Backstory: The “American mountain man” referred to in the subtitle is my friend Dave Mason. I got to know him because of our shared love for hiking around in the Korean countryside. When I was exploring obscure mountain valleys looking for new trout streams, I would sometimes come across shaman shrines. I would note the location and later drop him a line about it. He is the real deal, which is why I included him in this round up of Korean literature. Click the title below to read it.