Mannam

Encounter (Mannam) brings to life the world of traditional Korea on the brink of change. The novel recounts the experiences of Tasan, a high-ranking official and foremost Neo-Confucian scholar at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Because of his fascination with Western learning, then synonymous with Catholicism, Tasan is exiled to a remote province for eighteen years. In banishment, he comes to know people from many social and religious backgrounds - Buddhist monks, peasants, shamans - whom he would not otherwise have met. Tasan succumbs to apostasy to protect himself. In contrast, his…