From the very first moment she set foot in South Korea, Barbara Zitwer, literary agent to some of the most celebrated, prize-winning Korean authors, fell head-over-heels in love, discovering there a renewed sense of happiness and energy. In this fascinating book, Zitwer shares all that she has learnt about this vibrant country, forged by the … [Read More]
Category: General book news
Lee Hyemi shortlisted for Sarah Maguire Prize for Poetry in Translation
Congratulations to poet Lee Hyemi, translator Soje and the pioneering Tilted Axis Press for being shortlisted for the 2022 Sarah Maguire Prize for Poetry in Translation with the collection Unexpected Vanilla, published in 2020. Awarded every two years, the prize honours the best book of poetry by a living poet from Africa, Asia, Latin America … [Read More]
Tiger is Coming: Make, Break, Remix
Join us for an exclusive Q&A with author Fiona Bae in conversation with Robert Bound, Senior Correspondent at Monocle, to mark the launch of her new book Make, Break, Remix: The Rise of K-Style, a bold, stylish look at the global rise of Korean culture and style in the words and images of those shaping … [Read More]
Congratulations to Bora Chung, Anton Hur and Honford Star
Congratulations to author Bora Chung, translator Anton Hur and publisher Honford Star for Cursed Bunny’s inclusion in the International Booker Prize shortlist. Anton Hur had the distinction of having two of his translations longlisted, the other one being Sang Young Park’s Love in the Big City. It was also nice to see one title from … [Read More]
Non-fiction titles expected in 2022: LKL’s picks
In previous years this post has been, to a greater or lesser extent, a list of every non-fiction title I could find that was going to be hitting the bookshops in the coming year. As the LKL Korea Book Database has grown in size, including its stock of future publications, there are now far too … [Read More]
Upcoming literature and fiction titles for 2022
Last year was an amazing one for Korean literature in translation, with plenty of lively titles published. 2022 looks for the moment like it’s going to be a little quieter, but new publications sometimes pop out of nowhere, so this list of anticipated books for this year is almost bound to be proved incomplete. There … [Read More]
Yoo Youngkuk: “painter of mountains” and “magician of colours”
Today, the publishers of a recent monograph on the Korean artist Yoo Youngkuk got in touch to ask me to add the title to the LKL Korea Book Database – something I was very happy to do. There’s far too little material available in English on modern Korean art so I’m always delighted when I … [Read More]
Two recent resources on Korean literature in translation
First, very hot off the press — uploaded to the Taylor & Francis website yesterday — is the Translation Review Korea special. As with most academic publications, this title is phenomenally expensive, so best to consult it via your university library online resources. Here’s the table of contents: Introduction: They Like to Sing and Dance … [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]
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]
Cereal Magazine: special Korean edition
Cereal is a biannual travel and style magazine based in the UK. Each issue focuses on a select number of destinations, alongside interviews and stories on design, art, and fashion. The current edition (#19) for the summer of 2020 focuses on Korea. The volume covers the architecture of Itami Jun, the photography of Koo Bohnchang, … [Read More]
The rise of Korean sci-fi
There’s a nice feature in yesterday’s Korea Times on the rise of Korean science fiction, with an interview with the leading lights behind the Science Fiction Writers Union of the Republic of Korea. I’ve enjoyed dipping into the collection of K-sci-fi in translation Readymade Bodhisattva that came out last year from Kaya. It whetted my … [Read More]
April 2020 home-bound activities
Hmmm, well I think probably not much will be happening this month out in the public spaces. So your home entertainment and researches can include any of the following: On screen Catch up on all those classic Korean films that you’ve been meaning to watch for ages. I’ve compiled an index of the free-to-view Korean … [Read More]
Some non-fiction titles we can’t wait to read in 2020 [updated]
![Thumbnail for post: Some non-fiction titles we can’t wait to read in 2020 [updated]](https://i0.wp.com/londonkoreanlinks.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/non-fiction.jpg?resize=120%2C120&ssl=1)
Outside of the wide range of upcoming literature and fiction titles, there’s plenty of non-fiction to look forward to as well. I’ve already highlighted three titles on Korean film which look worth exploring, and here’s the remainder of my 2020 reading longlist (which includes some titles from very late in 2019), split between (1) Books … [Read More]