Fairy tales waste no time getting under the skin. They pretend to be innocent, once upon a time and all that, but they never are. The darkened wood, the hooded stranger, the soup served at dinner hide only briefly a more sinister intent.Freud called it uncanny, this transfiguring of the familiar into something weird and powerful, and writers have long reveled in making this leap. Between reality and fantasy is a delicious brew of dissonance and disorientation, all in the service of greater truth

“The Oliver Stone Experience” By Matt Zoller SeitzAbrams (480 pages, $50)Is there another living American director with a greater run of movies than Oliver Stone? The dozen films he directed over a span of 13 years, from 1986-1999, form a body of work unparalleled in contemporary cinema. They came one after the other -- artful provocations, sometimes clouded in disreputable airs, that delved into recent history and modern-day affairs with a defiant ferocity and style: “Salvador,” “Platoon,” “Wa

Writers from around the world will exchange ideas and share literary works at the Seoul International Writers’ Festival taking place from Sept. 25-Oct. 1 at the Arko Art Center and Daehakro Arts Theater in northeastern Seoul. 　One of the festival’s programs “Free Talks” will pair up writers to engage in conversation about their works and the theme of this year’s festival, “the forgotten and the unforgettable” in literature. The talks will take place at the Daehakro Arts Theater from Sept. 26-30.

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province -- Over 60 historical sites in southeast Korea, including national treasures Bulguksa Temple and Cheomseongdae Observatory, were found to be damaged after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook the historical city of Gyeongju last Monday, followed by over 400 aftershocks -- the largest of which occurred Monday evening measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale. The Cultural Heritage Administration, the Gyeongju city government and a number of relevant organizations are scra

Numerous historical sites in Gyeongju suffered damage ranging from severe to minor cracks during the earthquake that hit the city last Monday, the largest to be recorded on the Korean Peninsula.The Cultural Heritage Administration, which is in charge of preserving the country’s cultural sites, announced Sunday that some 60 cultural assets have been damaged. Gyeongju, once the capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C. to 935) and located north of Busan on the southeastern coast of the peninsula, hous

A towering piece titled “Between Red” by painter Lee Se-hyun stands at the entrance of the “Old & New” exhibition at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza.The striking yet detailed oil on canvas painting portrays rows of crimson, rolling mountains and stacks of smoke. It is an homage to the Joseon-era artist Jeong Seon, frequently referred to by his pen name Gyeomjae, who was active in the mid-18th century and is renowned for his realistic representations of Korean landscapes.While the reference to tradit

Chuseok, or the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving in the West, offers Koreans a few days' break in September, but it can turn out to be both physically and psychologically draining. In traditional homes, wives face the daunting task of preparing a feast for the extended family, while the younger generation cringe as relatives assail them with questions about marriage, jobs and plans to have children. There are various ways to deal with the stress, but above all, people should strive to be less e

Films based on real events and characters have not drummed up much box office business. For example, look at how little interest moviegoers showed in the story about miners trapped underground in “The 33” or boxer Roberto Duran in “Hands of Stone.”The majority of films based on real events are not like “Titanic,” where the sinking of the ship was the backdrop for a love story that lured millions. When audiences know how the story ends, they are hesitant to plop down the price of admission to wat

The Age of Shadows(Korea)Opened Sept. 7Thriller, action. Directed by Kim Jee-woonA group of independence fighters led by Kim Woo-jin (Gong Yoo) attempt to smuggle bombs into Korea’s capital during the Japanese occupation era when they detect a mole who has infiltrated their organization.The Map Against the World(Korea)Opened Sept. 7Drama. Directed by Kang Woo-suk Cartographer Kim Jeong-ho (Cha Seung-won) dreams of mapping the entire Korean Peninsula and distributing the maps to people for their

Singer Se7en, 31, and actress Lee Da-hae, 32, confirmed they have been romantically involved for over a year through their respective agencies, Eleven9 Entertainment and JS Pictures. Local media had previously reported sightings of the two at a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. The two stars have stood by each other during difficult times, according to Eleven9. Reports say they met through friends, and the actress stood by Se7en when he was investigated in 2013 after visiting a massage parlor allegedl

Busan International Film Festival, Asia’s largest film fest which has for the past two years been mired in controversy with the Busan Metropolitan Government, is set to take place Oct. 6-15 in Korea’s southeastern port city of Busan.The festival’s organizers announced this year’s lineup and addressed the latest developments in the festival’s fight for autonomy at press conferences in Busan and Seoul on Tuesday. “My main focus was that (BIFF) must open this year, and that we must preserve its ide

Being a parent is always full of ups and downs, of course, but being the parent of an autistic child, Carolyn Parkhurst writes in her splendid new novel, is a lot like riding a roller coaster that never stops to let you off and catch your breath. Sometimes you marvel at your child’s brilliance. Often, though, you are exhausted by her behavior. You may be prone, like Alexandra Hammond in Parkhurst’s “Harmony,” to compare your growing helplessness to the proliferation of bedbugs in your house.“It’

Standing in the heart of Koreatown, novelist Krys Lee turned around.Was this direction to the Korean market where her family made a pilgrimage every weekend and her mother would rent her cache of Korean videotapes? Which way was the tofu restaurant she and her pastor father walked to countless times after her mother died and there was no one to cook him Korean food?And where was her father’s final apartment where he lived, broken, until he suffered a heart attack mid-sermon at the pulpit?The gle

MONTPELIER, Vermont (AP) -- Best-selling children’s book author and illustrator Anna Dewdney, who gained fame with her series of Llama Llama stories, has died at age 50.Dewdney, who had a 15-month battle with brain cancer, died Saturday at her home in Chester, publisher Penguin Young Readers said. “The entire Penguin Young Readers family is heartbroken,” Jen Loja, president of Penguin Young Readers, said in a statement. “And as we grieve, we also celebrate Anna’s life, in dedicating ourselves to

When Beth McKillop, research fellow of the Victoria and Albert Museum, was invited to Korea for the Culture Communication Forum 2016, she surveyed her extended family members on their impressions of the East Asian country.She was met with a range of answers, said the founding curator of the Korean Gallery in the prestigious UK museum, from “why are Koreans so keen on plastic surgery,” “why are so many great women golfers Korean” and “I love ‘Gangnam Style’” to “Korea’s advertising is 20 years ah

Leading cultural figures from around the world participating in this year’s Culture Communication Forum visited the National Hangeul Museum Monday to learn about the Korean alphabet and experience talchum, the traditional Korean mask dance. 　A total of 23 participants, including Australian barista Paul Bassett, Turkish dancer Behan Murphy and American jazz vocalist Tim Stong toured the museum that traces the history of Hangul, the Korean alphabet system.“There are only two countries in the world

Singer-songwriter Puer Kim’s moody crooning has often been described as seductive, enchanting. She previously grabbed attention with her gothic getup in the 2014 release “Manyo Maash”; her provocative 2012 album “Mom & Sex” includes songs with such titles as “It’s Hard to be a Daughter of a Woman Loved by God.” Despite her eccentric musical persona, however, the 30-year-old Berklee College of Music graduate says she has always been a well-behaved “model student” adored by teachers. Even now, she

“The Age of Shadows” is the latest among a handful of Korean movies this year to gain international attention. After being invited to Toronto and Venice international film festivals, the film was chosen last week as Korea’s contender for the Academy Awards’ Best Foreign Language Film.Directed by Kim Jee-woon (“I Saw the Devil”), the film is a stylish noir-thriller brimming with intrigue. It also spins a Western spy-action take on the history of the Korean independence movement, which will be ref

Pop Music“Andra Day”: American rhythm and blues artist Andra Day, who was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards, will be performing in Korea on Sept. 23 at the Yes 24 Live Hall in Gwangjang-dong, Seoul. The singer-songwriter soul diva, with hit songs like “City Burns,” originally rose to fame with her groove-filled covers of songs by Eminem, Jessie J, Florence and the Machine and Lionel Richie. Her debut LP “Cheers to the Fall,” which contains a rich blend of doo-wop, jazz

Glass Animals"How to Be a Human Being"(Harvest Records)For their ambitious sophomore album, the members of the indie-electronic band Glass Animals got some creative help from an unlikely source -- total strangers.Each song on the terrific “How to Be a Human Being” is told from the perspective of someone inspired by a person the band encountered on the road, from taxi drivers to fans. The result is a complex, exciting tapestry of a CD which switches musical styles and reveals new things each time