The Magical Language of Others is a powerful and aching memoir, a tale of deep bonds to family, place, and language.
After living in America for over a decade, Eun Ji Koh’s parents return to South Korea for work, leaving fifteen-year-old Eun Ji and her brother behind in California. Overnight, Eun Ji finds herself abandoned and adrift in a world made strange by her mother’s absence. Her mother writes letters, in Korean, over the years seeking forgiveness and love―letters Eun Ji cannot fully understand until she finds them years later hidden in a box.
In this incandescent memoir, E. J. Koh fearlessly grapples with forgiveness, reconciliation, legacy, and intergenerational trauma. Join us for an in-depth conversation with E. J. Koh about her memoir, poetry, and translation.
“Koh’s book is a tremendous gift. We’re so fortunate to have this literary reckoning from a tremendously talented writer. The Magical Language of Others is a wonder.”
—The San Francisco Chronicle
“A haunting, gorgeous narrative…lushly told. Brilliant.”
—The Star Tribune
Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.
The Magical Language of Others with E.J. Koh
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 | 6 PM (EST)
The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
E. J. Koh is the author of the memoir The Magical Language of Others and the poetry collection A Lesser Love. She is the winner of the Pleiades Press Editors Prize, and her poems, translations, and stories have appeared in Boston Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, and World Literature Today, among others. She earned her MFA in Literary Translation and Creative Writing from Columbia University, and is completing the PhD program at the University of Washington in Seattle. She is a recipient of The MacDowell Colony and Kundiman fellowships.
