible Country” by Daniel Tudor. These authors have similar but less personal discussions about Korean history and culture.

如果你喜歡這本書，你還可以再另外選讀由Don Oberdorfer所著的《The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History》，和由Daniel Tudor所寫的《Korea: The Impossible Country》（中譯本：《韓國：撼動世界的嗆泡菜》，聯經出版）。這兩位作者對於韓國的歷史文化有類似的討論，但個人風格較不強烈。

文/ Peter Gibbon

本文收錄於英語島English Island 2018年11月號
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