In this month’s edition of World Literature Today, Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp draws attention to a number of recent publications of translated children’s books coming from Korea. She speculates: The interest in the Korean children’s market may have been spurred by innovative illustrator, animator, and artist Baek Heena being named the 2020 laureate of the Astrid … [Read More]
Translator: Sophie Bowman
Selected translations
- Lee Gee-eun: My GrandMom tr Sophie Bowman, Amazon Crossing 2022
- Park Kyung-ni: The Age of Doubt tr Anton Hur, Dasom Yang, Emily Yae Won, Mattho Mandersloot, Paige Aniyah Morris, Slin Jung, Sophie Bowman, You Jeong Kim, Honford Star 2022
- Baek Heena: Magic Candies tr Sophie Bowman, Amazon Crossing 2021
- Kim Bo-young: I’m Waiting for You: And Other Stories tr Sophie Bowman, Sung Ryu, Harper Voyager 2021
- Grandma Marina, Grandpa Chan: Looking Back Life Was Beautiful: Drawings for My Grandchildren tr Sophie Bowman, Penguin 2020
A look back at our 2021 reading diary
Looking back at this year, it’s been one of the best for new translations of Korean literature that I can remember. There have been at least ten new fiction titles, and unusually for me I managed to get through all the titles I was intending to. All of them are recommendable in their different ways. … [Read More]
Review: Kim Bo-young – I’m Waiting for You, and other stories
Genuine question: what was the first work of translated Korean fiction to be released as an audiobook? I don’t know the answer to that one. Browsing the Audible catalogue is not easy, but I suspect Penguin wins the prize. Two popular titles published by Penguin – Kim Ji-young, born 1982 and The Hen who dreamed … [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]
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]
Event news: Translation Pitch — East and Southeast Asia
English PEN, the Free Word Centre and the Asia Literary Review bring together six translators to pitch their translation projects. For Korea, Jason Woodruff pitches Kim Soom’s The Shoe – an exploration of recent history via art restoration – and Sophie Bowman presents Kim Boyoung’s I’m Waiting for You – a series of love letters … [Read More]