Reading about the reading life. March 9, 2012

A few things about books and reading that I have recently read and found interesting.

• An article about getting Korean literature translated so folks abroad can read it. The article out of the The Korea Herald features an interview with the director of the Korea Literature Translation Institute.
• A Spanish language article from the blog Papeles Pérdidos. The article is entitled "Un recorrido por las librerías más bonitas del mundo." The article highlights beautiful bookstores around the world, using a previous article on the topic out of Flavorpill. I think the English-language version has made the rounds in a few celebrity librarian blogs and other book blogs. However, as often the case with Spanish language writing, I found the article a more pleasant reading experience. The language is a bit more lyrical in describing these havens for book readers. Additional commentary on the book industry is also included. 
• Under learning something new, did you know that Japan has about 500 literary prizes? This article from The Japan Times a small Q&A on the prominent literary awards in Japan.  A hat tip to The Literary Saloon.
• From Cornell University's Cornell Chronicle magazine, a short profile of writer José Edmundo Paz-Soldán. Not too many of his works have been translated into English. I do recall ordering a few of his works in Spanish for the collections at my previous workplace. A pity I did not get around to reading them myself at the time. I may need to work on fixing that reading gap. A hat tip to The Literary Saloon.