Tweet
Hellolol, visitor!
Article about when you make a new friend:
T here’s an assumption in life that by the time you’ve reached your more seasoned years, you’ve made all the close friends you need. Surely you’ve accumulated enough through school, university and work. But I’ve learned that close friends can be made at any age.
GO TO SITE
In my case, one of my most meaningful, profound friendships was formed when I was in my mid-50s. It is a unique bond that crosses cultures, languages and continents. The first time I met Kyung-sook Shin I was unbelievably nervous. I was 56 and she was 10 years my junior. I was a New York literary agent and she the most famous author in Korea, comparable to JK Rowling. Her groundbreaking novel, Please Look After Mother , was all about a mother who sacrificed everything for her family only to be discarded by them. When it came out in Korea in 2009, it was the bestselling book that year. Kyung-sook’s novels often concentrate on the marginalisation of women, giving a voice to those otherwise ignored. This has earned her a huge, loyal readership among women, as well as men, all captivated by her poetry and emotional depth. At the time, nobody outside Korea had heard of Kyung-sook Shin or Korean literature but, in my heart and mind, I knew the value of it. I sent her a long and detailed letter outlining my plan for her book and how I could help it become a global sensation with translations in every language. When Kyung-sook turned down all the major New York agencies and chose me, I was overjoyed, but also nervous. Now I would have to deliver on what I had promised. By the time we first met in person, it was 2011 and she was in New York for her US publication. Two years had passed since first writing to her and Please Look After Mother had sold around the world. We had agreed to meet for dinner and soon the panic set in. To me, she was a true literary god. What restaurant was special enough for her? I had to pay respect and honour her properly. Also, I don’t speak Korean and she doesn’t speak much English. My Korean agent, Joseph Lee, agreed to act as an interpreter. I chose Asiate, the five-star restaurant on the 35th floor of the Time Warner building, overlooking Central Park. When we finally met, Kyung-sook took my hand in hers and we walked into the dining room side by side. It was such an intimate gesture and I wasn’t used to such warmth from someone I had just met. Curiously, we didn’t talk much about her books or her career, but rather the tasting menu and what we would eat. I quickly learned that we had a lot in common: we love travel, literature (of course!) and fine dining. Kyung-sook insisted we share our food, cutting small pieces off all the dishes on her plate and handing each one to me. “Taste this. Taste that, Barbara!†She genuinely rejoiced in the meal, which lasted for hours and included many bottles of wine. It was only later that I learned how Koreans value good food and about the importance they place on sharing and bonding over meals. Afterwards, as we left the restaurant, Kyung-sook again took my hand in hers and we meandered along Central Park South in the cool breeze of an autumn evening. Fast forward 12 years and we have forged a friendship that feels as if it has existed for a lifetime. While our relationship has taught me many things, maybe the most important is that you can build some of your most supportive, life-altering friendships at any stage. Kyung-sook is soft-spoken, delicate and she moves and speaks gracefully. I am a fast-talking New Yorker born in Brooklyn who talks with my hands. (Only this year I discovered that Koreans consider using hand gestures while speaking incredibly rude.) We have polar-opposite personalities and not just because we live in different worlds and cultures. Kyung-sook is reserved, she keeps her hurts and suffering to herself, while I, when responding to wrongs, come out punching like a prize fighter. Though Kyung-sook writes powerfully about injustice, she is not someone who will stand on a street corner protesting like me. I am the kind of person who never takes “no†for an answer. When I first discovered Korean literature my international colleagues, publishers, editors and even my family couldn’t understand my passion. I doggedly persisted, but it was a very long time before Korean culture broke on to the global stage. It took me 10 years to sell The Vegetarian , which later won the Man Booker International Prize. Throughout this tough period in my life, Kyung-sook always supported me and my mission.
When you make a new friend
Article about when you make a new friend:
T here’s an assumption in life that by the time you’ve reached your more seasoned years, you’ve made all the close friends you need. Surely you’ve accumulated enough through school, university and work. But I’ve learned that close friends can be made at any age.
GO TO SITE
In my case, one of my most meaningful, profound friendships was formed when I was in my mid-50s. It is a unique bond that crosses cultures, languages and continents. The first time I met Kyung-sook Shin I was unbelievably nervous. I was 56 and she was 10 years my junior. I was a New York literary agent and she the most famous author in Korea, comparable to JK Rowling. Her groundbreaking novel, Please Look After Mother , was all about a mother who sacrificed everything for her family only to be discarded by them. When it came out in Korea in 2009, it was the bestselling book that year. Kyung-sook’s novels often concentrate on the marginalisation of women, giving a voice to those otherwise ignored. This has earned her a huge, loyal readership among women, as well as men, all captivated by her poetry and emotional depth. At the time, nobody outside Korea had heard of Kyung-sook Shin or Korean literature but, in my heart and mind, I knew the value of it. I sent her a long and detailed letter outlining my plan for her book and how I could help it become a global sensation with translations in every language. When Kyung-sook turned down all the major New York agencies and chose me, I was overjoyed, but also nervous. Now I would have to deliver on what I had promised. By the time we first met in person, it was 2011 and she was in New York for her US publication. Two years had passed since first writing to her and Please Look After Mother had sold around the world. We had agreed to meet for dinner and soon the panic set in. To me, she was a true literary god. What restaurant was special enough for her? I had to pay respect and honour her properly. Also, I don’t speak Korean and she doesn’t speak much English. My Korean agent, Joseph Lee, agreed to act as an interpreter. I chose Asiate, the five-star restaurant on the 35th floor of the Time Warner building, overlooking Central Park. When we finally met, Kyung-sook took my hand in hers and we walked into the dining room side by side. It was such an intimate gesture and I wasn’t used to such warmth from someone I had just met. Curiously, we didn’t talk much about her books or her career, but rather the tasting menu and what we would eat. I quickly learned that we had a lot in common: we love travel, literature (of course!) and fine dining. Kyung-sook insisted we share our food, cutting small pieces off all the dishes on her plate and handing each one to me. “Taste this. Taste that, Barbara!†She genuinely rejoiced in the meal, which lasted for hours and included many bottles of wine. It was only later that I learned how Koreans value good food and about the importance they place on sharing and bonding over meals. Afterwards, as we left the restaurant, Kyung-sook again took my hand in hers and we meandered along Central Park South in the cool breeze of an autumn evening. Fast forward 12 years and we have forged a friendship that feels as if it has existed for a lifetime. While our relationship has taught me many things, maybe the most important is that you can build some of your most supportive, life-altering friendships at any stage. Kyung-sook is soft-spoken, delicate and she moves and speaks gracefully. I am a fast-talking New Yorker born in Brooklyn who talks with my hands. (Only this year I discovered that Koreans consider using hand gestures while speaking incredibly rude.) We have polar-opposite personalities and not just because we live in different worlds and cultures. Kyung-sook is reserved, she keeps her hurts and suffering to herself, while I, when responding to wrongs, come out punching like a prize fighter. Though Kyung-sook writes powerfully about injustice, she is not someone who will stand on a street corner protesting like me. I am the kind of person who never takes “no†for an answer. When I first discovered Korean literature my international colleagues, publishers, editors and even my family couldn’t understand my passion. I doggedly persisted, but it was a very long time before Korean culture broke on to the global stage. It took me 10 years to sell The Vegetarian , which later won the Man Booker International Prize. Throughout this tough period in my life, Kyung-sook always supported me and my mission.
When you make a new friend