Jang jinsung is a former court poet, and propagandist, for north korean leader kim jongil. As part of the protected, privileged, inner circle jang. Poet, spy, escapee a look inside north korea provides a startling insiders view of the globes most secretive and unpredictable nation. As of 20, the north korean government still threatens the life of jang jin sung through statements made through the north korea controlled media. He had worked as a psychological warfare officer within the united front department of the korean workers party. Jang served as one of the eight poet laureates of north korea under kim jongil.
Reading almost like a thriller, rather than a memoir, jang jin sung, a talented writer who came to the attention of dear leader himself, explains how he felt increasingly compromised working for the regime, until he had to run for his life. It tells the story of jang jin sung and his work with the udf an organization that writes propoganda as poetry under kim jongil. Feb 03, 2015 february 2, 2015 author jang jinsung, on his first visit to the u. After the death in 1994 of great leader kim il sung, patriarch of the family dynasty, jang says, he was asked to help cook the history books in a way that pleased kim jong il, the patriarchs. In his book dear leader, jang jinsung offers a personal journey, a humane story of one man who is forced to escape the country leaving behind his family. In this international bestseller, a highranking counterintelligence agent describes his life as a former poet laureate to kim jongil and his breathtaking escape to freedom. Jang jinsung is a former poet laureate for north korean leader kim jongil. He has been awarded the rex warner literary prize and read his poetry at. Jang jinsung s book tends to support the latter view, depicting a regime run by a paranoid and powerhungry leader who cares little for what happens to anyone but himself. Among those duties was the work on the annals of the kim dynasty, where jang notes, was written by writers and poets and not historians. With food provisions even as the country suffered through its great famine, a travel pass, access to strictly censored information, and audiences with kim jongil himself, his life in pyongyang seemed safe and secure. An astonishing expose told through the heartstopping story of jang jinsungs escape to south korea, dear leader is an impossibly dramatic storyone of the best depictions yet of north koreas nightmare publishers weekly. Dear leader by jang jinsung penguin books australia.
Reading almost like a thriller, rather than a memoir, jang jinsung, a talented writer who came to the attention of dear leader himself, explains how he felt increasingly compromised working for the regime, until he had to run for his life. Jang jinsung wrote about his journey of defecting in his 2014 book, dear leader. He has been awarded the rex warner literary prize and read h. J ang jinsung, a 27yearold north korean poet, could hardly believe it when he received a summons to meet the first deputy director of the united front department udf in pyongyang. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read dear leader. Jang jin sung is a former court poet, and propagandist, for north korean leader kim jongil. Author tae posted on march 27, 2019 june 19, 2019 categories books of 2019 tags dear leader, dear leader jang jinsung. Jang jinsung held one of the most senior ranks in north koreas propaganda machine, helping tighten the regimes grip over its people. Jang jin sung is a former poet laureate for north korean leader kim jongil.
As of 20, the north korean government still threatens the life of jang jinsung through statements made through the north korea controlled media. Since leaving the country he has become a bestselling author and media sensation. May 07, 2014 jang jinsung was 28 yearsold when he first met kim jongil. Poet, spy, escapee a look inside north korea by jang jinsung. Since leaving the country he has become a bestselling author and widely solicited commentator on north korea. Dear leader by jang jinsung overdrive rakuten overdrive. Read dear leader north koreas senior propagandist exposes shocking truths behind the regime by jang jin sung available from rakuten kobo. A cultural counterintelligence agent and one of kims favorite propaganda poets, jang became one of north koreas admitted when he met and with half a. A defector of kim jongils rarefied inner circle reveals the desperate, despicable machinations of north koreas police state. Among his tasks were developing the founding myth of north korea, posing undercover as a south korean intellectual and writing. Jang jinsung was 28 yearsold when he first met kim jongil. North koreas senior propagandist exposes shocking truths behind the regime by jang jinsung. Jun 06, 2014 after the death in 1994 of great leader kim il sung, patriarch of the family dynasty, jang says, he was asked to help cook the history books in a way that pleased kim jong il, the patriarchs. Translator shirley lee has done a remarkable job in bringing those emotions to the english version of the book.
North koreas senior propagandist exposes shocking truths behind the regime by jinsung, jang isbn. Sunday times top 10 bestseller dear leader contains astonishing new insights about north korea which could only be revea. That rare audience with north koreas late supreme leader in 1999 should have been the proudest day of his life. Reading jang jin sung s firstperson account of living and escaping from north korea feels like a full body immersion into a eerie, tensionladen dystopian novel. However, debate in south korea will no doubt be fueled by the fact that jangs task was not to polish the image of the dear leader domestically, but to amplify antiamerican sentiment and foster pronorth tendencies among the south korean population, exploiting the democratic resistance movement that had risen against the military.
North koreas senior propagandist exposes shocking truths behind the regime kindle edition by jang jinsung author 4. Poet, spy, escapee a look inside north korea by jang jinsung provides an inside look into the north korea. Dear leader book by jang jinsung official publisher. It tells the story of jang jinsung and his work with the udf an organization that writes propoganda as poetry under kim jongil. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to your computer, smartphone or tablet. As north koreas state poet laureate, jang jinsung led a charmed life. Jang jinsung, a 27yearold north korean poet, could hardly believe it when he received a summons to meet the first deputy director of the united front department udf in pyongyang. Read dear leader north koreas senior propagandist exposes shocking truths behind the regime by jang jinsung available from rakuten kobo. The core of the book is an account of jangs decision to escape north korea, along with a friend.
Written by a former poetlaureate and a member of the admitted the elite of the elite who have been allowed in the presence of the dear leader for more than 20 mins. North koreas opacity is its greatest strength, writes new focus international editor in chief jinsung in this powerful, heartrending tale of one young mans ability to infiltrate the locus of power, then escape. Dear leader book by jang jinsung official publisher page. Jang jin sung held one of the most senior ranks in north koreas propaganda machine, helping tighten the regimes grip over its people. North koreas senior propagandist exposes shocking truths behind the regime ebook. February 2, 2015 author jang jinsung, on his first visit to the u.
May 26, 2014 j ang jinsung, a 27yearold north korean poet, could hardly believe it when he received a summons to meet the first deputy director of the united front department udf in pyongyang. Jang jinsungs book tends to support the latter view, depicting a regime run by a paranoid and powerhungry leader who cares little for what happens to anyone but himself. My escape from north korea ebook written by jang jinsung. Among his tasks were developing the founding myth of north korea, posing undercover as a south korean intellectual and writing epic poems in support of the dictator, kim jongil. Poet, spy, escapee a look inside north korea audiobook by jang jinsung. Jang jinsungs memoir of his life and escape from north korea tries to pierce some of the murkiness by giving an inside look into the country and the kim dynasty that has led it. Poet, spy, escapee a look inside north korea by jang jinsung translated by shirley lee rider books 4. He was working in the covert operations carried out by section 5 literature of division 19 poetry of office 101, the udfs policymaking arm. He has been awarded the rex warner literary prize and read his poetry at londons cultural olympiad in 2012. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Dear leader poet spy escapee a look inside north korea. Poet, spy, escapee a look inside north korea by jang jin sung provides an inside look into the north korea. In fact, one imagines that dear leader could be the basis of a divergentlike film series.
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