I was given the book North Korea Journal by one of my sons for Christmas 2019.
The scenario: In May 2018, the former Monty Python stalwart and intrepid globetrotter Michael Palin spent two weeks in the notoriously secretive Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, a cut-off land without internet or phone signal, where the countryside has barely moved beyond a centuries-old peasant economy but where the cities have gleaming skyscrapers and luxurious underground train stations. His resulting 2 part documentary was shown in Australia in early 2020.
As he has done with past TV shows, he also released his day-by-day diary of his visit as a book, in which he describes not only what he saw – and his fleeting views of what the authorities didn’t want him to see – but recounts the conversations he had with the country’s inhabitants, talking candidly about his encounters with officialdom, and recording his musings about a land wholly unlike any other he has ever visited.
I found it a very easy, relatively lightweight and quick book to read - and heavy on photos. The photos are actually an integral part of the book as they illustrate the various elements of his day, as they occur.
The book is not for those looking for a deep appraisal of the country; that is not its intent. If you are interested in a tourist’s experience of North Korea, you will want to read this book. It does appear from this and other visitor narratives that life is getting materially better for some.
North Korea is a mysterious place and it has become almost a cliche to describe it as bad and terrible. Palin's efforts paint a different picture, obviously stage managed, but still managing to show the country and its inhabitants.
Definitely worth a read.
I've got quite a few of his diaries, from his Python days and from his more recent trips (Himilaya and Sahara) as well as his recent Erebus. Definitely a nice addition to the library.
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