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Podcast: New Books in Medieval History
Episode: Dennis Wuerthner, "Poems and Stories for Overcoming Idleness: Pâahan chip by Yi Illo" (U Hawaii Press, 2024)
Description: Dr. Dennis Wuerthnerâs Poems and Stories for Overcoming Idleness: Pâahan chip by Yi Illo (U Hawaii Press, 2024) is the first complete English translation of one of the oldest extant Korean source materials. The scholar, Yi Illo (1152â1220), filled this collection with poetry by himself and diverse writers, ranging from Chinese master poets and KoryĹ-era kings, to long-forgotten lower-level officials and rural scholars. The verse compositions are embedded in short narratives by Yi that provide context for the poems, a combination called sihwa.The book contains a comprehensive introduction that explores the lives of Yi Illo and his co...