An English-language autobiography of President Lee Myung-bak will be published in the United States in November, according to online bookstore Amazon.com.
Titled “The Uncharted Path: The Autobiography of Lee Myung-Bak,” the book will be out on Nov. 1, published by Chicago-based Sourcebooks, the website said.
It is currently available for pre-order online. The 336-page hardcover is priced at $26.99 (28,500 won) and at $17.81 for pre-orders.
President Lee Myung-bak’s autobiography (Yonhap News)
The autobiography, translated by Lee’s official interpreter, is a mixture of materials from his 1995 autobiographical essay, “There is No Legend,” and a follow-up, “Mother,” about his mother, plus other writings.
Eric Yang, head and publisher of Random House Korea, signed the deal with Sourcebooks in January for the publication of Lee’s autobiography. Random House Korea has published six titles by the president.
Yang recently told the website Publishers Weekly that he’d approached several major U.S. publishers before finding a suitor in Sourcebooks.
“(Sourcebooks) had marketing ideas, a fantastic marketing strategy; we loved it,” Yang was quoted as saying. Sourcebooks usually publishes one autobiography or memoir out of 300 books each year, according to Publishers Weekly.
In the autobiography, President Lee looks back on his life, starting with his impoverished childhood and ending with his victory in the presidential election in 2007. The second volume will deal with Lee’s presidency but will be released after the end of his term in 2013. Sourcebooks has an option on that issue, too.
Heather Moore, senior publicity manager for Sourcebooks, told Publishers Weekly that the autobiography would be marketed toward the U.S. national media plus parts of the United States with large Korean populations.
Lee will also hold interviews to promote the book’s launch, Moore said.
From news reports
milaya@heraldcorp.com
