“K: the art of love” is a romantic and a bit sad novel about love between married Chinese woman and young Englishman. Julian Bell – young intellectual comes to china to teach English. He collects women: for every lover he gives a letter from the alphabet. In China Julian meets Lin Cheng – dean’s Cheng wife. Lin becomes the lover of a young Englishman and he notes her as letter K, but this time it’s not just a letter or one-time adventure – it’s love. It seems all very nice, love links these two people, but life is not as easy as one would like. Lin is married and Julian perhaps realizes too late that love should be cherished. Even when he loves Lin so much, he looks to her and all Chinese people like a racist. (more…)

“A journey of a thousand li starts beneath one’s feet“. – Chinese proverb

Over the ages an immense literary heritage has been collected in China. This set of aphorisms “A Thousand li: Ancient Chinese wisdom“ conveys sayings and proverbs of Ancient Chinese sages as well as philosophical and literary traditions of three philosophical schools: Confucianism, Taoism and Chan (Zen) Buddhism. There is no hostility between all of these teachings. (more…)

Myths described in the book “Korean myths” talks about Korean kingdoms’ establishments, gods’ origins and their life stories. Majority of myths narrating about establishment of kingdoms were written in a chronicle, which was published in 1285. Meanwhile shaman myths were started to gather only in the 20th century. This book also briefly introduces Korea’s history, religion as well as shamanism and geography. And before every myth there is a short introduction of the myth and where it is spread, so that a reader would understand everything easier.

In this book all myths are categorized into myths about kingdoms’ establishments, Korea’s mainland shaman myths and myths from Jeju Island. Last two categories were started to gather and write down only a hundred years ago by Korean and foreign (usually Japanese) researchers. Therefore they have many versions and the book also has two very different versions of Seongju’s myth. (more…)

In this book we can find philosophical reflections on human life and at the same time Japan’s domestic life episodes, people relationships and so on. Novels are short ones, because of the long-lived Japanese verbal creativity roots. During Akutagawa writing period, Japanese literature at the same time was into naturalism. All this reflected in the creativity part. His works takes a really important place in Japanese literature: after he died his creations was fully released and was established Akutagawa’s name literary prize, which is given annually to a young writer every year… All this shows how great is seen Akutagawa’s name in the new literature of Japanese culture. A lot of short stories are connected with Japanese religions. (more…)

”Peony in Love” is set in 17th-century China around the delta of the Yangzi river. „Peony in Love“ emphasizes the difficulty 19th- and 17th-century Chinese women had in achieving freedom and identity in a society that was both male dominated and rigid in its gender expectations. This novel is abundant in historical facts, as well as old Chinese customs ir traditions. Author introduces the readers to Chinese foot binding custom, wedding traditions, burial ceremonies and impact, that the belief in afterlife has on Chinese culture. The writer also presents an evaluation of the upheaval of the 17th-century, when the Manchus overthrew the Qing Dynasty. She tells a story of turmoil in the country and the heroic self-sacrifice of women in the fight against the Manchus, as well as women\’s creative prosperity. (more…)

“Graziausios Korejos pasakos” is a collection of nine Korean folk tales. The book was compiled and translated by Jinseok Seo, a Korean person who is studying Baltic studies, and illustrated by Eunok Kim Kang, a Korean woman currently living in Lithuania.

There is a saying that one of the best ways to learn about foreign culture is through tales and folklore. That is why while reading this collection of tales Lithuanian readers will be able to explore Korean culture, history and traditions in a funny way. Since from Lithuanian perspective Korea still is quite exotic and not that well known, these tales can help anyone to get to know this faraway place better. (more…)

The Novel is about journey in Lingshan (Soul Mountain) of which storyteller heard from a person who he met on a train. The journey is written inconsistently; inserting descriptions of nature or place images, folk festivals, faiths, legends and customs. The most parts of novel begin with real events or images, but later they are deviated from the main topic. We can also find subtle mentions about the mood of the narrator, inserting his thoughts. For this reason, it seems like the storyteller moves away from mountain and comes back again. (more…)

‘Waiting’ – is a love story, which runs through the main character’s – doctor’s Lin Kong‘s life. He married the uneducated, customary, with damaged feet woman Shuyu, so that “it is simply impossible for her to leave her birth place”. Doctor Lin Kong works at a military hospital in Moody city and forbids his wife to visit him at work. His intentions are to meet her only once a year, when he gets twelve days of vacation and goes back to the village. Shuyu is humble wife, who does not complain with her man about his indifference, patiently looks after the farm and raises their daughter Hua. (more…)

The book “69” starts like this: “Nineteen sixty-nine was the year student uprisings shut down Tokyo University. The Beatles put out The White Album, Yellow Submarine. The Rolling Stones released their greatest single ‘Honky Tonk Women’, and people known as hippies wore their hair long and called for love and peace. In Paris, De Goulle resigned. The war in Vietnam continued”. Japanese youth also participated in various political demonstrations, rebelled against their parents, teachers, and in their opinion all authorities. (more…)

Five women, five love stories. “Five Women Who Loved Love” is a book which follows five determined women lives who were so bold as to seek love and pleasure, in spite of social attitudes about such things. The five heroines are Onatsu, already wise in the ways of love by the age of sixteen; Osen, a faithful wife until unjustly accused of adultery; Osan, a Kyoto beauty who falls asleep in the wrong bed; Oshichi, willing to burn down a city to meet her samurai lover; and Oman, who has to compete with handsome boys to win her lover\’s affections. The heroines are not always admirable women, and their loves are not always beautiful, some of them are little more than aggressive pleasure seekers… (more…)