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| The late Ahn Dong-lim, author of best-selling collection on classical music, was also among the nation's foremost translators of ancient Chinese classics such as 'Zhuangzi.' / Korea Times file |
Obituary: Ahn Dong-lim (1932-2014)
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| Ahn Dong-lim's signature series "A Guide to Recorded Classical Music" have been instrumental in introducing classical music to beginners since the 1980s. |
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| Ahn Dong-lim's "Zhuangzi" was published in 1973. In 2005, the Kyosu Shinmun, a local newspaper for university professors, selected the steady seller as the best Zhuangzi translation. |
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| Ahn published "Immortal Conductors" in 2009 as a tribute to the 34 conductors of the 20th century that have inspired his lifelong enthusiasm for classical music. |
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| The 2011 "Arias in My Heart" is Ahn's final work. |
Ahn Dong-lim, author of best selling collection on classical music, has died at the age of 82. At the family's request, his passing on July 1 was belatedly announced Thursday by the publishing house of the series, Hyeonamsa.
"Ahn passed away from acute pneumonia at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital with his family at his side," a press release said. He was buried at a memorial park in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, in a private funeral service.
The author's signature series "A Guide to Recorded Classical Music" was first released in 1988 through Hyeonamsa, and has sold more than a million copies. It is widely considered the most comprehensive guide to classical music published in the country.
The former English literature professor of Cheongju University penned a range of books that introduced operas, arias and conductors.
In one of his last books "Arias in My Heart," he reminisces about his earliest encounter with classical music. Born in 1932 in South Pyeongan Province, Ahn fled to South Korea by himself during the Korean War (1950-53).
At a time when classical music records were rare, he built his knowledge of classical music through records from U.S. military bases and magazines.
Although he was one of the most renowned music critics, the title he best liked to describe himself was "music lover."
"I am not a professional musician. I am not a critic. I simply love music," he said.
His favorite composer was Mozart. Ahn worshipped Wilhelm Furtwangler (1886~1954), the iconic former music director of the Berlin Philharmonic. His first term with the top German ensemble spanned from 1922 through 1945. Furtwangler took charge of the orchestra for a second time from 1952 until 1954, when Herbert von Karajan succeeded him to fill the world's most coveted conducting post for almost 40 years.
Ahn collected 1,400 LPs and countless CDs and DVDs throughout his life. He was devoted to LPs long after they became ancient.
He was as famous for his literary achievements as his legacy with classical music books. Ahn was one of the pioneers as a translator of Chinese classics. Starting in the 1970s, he translated into Korean "Zhuangzi" an ancient Chinese work from the late Warring States period (3rd century BC) known as one of the fundamental texts of Daoism.
His version of Zhuangzi was a best-seller and has been lauded as one of the finest translations in Korea.
By profession, Ahn taught literature at Cheongju University in North Chungcheong Province. He was an expert on the 19th-century U.S. author Henry David Thoreau.
He is survived by his wife, one daughter and one son.
