When the issue of comfort women has been with us since the Pacific War, to re-emerge in 1991 when Kim Haksun came forward as the first to announce herself as victim, it is astonishing that we had to wait until 2016 for what is, according to Bonnie Oh’s introduction (p ix), “the first Korean novel … [Read More]
Category: Translated Korean literature (page 5)
Yi Sang: Selected Works – Jack Jung in conversation with Steven J Fowler
April’s literature event at the KCC looks at last year’s translation of selected works of Yi Sang. I personally find Yi pretty hard going, so I’m hoping this session will give me a way of looking at his work that will encourage me to give him another go. Yi Sang: Selected Works Wednesday 28th April … [Read More]
Bluebeard’s First Wife: Ha Seong-nan in conversation with Janet Hong
March’s literature event sponsored by the KCC features Ha Seong-nan and her translator Janet Hong. As always, pre-registration is required. Bluebeard’s First Wife Wednesday 24 March 2021 12 noon -1:30pm (GMT) Venue: ZOOM (Online) Entrance Free – Booking Essential Apply to [email protected] with your name and contact details by 15th March. Disasters, accidents, and deaths … [Read More]
Bae Myung-hoon’s Tower could be the most fun thing you read this year
Bae Myung-hoon’s Tower is the first of several science fiction books to reach us this year, and if the rest are as good as this we’re in for an enjoyable time. It’s his first full-length work to be translated into English, and also translator Sung Ryu’s first book. She has two further titles coming out … [Read More]
Tower: Bae Myung-hoon in conversation with Stella Kim
The KCC’s literature events for 2021 kick off in February with a feature on Honford Star’s publication of Bae Myung-hoon’s Tower. Text below is from the KCC website. Tower Tuesday 23 February 2021, 12noon-1:30pm Venue: Honford Star Youtube Channel Entrance Free – Booking Essential. Apply to [email protected] with your name and contact details by 5 … [Read More]
Book review: Yi In-hwa’s Everlasting Empire
Some time ago I watched Park Chong-wan’s 1995 historical mystery movie Eternal Empire on DVD, having purchased it on the strength of its inclusion in Darcy Paquet’s list of top films from the 1990s. I must have been tired when I watched it: I simply have no recollection of what I thought of it, though … [Read More]
Literature and poetry in translation titles for 2021: more than a dozen to look forward to!
This is now LKL’s fifth annual post that looks at the literature and fiction titles we’re looking forward to over the coming twelve months. Since last year we’ve made things easier for ourselves by investing some time building a book database that aims to catalogue all physical publications of Korean literature in translation, as well … [Read More]
Interview with Bora Chung in Korea Times
There’s a nice interview with writer Bora Chung in yesterday’s Korea Times. Coming later this year from Honford Star is her short story collection Cursed Bunny, translated by Anton Hur. According to the article, Many of her recent works can be defined as a gripping amalgamation of absurdist, unrealistic stories that draw on science fiction, … [Read More]
A look back at our 2020 reading diary
Like many readers, we started the year with good intention of blitzing through the pile of new titles that were promised for the coming months, as well as making inroads into the backlog. And we genuinely got off to a good start with a string of fun K-thrillers, some of them new, some not: The … [Read More]
SOAS online seminar: One Left, by Kim Soom
It’s been a while since we last had a SOAS Friday evening seminar, but this should be worth the wait. One Left: A powerful tale of trauma and endurance that transformed a nation’s understanding of Korean comfort women Bruce Fulton and Ju-Chan Fulton (Translators) Friday 4 December 2020, 5 – 7pm Online. Register via Zoom … [Read More]
Review: City of Ash and Red
City of Ash and Red is a novel for 2020, even though it was originally published in 2010. Inspired no doubt in part by the SARS outbreak of 2002-3, Pyun Hye-young imagines a world where a virus has the potential to shut down whole countries, in which visitors are tested for infection on arrival at … [Read More]
Unexpected Vanilla: Poetry Reading with Poet Lee Hyemi and translator Soje
November’s literature event celebrates a recent publication of poetry by Lee Hyemi from Tilted Axis, translated by Smoking Tiger Soje. Unexpected Vanilla Poetry Reading with Poet Lee Hyemi and translator Soje Wednesday 25th November 12noon-1:30pm (UK time) Zoom videoconference. Entrance Free – Booking Essential Apply to [email protected] with your name and contact details by 4th … [Read More]
Buckwheat tops the translation league table
As I’ve been logging the various publications during the construction of LKL’s K-lit hub, I’ve been keeping an eye on those stories which appear most often in English translation, whether in an anthology or a standalone publication. Charles Montgomery has always said that When the Buckwheat Blooms is the most published story, and I’ve yet … [Read More]
Announcing LKL’s new K-Lit Hub
I haven’t been posting much on LKL recently. That’s not because nothing’s been going on. On the contrary, there’s been plenty of exhibitions to review, online film festivals to attend, and some real-world foodie events to enjoy. In fact, I have a longer than ever writing backlog, which I shall do my best to backfill. So … [Read More]
Literary talk with author Yun Ko-eun and translator Lizzie Buehler
The KCC seems to be getting into a nice rhythm of mid-day talks featuring Korean authors and their recent translations. This month, Yun Ko-eun’s Disaster Tourist (밤의 여행자들, 2013. LKL review here). The Disaster Tourist Wednesday 21st October 12noon-1:30pm Venue: ZOOM (Online) Entrance Free – Booking Essential. Apply to [email protected] with your name and contact … [Read More]
Review: Pyun Hye-young – The Law of Lines
Life was much deeper than he could ever imagine. It was impossible to tell just how far you could sink (1) Two apparent suicides in different parts of the country kick-start two separate story-lines which turn out to be interlinked. Se-oh is the daughter of one of the deceased – a man who had fallen … [Read More]