''The Ministry of Truth: Kim Jong-Il's North Korea'' () is a 2006 book by the Swiss writer

Christian Kracht Christian Kracht (; born 29 December 1966) is a Swiss author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. Personal life Kracht was born in Saanen in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. He attended Schule Schloss Salem in Baden-Wür ...

and the photographers Eva Munz and Lukas Nikol. It consists of photographs from North Korea's capital

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

accompanied by quotations from

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...

's book on film theory, ''

On the Art of the Cinema ''On the Art of the Cinema'' () is a 1973 treatise by the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. It is considered the most authoritative work on North Korean filmmaking. The book sets forth several original theories, which can be applied to the ...

''. In his introduction, Kracht compares the country of North Korea to a film set where the government directs a simulation of a thriving nation. The book was published in English on 1 October 2007 through

Feral House Feral House is an American book publisher founded in 1989 by Adam Parfrey and based in Port Townsend, Washington. Early history The company's first book was '' The Satanic Witch'' (1989; originally published in 1971 by Dodd, Mead & Company) by A ...

. The title is a reference to George Orwell's Ministries of ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''.

Reception

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' wrote that "the rich, full-color images of North Korea's capital city Pyongyang captured by international photographers Munz and Nikol contain a surreal beauty, often monumental and sparsely populated, that inspires a vivid sense of isolation and uncertainty. ... This slim book provides rare glimpses into the 'world's first postmodern country,' each as illuminating for what it shows as for what it hides."

References

External links

American publicity page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry of Truth 2006 non-fiction books Books about Pyongyang Books of photographs German-language works Kim Jong-il Works by Christian Kracht Feral House books