Reluctant Travellers:Shifting Interpretation of the Observations of Hendrik Hamel and his Companions
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The description of Korea by Hendrik Hamel(1630-1692) contained in the account of the thirteen years he spent in the country after his ship was destroyed in a storm off Cheju Island was originally written to inform Hamel’s employers, the Dutch East India Company, of possible trade opportunities. Very soon, however, Hamel’s Journal was commercially published in Holland to satisfy the curiosity of the general public about foreign climes. Before long the book was published in French, German and English and included in general collections of tales of travel, turning into a modest classic. In 1920 a Dutch edition was prepared based on the original manuscript, without all the distortions that had been the result of the complicated process of publication and (repeated) translation. Around this time the book also started to draw the attention of Korean readers. At present several translations are still readily available in Korean bookshops. This means that the book has almost continuously remained in print since 1668. Over the years, however, the reasons why the book was published and read have not always been the same. This article primarily aims to trace the publication and reception history of the Journal. Why was it thought worth publishing and what meanings have been discovered in the book over a period of more than 300 years? It also asks the question what the present value of the Journal might be, and suggests that it allows us some intimate glimpses of 17th century Korea that are unavailable anywhere else, while it also fosters awareness that at the time European attitudes toward Asia were much more characterized by appreciation and a sense of fundamental equality than in the 19th century, thus, in its own way, de-centering Europe.
Abstract
The description of Korea by Hendrik Hamel(1630-1692) contained in the account of the thirteen years he spent in the country after his ship was destroyed in a storm off Cheju Island was originally written to inform Hamel’s employers, the Dutch East India Company, of possible trade opportunities. Very soon, however, Hamel’s Journal was commercially published in Holland to satisfy the curiosity of the general public about foreign climes. Before long the book was published in French, German and English and included in general collections of tales of travel, turning into a modest classic. In 1920 a Dutch edition was prepared based on the original manuscript, without all the distortions that had been the result of the complicated process of publication and (repeated) translation. Around this time the book also started to draw the attention of Korean readers. At present several translations are still readily available in Korean bookshops. This means that the book has almost continuously remained in print since 1668. Over the years, however, the reasons why the book was published and read have not always been the same. This article primarily aims to trace the publication and reception history of the Journal. Why was it thought worth publishing and what meanings have been discovered in the book over a period of more than 300 years? It also asks the question what the present value of the Journal might be, and suggests that it allows us some intimate glimpses of 17th century Korea that are unavailable anywhere else, while it also fosters awareness that at the time European attitudes toward Asia were much more characterized by appreciation and a sense of fundamental equality than in the 19th century, thus, in its own way, de-centering Europe.