Now that the rainy, hot and humid season is upon us, a good book in an air conditioned room is hard to beat.
That's exactly what Indian Ambassador N. Parthasarathi is offering lovers of history and fiction.
History and fiction? How do those two go together?
The answer is found in the ambassador's new book, titled "Silk and Empress," about an Indian princess, known to Koreans as Huh Hwang-ok, who visited the peninsula almost 2,000 years ago and married the king of the Gaya Kingdom, Kim Su-ro.
The story is amalgamated into a mystery - the kind of tale one finds when rummaging through the attic looking for a hidden family heirloom.
"It's not only a novel but it's a historical novel," he said while visiting the chairman and publisher of Herald Media Inc. Hong Jung-wook to offer him a copy. He added that the book has something for everybody.
"It's got Buddhism, Shamanism, the history of the Gaya kingdom," he said. "It is supposed to be a book like Harry Potter; it is a fast read and hopefully not a boring book."
Ambassadors in Korea generally contribute a lot to bilateral relationships. Some have worked on doctorates offering new insights on the peninsula while others have gained acclaim in the cultural sphere.
That's exactly what Indian Ambassador N. Parthasarathi is offering lovers of history and fiction.
History and fiction? How do those two go together?
The answer is found in the ambassador's new book, titled "Silk and Empress," about an Indian princess, known to Koreans as Huh Hwang-ok, who visited the peninsula almost 2,000 years ago and married the king of the Gaya Kingdom, Kim Su-ro.
The story is amalgamated into a mystery - the kind of tale one finds when rummaging through the attic looking for a hidden family heirloom.
"It's not only a novel but it's a historical novel," he said while visiting the chairman and publisher of Herald Media Inc. Hong Jung-wook to offer him a copy. He added that the book has something for everybody.
"It's got Buddhism, Shamanism, the history of the Gaya kingdom," he said. "It is supposed to be a book like Harry Potter; it is a fast read and hopefully not a boring book."
Ambassadors in Korea generally contribute a lot to bilateral relationships. Some have worked on doctorates offering new insights on the peninsula while others have gained acclaim in the cultural sphere.
What Parthasarathi has contributed is unique and interesting, and he has dedicated the book to the Korean people.
"Part of an ambassador's job is to represent his country but another part of his job is to learn about the country and to project what was learnt," he said. "I learnt quite a lot while here and that is something that I'm trying to give back."
Parthasarathi explained that the book is largely in line with historical fact.
"They say the princess came from the most sacred place, it is the kingdom of the god in India. Even today there are thousands of temples dedicated to King Rama, his descendent is this princess in this book," he said.
It is generally believed that Buddhism came to the peninsula in the 4th century, "but the thing is King Kim Su-ro had seven sons who became Buddhas in Chilbulsa (Seven Buddhas Temple) in the first century," said the ambassador.
"So if they became Buddhas there had to be a monk to teach them. The monk is the brother of the princess that came from India, which is also well known."
The biggest challenge of the book, Parthasarathi explained, was getting it translated. Many people tried but in the end the publisher, Kim Seong-bong from Yeobaek Media took the project upon himself and made sure not to release the book until it was ready.
The question of why present this story in fictional format came up, to which Parthasarathi explained that there are two problems presenting a story as pure history.
The first being that it's very difficult to find proper facts and prove them from a story that is about 2,000 years old; in the end it can be disproved.
"Secondly, if it's pure history, how many people will read it?
"So it's our responsibility to inform about history and the only way we can do that is use this format where we tell a story which is interesting and easily readable," he said.
The book is offered in Korean for now. Parthasarathi said that the release of the book in English depends on its success in Korea.
This is the ambassador's second book; his first, "The Reluctant Assassin," did quite well.
"Silk and Empress" can be found in every major bookstore in Korea.
By Yoav Cerralbo
(yoav@heraldm.com)
"Part of an ambassador's job is to represent his country but another part of his job is to learn about the country and to project what was learnt," he said. "I learnt quite a lot while here and that is something that I'm trying to give back."
Parthasarathi explained that the book is largely in line with historical fact.
"They say the princess came from the most sacred place, it is the kingdom of the god in India. Even today there are thousands of temples dedicated to King Rama, his descendent is this princess in this book," he said.
It is generally believed that Buddhism came to the peninsula in the 4th century, "but the thing is King Kim Su-ro had seven sons who became Buddhas in Chilbulsa (Seven Buddhas Temple) in the first century," said the ambassador.
"So if they became Buddhas there had to be a monk to teach them. The monk is the brother of the princess that came from India, which is also well known."
The biggest challenge of the book, Parthasarathi explained, was getting it translated. Many people tried but in the end the publisher, Kim Seong-bong from Yeobaek Media took the project upon himself and made sure not to release the book until it was ready.
The question of why present this story in fictional format came up, to which Parthasarathi explained that there are two problems presenting a story as pure history.
The first being that it's very difficult to find proper facts and prove them from a story that is about 2,000 years old; in the end it can be disproved.
"Secondly, if it's pure history, how many people will read it?
"So it's our responsibility to inform about history and the only way we can do that is use this format where we tell a story which is interesting and easily readable," he said.
The book is offered in Korean for now. Parthasarathi said that the release of the book in English depends on its success in Korea.
This is the ambassador's second book; his first, "The Reluctant Assassin," did quite well.
"Silk and Empress" can be found in every major bookstore in Korea.
By Yoav Cerralbo
(yoav@heraldm.com)
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