An acclaimed story collection from the author of the Shirley Jackson Award–winning novel The Hole Six elephants bolt from an amusement park and vanish; where they’re found brings back memories of a forgotten dictator. A car ride on a foggy highway at night becomes a drive through hell for a young couple getting away for the … [Read More]
Booklist: Korean literature in translation (page 6)
I Am Not Korean
Song Kyeong-dong is a social activist and a poet. He is surely the only Korean poet capable of writing a poem denying that he is Korean, being filled with shame on reading of the way Korean companies, having relocated their factories to Southeast Asia to profit from cheap labor, systematically exploit and abuse their underpaid workers, … [Read More]
Your Neighbour’s Table
From the award-winning author of The Old Woman with the Knife comes the thought-provoking story of community and the cultural expectations of motherhood, through four women whose lives intersect in unexpected ways at a government-run apartment complex outside Seoul When Yojin moves with her husband and daughter into the Dream Future Pilot Communal Apartments, she’s … [Read More]
The Rainfall Market
A rumour surrounds an old house. Send a letter and if it’s chosen a mysterious ticket will be delivered to you. No one is more surprised than Serin when she receives a ticket inviting her to a market that opens once a year when it rains. Here she’s offered to swap her life for another. … [Read More]
Return to the DallerGut Dream Department Store
It has been a year since Penny first walked through the doors of DallerGut Dream Department Store, and surviving a year at the store means one thing… She is now an official employee of the dream industry! She can finally take the express commuter train to the Company District, where all the dream production companies … [Read More]
Dog Days
The author of Grass and The Naked Tree returns with a profound tale of family Yuna never wanted to adopt a dog. But with her partner in mourning–and in desperate need of a boost in morale–she gives in to his humble request. And in the grand tradition of reluctant pet owners, she and their puppy soon become inseparable. The … [Read More]
The Trunk
Meet Noh Inji: thirty years old, five wedding rings so far, and she’s never once been in love. When Inji takes a job at Wedding & Life, the popular matchmaking service, she never imagines her role will be with NM, their secretive marriage division that rents out ‘field spouses’ for a fixed period to their … [Read More]
Blood of the Old Kings
Powered by corpses of sorcerers, the Empire has conquered the world. It claims to have brought peace and stability to its conquered lands, but some see that peace for what it is—a lie—and will give everything to fight it. Loran was desperate for revenge after the Empire killed her family, so much so that she … [Read More]
Marigold Mind Laundry
The comforting magical tale of a mysterious laundry that blooms into existence one night, and how its enigmatic owner summons her powers to heal souls and make dreams come true. We’re a mind laundry. What we wash and iron are the stains on your heart, the creases within you. If there’s anything upsetting you, we … [Read More]
No Rules Tonight
From the creators of Banned Book Club comes a young adult graphic novel about unveiling secrets, confessing your crushes, and finding yourself: all in the mountains of South Korea on Christmas Eve. It’s time for the annual winter camp at Anjeon University. A full weekend, deep in the mountains, with no parental supervision. But this is no … [Read More]
The Proposal
In The Proposal, a space opera romance set against the backdrop of a looming colossal war between Earth and a mysterious adversary, a story of love unfolds through a series of intimate letters. This poignant novella explores how a space-born soldier’s gradual involvement with an escalating conflict intertwines with a heartfelt proposal to his Earth-born partner, … [Read More]
The Healing Season of Pottery
A heart warming and irresistible novel about the rejuvenating power of pottery, for fans of Before The Coffee Gets Cold and What You Are Looking For Is In The Library. Jungmin is down on her luck. She’s worked tirelessly as a screenwriter her whole life, and has finally burnt out. But after months of isolation, she realises it’s … [Read More]
Yeonnam-Dong’s Smiley Laundromat
Situated in a rapidly gentrifying district of Seoul, Yeonnam-Dong’s Smiley Laundromat is a place where the extraordinary stories of ordinary residents unfold. Furnished with a coffee machine, a full bookshelf, and warm lighting, it is a haven from the world for many locals. And when a notebook is left behind there, it becomes a place … [Read More]
Romancing on Jeju
This atmospheric novel about friendship and self-discovery from Korean author Hyun-joo Park buzzes with romance, mystery, and just a hint of danger. Romi is an illustrator and hopeless romantic. When she can’t stop obsessing over a brief encounter with a handsome stranger, there’s just one thing to do: hop on a plane and find him. … [Read More]
The Black Orb
A piercingly dark, surreal satire on mass panic, disaster response and modern masculinity One evening in downtown Seoul, Jeong-su is smoking a cigarette outside when he sees something impossible: a huge black orb appears out of nowhere and sucks his neighbour inside. The orb soon begins consuming other people and no one knows how to … [Read More]
Everything Good Dies Here: Tales from the Linker Universe and Beyond
Introducing English readers to the speculative fiction of pseudonymous author Djuna, whose writings and interventions into internet culture have attracted a cult following in South Korea The stories brought together in this collection introduce for the first time in English the dazzling speculative imaginings of Djuna, one of South Korea’s most provocative SF writers. Whether … [Read More]