London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

February Literature Night: The Age of Doubt by Pak Kyongni

It’s good to have the literature events back. This collection of short stories was published in September last year by Honford Star – a great addition to their series. In general we find Pak Kyongni somewhat heavy-going, but we enjoyed the longest story in this collection (some schoolday reminiscences entitled The Era of Fantasy) and found the commentary at the end by Professor Kang Ji Hee very helpful in appreciating the others. Today’s moderator is translator of that commentary.

Korean Literature Night: The Age of Doubt by Pak Kyongni

Date: Wednesday 22 February 2023, 12 noon
Venue: Online | Tickets: Free |

cover image for The Age of DoubtThe Age of Doubt collects some of Pak Kyongni’s most famous works, including her 1955 debut and other stories featuring characters that would appear in her 21-volume epic, T’oji. Many of Pak’s stories reflect her own turbulent experiences during the period following the Korean war and the various Korean dictatorships throughout the twentieth century.

Pak Kyongni (1926-2008) is one of Korea’s most venerated writers and was hugely influential during her almost forty-years-long career. As one of the most highly respected writers in Korea, Pak’s work is included in textbooks, made into TV dramas and films, and several organisations are devoted to preserving her legacy, including the Pak Kyongni House and Literary Park and the Pak Kyongni Memorial Museum.

Translated by Sophie Bowman, Anton Hur, Slin Jung, You Jeong Kim, Paige Aniyah Morris, Mattho Mandersloot, Emily Yae Won and Dasom Yang, with insightful commentary by Professor Kang Ji Hee.

Moderator – You Jeong Kim

You Jeong Kim is a translator and editor based in Seoul. She won the commemoration prize of the 47th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards in 2016. She’s also a graduate of LTI Korea Translation Academy Special and Regular Courses. She has translated literary and cultural content including short stories, children’s stories, essays, poetry, pansori script, scenarios, and subtitles.

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