How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?Visit Caroline Kim's website.
Choosing a title for my collection of short stories was challenging because there was no one story title that could entirely represent all of the disparate stories, which take place in different countries and in very different time periods. The one I chose ultimately came closest because the idea of mournful thoughts reflects the Korean concept of han. Han is difficult to define and has no direct translation into English but comes out of a feeling of hardship that the Korean people have suffered historically. I’ve seen it described variously as resentment, regret, and even hatred. But I think of it more as an emotion that encompasses grief, resignation, endurance, and sorrow. Humor can come from sorrow too — just ask any comedian — so I chose the title because...[read on]
The Page 69 Test: The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories.
Q&A with Caroline Kim.
--Marshal Zeringue
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