You can almost feel sorry for male Korean writers, struggling to get noticed in the world of ‘hanguk munhak’ (Korean literature) where female writers now dominate.   Sean Sheehan   Such a turnabout has its roots in the blistering pace of social and economic developments that has convulsed South Korea […]

Hollywood movies touted as blockbusters before they are released often turn out to be lacklustre –“Tenet” is a recent example– but there is firmer ground under old films that have come to be recognised as masterpieces.     Sean Sheehan   Director Douglas Sirk and his films with the actor […]

The bare story of Homer’s “Odyssey” – a man returns home from the battlefield of Troy after various adventures, defeats his enemies and is reunited with his loyal wife – cannot explain the enduring appeal of Homer’s tale to readers who don’t believe in heroes and happy endings.   Sean […]

There is a photograph of a woman reading a letter in a bombed and battle-strewn city which illustrates the central message of Ariella Aïsha Azoulay’s “Potential history: unlearning imperialism” It was taken by a German photojournalist in Berlin in the days following the Nazi surrender and the end of World […]