In a world of constant winter, only the citizens of Snowglobe escape the bitter cold—but Snowglobe hides dark and dangerous secrets at its heart. A groundbreaking Korean novel translated into English for the first time that is perfect for fans of Snowpiercer and Squid Game! Enclosed under a vast dome, Snowglobe is the last place … [Read More]
Booklist: Korean literature in translation (page 8)
Your Utopia
By the internationally acclaimed author of Cursed Bunny, in another thrilling translation from the Korean by Anton Hur, Your Utopia is full of tales of loss and discovery, idealism and dystopia, death and immortality. “Nothing concentrates the mind like Chung’s terrors, which will shrivel you to a bouillon cube of your most primal instincts” (Vulture), yet these stories … [Read More]
The Butterfly Dance
What would a man do to win over the woman of his dreams? What if there was a way, an ancient and mystical method sent down straight from the gods, to gain the undying devotion of any woman on Earth? Mijin. Just a minute. Stay still for just a minute. I don’t want to have … [Read More]
Molting
In college, I began fixating on my appearance. I obsessed over my large, round nose, lamented how it threw off the balance of my entire face, didn’t go with any of my outfits, and even seemed to wobble about on my face whenever I ran. It had no redeeming qualities except for the functions every … [Read More]
dd’s Umbrella
What was it they were battling? Their smallness, of course, their smallness. A delicate and arresting queer novel from one of Korea’s most celebrated contemporary writers. d, a nonbinary gig worker living in Seoul, briefly escapes the grasp of isolation when they meet dd, only to be ensnared by grief when dd dies in a … [Read More]
Pehera’s Curse
What do we worship, and what do we curse? In a dark cave atop a cliff in a forgotten village lives the last remaining butterfly… I am me. If you think of me as a butterfly, then yes, I may just be a butterfly. Yuhi Kim is a young scientist who studies the legendary butterfly … [Read More]
At Night he Lifts Weights
A disquieting vision of ecological dystopia in a collection by a major Korean writer. An artist is plagued by desire for her mysterious double as disease spreads through an uncanny suburban landscape. An elderly woman suspects the old man who lifts weights in her neighborhood playground of being responsible for a spate of murders. While … [Read More]
I’ll write again tomorrow
May my poetry not lean on plausible deniability, may it not mask or embellish the present me with the past me that has already passed. I hope the things I get angry about don’t harden into conventions, and I hope the things I love are written down waiting to be deepened. From“ Poet’s Essay” He … [Read More]
Love Songs Sung with the Body
I want to love, I want to hug, I want to be together, I want to be together and look at the same place, but it doesn’t work out. It seems to work but it doesn’t, it seems to work but it doesn’t work. It’s not just an erotic relationship. The appearance of thirst among … [Read More]
The Governor’s Case File
In a peaceful village in Joseon Korea, the newly appointed governor is startled to learn that all the butterflies have disappeared. He proceeds to investigate the peculiar case in this poignant short story that is at once historical fiction and cozy mystery. On a peaceful spring day, the young governor is looking forward to a … [Read More]
A Century of Queer Korean Fiction
Following decades of LGBTQ+ activism, South Korea has seen a flowering of queer literature, film, and Internet culture. Many openly gay, lesbian, transgender, and other queer Korean writers find themselves in the national and international spotlight. But the rich variety of queer representation also extends into the Korean past, as this volume illustrates. Beginning with … [Read More]
Parting After Parting (K- Poet 34)
Poet Jang Seok-won’s “Farewell After Farewell” in K-Poet Series, Songs that Begin with Revolution and Love Once Again Poet Jang Seok-won’s sixth collection of poems, 『Farewell After Farewell』, a poet who loves music and poetry, has been published in the 34th volume of the K-Poet Series. In 2002, the poet joined the Korea Daily (now … [Read More]
Rock Is Thunder (K-Poet 35)
Poet Lee Jae-hoon’s “Stones Are Thunder” Lending Tears to the Silent Poet Lee Jae-hoon’s fifth collection of poems, “Stones Are Thunder,” will be published as the 35th volume of the K-Poet series. Poet Lee Jae-hoon began his career in 1998 with Contemporary Poetry and has published poetry collections such as My First Report on the … [Read More]
The Consultant
Sometimes work can be murder… The Consultant is very good at his job. He creates simple, elegant, effective solutions for… restructuring. Nothing obvious or messy. Certainly nothing anyone would ever suspect as murder. The ‘natural deaths’ he plans have always gone well: a medicine replaced here, a mechanism jammed there. His performance reviews are excellent. … [Read More]
The Whisper of the Breeze from Pine Trees and Flowing Streams
On the day of her orientation ceremony to start university, Jaun runs into the young Monk Hyegang, an old friend, who has a gift for her, a rosary, from his guardian, Monk Dasol. Upon thanking him for the gift, Jaun is surprised and curious to learn this great monk has been watching her from afar … [Read More]
Can’t I go instead?
From the author of The Picture Bride, two women’s lives and identities are intertwined — through World War II and the Korean War — revealing the harsh realities of class division in the early part of the 20th century. Can’t I Go Instead follows the lives of the daughter of a Korean nobleman and her maidservant in … [Read More]