When it comes to fiction, 2023 was a year that defied my expectations. Those novels that I hoped or expected to enjoy turned out to be disappointments; those that I thought might be heavy going turned out to be enjoyable. It was a reminder to try better to abide by the maxim of approaching a … [Read More]
Translator: Lizzie Buehler
Selected translations
- Yun Ko-eun: Table for One: Stories tr Lizzie Buehler, Columbia University Press 2024
- Seo Su-jin: Korean Teachers tr Lizzie Buehler, Harriet Press 2022
- Yun Ko-eun: The Disaster Tourist tr Lizzie Buehler, Serpent's Tail 2020
Korean Literature Night: Yun Ko-Eun in conversation with Sharlene Teo
Yona has been stuck behind a desk for years working as a programming coordinator for Jungle, a travel company specialising in package holidays to destinations ravaged by disaster. When a senior colleague touches her inappropriately she tries to complain, and in an attempt to bury her allegations, the company make her an attractive proposition: a … [Read More]
Book review: Seo Su-jin – Korean Teachers
After what was a fairly downbeat reading experience for us last year, quite by chance we came across the first publication of translated Korean literature from Singapore’s Harriet Press, released without our noticing it in March 2022. Seo Sujin’s debut novel Korean Teachers won the Hankyoreh Literature Award in 2020, and it is encouraging that … [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]
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]
Brief review: Yun Ko-eun – The Disaster Tourist
Some of us fancy something different from our holidays. Not for us a wasted couple of weeks lying on a beach. We want to experience history, connect with other cultures. Maybe we want to visit a place where people live on the edge, or travel to a destination untouched by the modern world. But how … [Read More]
Upcoming literature and fiction titles in 2020 [updated]
I’m hoping that, as in previous years, by posting my own list of upcoming literature and fiction titles – pulled together by some targeted searching on Amazon and a trawl through Barbara J Zitwer’s website – I might persuade others to supplement it from their own specialist knowledge. Whatever happens, books inevitably fall through the … [Read More]