Ms. Suzanne Crowder Han

Suzanne Crowder Han is the Resident Director of the CIEE Study Center in Seoul.A longtime resident of Korea and fluent in Korean, Ms. Han came to Korea in 1977 as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.She has taught at several Korean universities, including Yonsei University, Chung-ang University, and Hankook University of Foreign Studies.An accomplished author, Ms. Han has written several books and articles on Korean customs and traditions.Ms. Han is currently Chairperson of the Seoul Foreign School Council.

Suzanne Crowder HanSuzanne Crowder Han will begin begun her new role as the Resident Director of the CIEE Study Center at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea this December.A longtime resident of Korea and fluent in Korean, Ms. Han came to Korea in 1977 as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.She completed her two-year term of service in a rural health center in Chungju and later became an in-country Peace Corps staff, training volunteers.She has taught at several Korean universities, including Yonsei University, Chung-ang University, and Hankook University of Foreign Studies and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.

An accomplished author, Ms. Han has written several books and articles on Korean customs and traditions.Her stories based on Korean folk-tales are included in a number of anthologies and children's reading textbooks in North America.

Ms. Han is currently Vice President of the International Dragon Circle, a cross-cultural women's group dedicated to the study and appreciation of Korean culture.In addition, she is the Chairperson of the Seoul Foreign School Council and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Women's Club of Korea and Editor of its acclaimed journal, Arirang.

Suzanne Crowder Han, translator of Hymn of the Spirit, is a writer in her own right.She has written a number of books for both adults and children.Her most recent is The Rabbit's Tail (New York: Holt, 1999), a children's book based on a Korean folktale.In addition to her own books, she has written the text for four guidebooks and a number of children's books (e.g., Let's Visit Seoul and Let's Visit Korea) for Korean publisher Hollym.Her Notes on Things Korean (Seoul: Hollym, 1997) and Korean Folk & Fairy Tales (Seoul: Hollym, 1991) are a must for anyone wanting to learn about Korean culture.Notes on Things Korean, in particular, is a comprehensive handbook on Korean culture that can be of great use to translators and editors as well as nonspecialists interested in Korea for business or personal reasons.It is a well-written volume of some 150 entries ranging from philosophy to kite flying.Han's writing is helping people around the world, adults as well as children, learn about Korea.Her writing has been translated into Spanish, French and Thai and her stories based on Korean tales are included in a number of anthologies and in children's literature and reading textbooks published in North America.

Sue (Paik) Han, Vice President

Contact: Sue Han

Korea Times 4525 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010Phone: 323-692-2005

by Suzanne Crowder Han
...
Suzanne Crowder Han was born in Greenwood, South Carolina in 1953.She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of South Carolina in 1975, majoring in Studio Art.She has lived in Korea since 1977 when she first came to the country as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer.She is now a freelance writer, editor and translator.She has Written a collection of Korean folk and fairy tales and a number of Korean guide books and children's books.She has also translated and published several Korean literary works.

1565910001reg: $10.95sale: $9.31

All Korean Books(You need Korean language pack.

Suzanne Crowder Han, translator of Hymn of the SpiritMy goal is to promote a better understanding of Korea

Suzanne Crowder Han, translator of Hymn of the Spirit, is a writer in her own right.She has written a number of books for both adults and children.Her most recent is The Rabbit's Tail (New York: Holt, 1999), a children's book based on a Korean folktale.It should be in bookstores in North America by March.

A native of South Carolina, Ms. Han first came to Korea as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in 1977.While serving as a volunteer in a rural health center, she began learning the traditions, culture and folktales of Korea, all of which she writes about in her books.In addition to her own books, she has written the text for four guidebooks and a number of children's books (e.g., Let's Visit Seoul and Let's Visit Korea) for Korean publisher Hollym.Her Notes on Things Korean (Seoul: Hollym, 1995) and Korean Folk & Fairy Tales (Seoul: Hollym, 1991) are a must for anyone wanting to learn about Korean culture.Notes on Things Korean, in particular, is a comprehensive handbook on Korean culture that can be of great use to translators and editors as well as nonspecialists interested in Korea for business or personal reasons.It is a well-written volume of some 150 entries ranging from philosophy to kite flying.Talking about her writing, Han told The Korea Post: "I have written a number of books about Korea for adults and I have translated several Korean literary works, but what I am most pleased with are the books for children I have written or been involved in producing.I like writing for children because I know the joy with which books can provide them.I also take pleasure in knowing that my writing might help children learn about other peoples and culture."Indeed, Han's writing is helping people around the world, adults as well as children, learn about Korea.Her writing has been translated into Spanish, French and Thai and her stories based on Korean tales are included in a number of anthologies and in children's literature and reading textbooks published in North America.Han said: "I am especially pleased with the inclusion of my stories in textbooks because the publishers included information about Korea with the stories and also in the teacher's handbooks so that students can learn more about Korea and Koreans and teachers have more information about Korea to impart to them."
...
When asked about her interest in Korean folktales, Han said: "My first experience with Korean folktales was in the traditional folktale way-hearing them told.At the time, I was a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural health center in Korea.To help me learn Korean, a friend, who spoke very little English, would tell me Korean stories.However, I had long been interested in folktales and other oral traditions and the like.I first discovered folk literature when I was in high school. I used to spend hours in the stacks of the local library reading plays and poetry and then one day I came across a section of folk literature.It was fascinating, especially the Black literature and the literature of the southern and western United States.
...
Han has translated a number of Korean literary works including two short stories by the author of Hymn of the Spirit, Han Mal-suk; "A Certain Death" (Ottun chugum, 1957), which was a commendation prize winner in the 1982 Modern Korean Literature Translations Awards sponsored by the Korea Times, and "Tired of Love" (Sarang-e chich'in ttae, 1970), both of which have been published in this magazine.
...
Han says that she is currently polishing up a couple of literary translations and trying to complete a parents and children's guide to Seoul and a collection of myths and legends.When asked about her aim in writing about Korea, she said: "My goal in writing books about Korea and translating Korean literature has always been to promote a better understanding of Korea and Korean culture."

My heartfelt gratitude goes to Suzanne Crowder Han, the translator of the novel, for her devoted proofreading and Prof. David Kosofsky for his copy-editing for the early installments.