“Dear Leader”, the memoir by North Korean defector Jang Jin-sung, is making headlines and hitting the bestseller lists overseas.
“Dear Leader” ranked 10th in sales in English-speaking countries except North America, according to the Sunday Times of London. It has also been the top seller in the category of Asian politics on Amazon.com since its release on May 13.
Some media coverage:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/26/dear-leader-review-north-korea-madness
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9bf94e6e-d525-11e3-9187-00144feabdc0.html#axzz33Y1x9dSD
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/the-costs-of-absurdity-20140515-38ao7.html
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/05/30/2014053001529.html
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2014053162788
Jang Jin-sung
Jang Jin-sung 장진성, a former poet laureate for North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and one of the North Korean defectors who currently live in South Korea, escaped in 2004 by crossing the Tumen River into China.
Following his arrival in South Korea, he worked in the National Security Research Institute and published his first book of poetry, I Am Selling My Daughter For 100 Won, which sold more than 80,000 copies. Jang’s account of the 35 days he spent in China on the run from Chinese and North Korean spies before his rescue by South Korean agents started out as a weekly series posted on his blog. It grew to become a viral sensation and was published as a book in Korean last year.
Since leaving the country he has become a bestselling author and widely solicited commentator on North Korea. From 2005 to 2010 he served as a senior analyst at the National Security Research Institute in Seoul, which falls under the auspices of the National Intelligence Service. He has been awarded the Rex Warner Literary Prize and read his poetry at London’s Cultural Olympiad in 2012. He now lives in South Korea and is editor in chief of New Focus International, an authoritative website reporting on North Korea.
Please contact us at Speakers Connect to have Jang Jin-sung as a speaker for your next event.