My edition [edition] is a larger paperback with very large font selected, suitable for poor eyesight. Compared to Barbara Demick's book "Nothing to Envy" affects the publication downright huge, almost like a children's book. Accordingly quickly works its way up through about 350 pages by a rainy weekend is enough.
The literary quality is good, especially I would like to highlight the performance of the translator into English, the text looks organic and fluid. Mr. Jang was a poet, writer of patriotic poems to glorify the Kim dynasty. Accordingly succeeded are his short stories and anecdotal, only bothers me sometimes that almost seamlessly historical explanations are built and interfere with the readability of your text something. More explanations are probably in a strange country like North Korea necessary than elsewhere. Jang is working with various flashbacks and so the story always swings between the year 2004 [the year of the flight] and earlier years back and forth. Nevertheless, the insights into the North Korean negotiating tactics are shocking and should be studied thoroughly by all modern statesmen!
Yes: the only problem with this book is that it is no longer fully up to date. Insights into the power structures and the psyche of Administration Kim Jong-il, though valuable, especially from an insider, but today we have 2014 and his [third] son Kim Jong-un is [not really] in power. The current context, the power loss of the Kim family and the coup d'etat by the elite, albeit hidden "Department of organization and leadership" of the Communist Party you only get a few, thin records indicated at the end of the book.
North Korea is ruled virtually by a junta of senior party officials and Kim Jong-il companions since the end of 2013, which have, prevailed against the competing network uncle of Kim, Jang Sung-taek in the power struggle [Kim Jong-il is indeed passed away in late 2011 without having his successor satisfactorily resolved]. The "Little Prince" is only symbolic head of state and lives otherwise in a golden cage with his plaster-seeking small Tingeltangel singer, Ri Sol-ju.
[See. to the website of Jang Jin-sung: newfocusintl.com]
One must not be afraid of this English-language edition have, everything seems easy to read and understandable. Anyone who has read other books in English, such as "Lord of the Rings" or "Nothing to Envy", will have no difficulty.
