Reviews
“Traveling alone, I have no one to whom I can confess my faults and ask for forgiveness. So, I end up confessing my faults to myself and asking for forgiveness. That is how I barely learn to be generous to myself, to forgive myself.” pp. 16-17. There are many reasons for traveling alone. To understand myself, to love myself... it is said to hold the immense significance of finding an opportunity to reflect on oneself. However, for me, traveling alone is when I want to cast everything aside.
Although I haven't visited many places abroad, Chicago and Saint Petersburg are the ones I know relatively well, having visited them multiple times. I visited various places during three business trips to a Russian research institute a few years ago, and my memories remain vivid. I decided to read this book because I thought it would be a good opportunity to refresh my memories of Russia after a long time. I was also looking forward to it because I had developed a fondness for the author, Baek
There are times when I wonder if we perceive the meaning of travel merely as a superficial pursuit, rather than acting with a proper understanding of it. While there is no need to strictly criticize the misguided notion that travel is simply a series of activities like visiting magnificent cultural sites, taking photos, and seeking out famous restaurants, I have come to realize that a trip is not truly "proper" unless one clearly recognizes what travel signifies and defines what one hopes to
We take the time to encounter a book chronicling the solo travels of a novelist author as she journeyed through Russia. The photographs and text capture the landscapes and people through the author's perspective. The book also includes episodes of situations where communication was difficult while traveling in an unfamiliar place. It is a book that shares with readers the traces of a long journey, in which the author calmly set off to Russia—a place she had never been before—without worry.
This year, air travel was restricted. After spending the year like that, I find myself wanting to travel somewhere more than ever. Among the places I could go, Russia stands out as the most vast territory when looking at a map! It was a place I really wanted to visit at least once. Technically, it is as close as Japan and even closer than Thailand, yet it was a country that felt somewhat psychologically distant. Russia, the land of the Trans-Siberian Railway and Anastasia...! Wanting to travel
Citizens of Russia Text and Photos by Baek Min-seok, Open Books While the previous two texts mainly focused on my thoughts about Russia, since this is a photo essay, I will introduce just a few photos from the book. The students on the cover are said to be those met in the slums on the outskirts of Omsk. To borrow the author's words, "Except for the children, there is nothing in the neighborhood that isn't worn out." The second photo is of a Russian military parade in St. Petersburg. The young
Citizens of Russia Text and Photos by Baek Min-seok, Open Books In my previous post, I discussed prejudices against Russia, and another thing that comes to mind is the Trans-Siberian Railway. During my school days, a friend of mine earnestly wished for the reunification of North and South Korea, stating that the reason was his desire to take the Trans-Siberian Railway all the way to Europe. I told him back then that since our country is small, he likely harbors a fantasy of traversing a vast
"Citizens of Russia" is a travelogue by Baek Min-seok. Traveling alone ultimately means traveling with your heart. There are many things to prepare and pack. What is Russia like? I set off with the anticipation of meeting the protagonist of a destiny disguised as coincidence—a Siberian journey as described by the author. Travel in the COVID era holds a different kind of charm that you and I can experience. Travel can be a turning point in life where you discover yourself, rather than just
Goethe’s *Italian Journey*, a classic of travel essays, was also written by a philosopher and a man of letters. The author of this book is a novelist who has already written several works. I read the book with curiosity, wondering what experiences and feelings this storyteller gained from his visit to Russia. As the title suggests, it is a story about Russian citizens, and it contains numerous photographs. The volume is substantial enough that one could easily mistake it for a travel photo
Citizens of Russia by Baek Min-seok, Open Books. When thinking of Russia, President Vladimir Putin is the first name that comes to mind. He embodies a fearsome image where political opponents are never safe. Next, there are the well-known racist crimes committed by Russian skinhedos, who are extreme racists. There was also an incident where Russian athletes were banned from participating in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics due to state-sponsored systematic doping (although Russia denied it),
Baek Min-seok: Russian citizens
Russia, a source of inspiration for all kinds of history, politics, culture, art, and literature; the people, landscapes, and stories of that place we did not know. The subjects captured by his camera seem closer to the poetry of Pushkin than to Stalin's iron fist. - Actor Park Jung-min He presses the camera shutter intuitively. The Russian citizens he captures in this way appear closer to the realm of the soul than the material, much like the characters in Dostoevsky's novels. - Poet Lee Je-ni Novelist Baek Min-seok's travel essay collection, *Citizens of Russia*, has been published by Open Books. Baek Min-seok documented his three months of solitary traversing Russian cities through approximately 80 short reflections and 120 photographs. The author, who said he wanted to write about *Citizens of Russia* even before starting his journey, has freely and honestly captured the time spent in that foreign land through text and images. Although Vladivostok is geographically closer to us than Tokyo, Japan, or Beijing, China, Russia feels distant to us because it belongs to Western culture and because there has been no political or historical exchange. The author also stated, "Russia remains an image of the Cold War era, and even then, people think of Russia through the image portrayed in Hollywood movies." However, amidst the diverse landscapes, atmospheres, cities, and people of Russia encountered through his prose, one shares the experience of having many of the "shabby prejudices of the past"—such as the KGB, revolution, and Lenin—that were deeply ingrained in one's mind shattered.
Korean title: 러시아의 시민들
Korean author: 백민석
Korean publisher: 열린책들
ISBN-13: 9788932920474
Reviews
“Traveling alone, I have no one to whom I can confess my faults and ask for forgiveness. So, I end up confessing my faults to myself and asking for forgiveness. That is how I barely learn to be generous to myself, to forgive myself.” pp. 16-17. There are many reasons for traveling alone. To understand myself, to love myself... it is said to hold the immense significance of finding an opportunity to reflect on oneself. However, for me, traveling alone is when I want to cast everything aside.
Although I haven't visited many places abroad, Chicago and Saint Petersburg are the ones I know relatively well, having visited them multiple times. I visited various places during three business trips to a Russian research institute a few years ago, and my memories remain vivid. I decided to read this book because I thought it would be a good opportunity to refresh my memories of Russia after a long time. I was also looking forward to it because I had developed a fondness for the author, Baek
There are times when I wonder if we perceive the meaning of travel merely as a superficial pursuit, rather than acting with a proper understanding of it. While there is no need to strictly criticize the misguided notion that travel is simply a series of activities like visiting magnificent cultural sites, taking photos, and seeking out famous restaurants, I have come to realize that a trip is not truly "proper" unless one clearly recognizes what travel signifies and defines what one hopes to
We take the time to encounter a book chronicling the solo travels of a novelist author as she journeyed through Russia. The photographs and text capture the landscapes and people through the author's perspective. The book also includes episodes of situations where communication was difficult while traveling in an unfamiliar place. It is a book that shares with readers the traces of a long journey, in which the author calmly set off to Russia—a place she had never been before—without worry.
This year, air travel was restricted. After spending the year like that, I find myself wanting to travel somewhere more than ever. Among the places I could go, Russia stands out as the most vast territory when looking at a map! It was a place I really wanted to visit at least once. Technically, it is as close as Japan and even closer than Thailand, yet it was a country that felt somewhat psychologically distant. Russia, the land of the Trans-Siberian Railway and Anastasia...! Wanting to travel
Citizens of Russia Text and Photos by Baek Min-seok, Open Books While the previous two texts mainly focused on my thoughts about Russia, since this is a photo essay, I will introduce just a few photos from the book. The students on the cover are said to be those met in the slums on the outskirts of Omsk. To borrow the author's words, "Except for the children, there is nothing in the neighborhood that isn't worn out." The second photo is of a Russian military parade in St. Petersburg. The young
Citizens of Russia Text and Photos by Baek Min-seok, Open Books In my previous post, I discussed prejudices against Russia, and another thing that comes to mind is the Trans-Siberian Railway. During my school days, a friend of mine earnestly wished for the reunification of North and South Korea, stating that the reason was his desire to take the Trans-Siberian Railway all the way to Europe. I told him back then that since our country is small, he likely harbors a fantasy of traversing a vast
"Citizens of Russia" is a travelogue by Baek Min-seok. Traveling alone ultimately means traveling with your heart. There are many things to prepare and pack. What is Russia like? I set off with the anticipation of meeting the protagonist of a destiny disguised as coincidence—a Siberian journey as described by the author. Travel in the COVID era holds a different kind of charm that you and I can experience. Travel can be a turning point in life where you discover yourself, rather than just
Goethe’s *Italian Journey*, a classic of travel essays, was also written by a philosopher and a man of letters. The author of this book is a novelist who has already written several works. I read the book with curiosity, wondering what experiences and feelings this storyteller gained from his visit to Russia. As the title suggests, it is a story about Russian citizens, and it contains numerous photographs. The volume is substantial enough that one could easily mistake it for a travel photo
Citizens of Russia by Baek Min-seok, Open Books. When thinking of Russia, President Vladimir Putin is the first name that comes to mind. He embodies a fearsome image where political opponents are never safe. Next, there are the well-known racist crimes committed by Russian skinhedos, who are extreme racists. There was also an incident where Russian athletes were banned from participating in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics due to state-sponsored systematic doping (although Russia denied it),
