A brief fable that can delight children and adults alike, the story touches on themes of motherly love, discrimination, otherness, and belonging, while also touching on and accepting the harsh realities of life — and death. As the novel starts, we wonder if we are going to be force-fed a heavy political allegory. Sprout, the … [Read More]
London Book Fair 2014: Korea Market Focus (page 4)
Korean Literature Nights: the programme for the year
The schedule for the literature nights at the KCC this year has been announced. The first one booked out within minutes. Booking for Your Republic is Calling You is now open. Date Author Book 26 Feb Shin Kyung-Sook Please Look after Mother (LKL Review) 26 Mar Kim Young-Ha Your Republic is Calling you (LKL Review) … [Read More]
The Korean Novels on Screen Programme at the KCC
The KCC, in conjunction with the British Council, has announced its programme of films inspired by Korean literature. Two and a half of the films have their original stories available in English translation. The ones available in English are The Road to Sampo and Leafie. The half-film is The Scarlet Letter, which is based both … [Read More]
Waterstones stocks up on Hwang Sunmi
Seen at the Waterstones in Canary Wharf today: a pile of Hwang Sunmi’s The Hen who Dreamed She Could Fly. Nice to see that they’re including it in the buy one, get one half price promotion. My neighbourhood bookstore at home rang me today to tell me my own copy had arrived, so I’ll be … [Read More]
Kim Hyesoon’s I’m OK, I’m Pig! upcoming in time for London Book Fair
Kim Hyesoon is the latest author to benefit from the London Book Fair. Kim’s collection of poems I’m OK, I’m Pig! will be forthcoming in April from Bloodaxe Books (the same publishers who brought out Ko Un’s latest collection First Person Sorrowful last year). Kim will be at the London Book Fair, and is the … [Read More]
What to look out for in the run-up to the London Book Fair 2014
The British Council’s and KCCUK’s involvement with the Korea market focus of the London Book Fair will ensure a range of events to examine and promote Korean literature in translation. In fact, the KCC will be focusing on literature all year. And that’s in addition to publishers using the fair as a prompt to publish … [Read More]
KCC launches its Korean Literature Night series
You’ve all read Please Look After Mother by now. What did you think of what is probably the most successful piece of translated Korean fiction ever? If you haven’t read it already, the KCC is granting an amnesty, giving you the opportunity to read it and then discuss it with like-minded people afterwards. It’s part … [Read More]
Shin Kyung-sook’s I’ll be Right There arrives in time for London Book Fair
Please Look After Mother was a huge hit, so people must be hopeful that Shin Kyung-sook’s forthcoming I’ll Be Right There will be equally as successful. Available on 10 April (according to Amazon) from Other Press, I’m sure we can expect a launch event linked to the London Book Fair (8-10 April). And as Shin … [Read More]
UK literary editors offer perspectives on Korean publishing
As part of the British Council’s engagement with Korea as focus country for the 2014 London Book Fair, six British literary editors went on a trip to Korea in November 2013. The objectives of the trip were to: Increase mutual understanding of publishing and literature sectors in the UK and Korea Create strong and enduring … [Read More]
British Council announces 10 Korean Authors for London Book Fair
This week the British Council announced the ten Korean Authors that it would be bringing over for the London Book Fair. Their aim was to bring a good mix of names that we might already know from existing translations, and names that have yet to make it into English. We have the following to look … [Read More]
Korean authors at the London Book Fair – the official press release
Here is the official press release from the British Council website: Leading Korean writers billed for market focus cultural programme at the London Book Fair 2014 The British Council, in partnership with The Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) is delighted to announce the Korea Market Focus Cultural Programme for The London Book Fair … [Read More]
“Leafie” author Hwang Sun-mi to feature in London Book Fair
We hear that up to ten Korean authors could be in town for the London Book Fair 2014. And the first name to be confirmed, in a London Book Fair press release issued last week, and reported further in the Korea Times, is Hwang Sun-mi, author of The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly, which … [Read More]
The challenges of marketing and translating Korean literature explored at the KCC
Shouvik Datta reports from the Korean Literature Forum at the KCCUK on 15 October. It was an interesting and well-attended discussion at the London Korean Cultural Centre on October 15, well chaired by the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed. My own knowledge of Korean literature is confined to the modern classic “Three Generations”, by Yom Sang-seop, … [Read More]
K-Lit in the Korean wave: a forum at the KCC
In the run-up to the London Book Fair in 2014, at which Korea is the focus country, we can expect more literature-themed events. Earlier this year, we had Krys Lee at Asia House; there are rumours that the London Korean Film Festival this year will have a literature-themed strand; and maybe in preparation for that … [Read More]
London Book Fair 2013 – an overview of the Korean publishing market and a brief meeting with Choe Yun and Jung Young-moon
London Book Fair 2014 will see Korea as the Market Focus Country. And in 2013 Korea was there to prepare the way. The Korea Publishers Association and the Literature Translation Institute of Korea jointly occupied a stall at the Earl’s Court exhibition, displaying among other things a wide range of translated Korean literature, including a … [Read More]
Meet the Authors – Korean Literature event at the KCC
To tie in with a couple of Korea-related events at the London Book Fair, the KCC is hosting an event with two Korean authors on 15 April, chaired by SOAS’s Grace Koh. Choe Yun will be known to many LKL readers as the author of There a Petal Silently Falls – the first book set … [Read More]