North Korea Journal, Michael Palin
North Korea Journal, Michael Palin
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North Korea Journal

Author: Michael Palin

Narrator: Michael Palin

Unabridged: 2 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/05/2019


Synopsis

In this beautifully illustrated journal based on a TV documentary, writer, comedian and world traveller Michael Palin journeys to North Korea, offering a glimpse of life inside the world's most secretive country, uncovering surprises and making friends along the way.

In May 2018, former Monty Python stalwart and intrepid globetrotter Michael Palin ventured into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, camera crew in tow, to gain a glimpse of life in the most notoriously secretive and cut-off nation on earth. His resulting two-part documentary for Channel 5 fascinated millions and won universal plaudits.

Now he shares the journal he meticulously kept during his trip, in which he describes his experiences in a country wholly unlike any other he has ever visited: a country where you will find the Tallest Unoccupied Building in the World; where the residents of Pyongyang awake every morning to the strains of 'Where Are You, Dear General?', broadcast from speakers across the city; and where there are fifteen approved styles of haircut. He chronicles a journey of stark contrasts that takes in a gleamingly modern capital complete with triumphal statues and arches one day, and a countryside that has barely changed in decades on another. He travels to the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, to a centuries-old Confucian academy, and to the heart of North Korea's exquisitely beautiful mountains and lakes. He recounts conversations with official guides, teachers, propaganda artists, farmers and soldiers in which mutual incomprehension and shared humanity are constantly intermingled. And he muses on what makes people tick under a regime that to outsiders seems so utterly alien and so grimly authoritarian.

Written with Palin's trademark warmth and wit, and illustrated with beautiful colour photographs throughout, Palin's journal offers a rare insight into the North Korea behind the headlines.

About Michael Palin

Michael Palin is a comedian, novelist, actor, and playwright best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries. Michael has appeared in several films directed by fellow Python Terry Gilliam. He has also made notable appearances in other films, including A Fish Called Wanda, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He is the author of Hemingway's Chair, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years, and Diaries 1980-1988: Halfway to Hollywood. Michael lives in North London.


Reviews

Goodreads review by TraceyL on November 09, 2019

This book is based on Michael Palin's two week trip to North Korea, where he filmed a mini-series. It's a good read. I've watched many North Korean documentaries because I find the country fascinating, so I didn't really get any new information by reading this book. However, I did like hearing about......more

Goodreads review by Jay on May 31, 2023

Thoroughly enjoyable. I shouldn’t complain that Palin’s writing is too on the light side or that it lacks real depth, because these were two of the reasons I selected his book in the first place: I wanted something friendly and digestible to listen to while driving to and from work at all kinds of u......more

Goodreads review by Tempo de Ler on April 25, 2020

Este é mais um daqueles livros que compro online assim que vejo o pré-lançamento quando claramente devia ter esperado para vê-lo «ao vivo» na loja e ter a oportunidade de o desfolhar antes de comprar. Se o tivesse feito, certamente não o teria comprado… Fiquei bastante desiludida com Diário da Coreia......more

Goodreads review by Mark on September 27, 2019

Five stars easily earned. This is Michael Palin on top form and doing what he does best on travel- bringing humour to a situation and focusing on the people of a place in order to make the place seem more real- with snippets of history and politics peppered throughout. With a country such as North K......more


Quotes

PRAISE FOR MICHAEL PALIN AND HIS PREVIOUS BOOK, EREBUS:

“Palin is a gifted storyteller and has an unerring eye for illuminating anecdotes. His gripping account of the voyage of Erebus to Antarctica is particularly good and details an important period that will not be as familiar for many Franklin students. Palin’s treatment of work and daily life aboard the ships is engrossing.” —Canada’s History
 
“Michael Palin has written a rollicking biography of the legendary ship, told through the lives (and deaths) of the people who manned her on explorations of Antarctica and the Arctic. With this irresistible, sometimes funny and often harrowing account, he makes a convincing case that this one heroic little ship embodies the golden age of polar exploration better than any other.” —John Geiger, CEO of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Canadian Geographic

“An extraordinary book. . . . The little-known tale of the southern voyage, based on copious surviving records, is enthralling, but it’s Palin’s refusal to speculate on the thoughts and emotions of the 129 men aboard Franklin’s two ships before the last of them died that gives Erebus an eerie resonance.” —Maclean’s
 
“At once breezy and gripping. . . . [Palin’s] writing tone is conversational, skeptical, frequently on the lookout for the humorous. . . . It’s this kind of detail of everyday activity in an otherworldly environment that makes Erebus so intriguing. Palin is at his best when describing the rituals of life on board an isolated and cramped space.” —The Globe and Mail

“Beyond terrific. I didn’t want it to end.” —Bill Bryson

“Expertly written and masterfully crafted, Palin’s story of one ship’s two bold explorations successfully weaves together two hundred years of history into page-turning entertainment.” —Adam Shoalts

“What more could a reader ask for? Fascinating mystery, chilling adventure, compelling characters—one a powerful woman, another made of wood and sails—and simply terrific writing by Michael Palin.” —Roy MacGregor

“One robust little tub of a boat, two death-defying voyages to the ends of the earth. Palin has given us a fascinating account of the extraordinary courage of nineteenth-century British sailors and officers. Even the sturdiest vessel is dependent on luck, climate and its captain’s skills as he faces ferocious weather, and Palin illuminates with enthusiasm and respect this chilly history of a bomb ship that made its name first as a polar pioneer and then later as a watery tomb. Enthralling.” —Charlotte Gray

“At this late date, and against all odds, Michael Palin has found an original way to enter and explore the Royal Navy narrative of polar exploration. Palin is a superb stylist, low-key and conversational, who skillfully incorporates personal experience. He turns up obscure facts, reanimates essential moments, and never shies away from taking controversial positions. This beautifully produced volume—colour plates, outstanding maps—is a landmark achievement.” —Ken McGoogan