Note: This article was written in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic. Since then, particularly in 2021, some fantastic translated fiction titles have appeared. We give a round-up of them here. Nevertheless, as of end December 2022 the top ten recommendations below still stand. I do, however, need to edit the choices for … [Read More]
Translator: Krys Lee
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Selected translations
- Kim Young-ha: Diary of a Murderer, and other stories tr Krys Lee, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2019
- Kim Young-ha: I Hear Your Voice tr Krys Lee, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2017
Publications by Krys Lee as author
- How I became a North Korean, Faber 2016
- Drifting House, Faber 2012
Book review: Kim Young-ha – Diary of a Murderer
Kim Young-ha: Diary of a Murderer and other stories Translated by Krys Lee Mariner Books, 2019, 200pp Originally published as 살인자의 기억법, Munhakdongne, 2013 Somewhat rashly, I approach Kim Young-ha’s novels with a keen sense of anticipation, particularly when translated by Krys Lee. Rashly, because with high expectations you usually set yourself up for a … [Read More]
Korea: Divisions and Borders – Wasafiri Special Issue 96 Launch
Thursday 21 February 2019, 18:30 – 21:00 GMT Korean Cultural Centre UK | Grand Buildings | 1-3 Strand | London WC2N 5BW Register via EventBrite South Korea’s transformation as a country over the past sixty years has been nothing short of astonishing, and the nation now ranks amongst the world’s most advanced societies and largest … [Read More]
Upcoming literature and fiction titles for 2019
Here’s my first attempt at compiling a list of fiction and poetry titles coming up in 2019. Let me know what I’ve missed. Unlike my separate list of non-fiction I have not exercised any editorial control here: this is everything I have been able to find. The list is in four parts: Modern and contemporary … [Read More]
Litro Summer Literary & Arts Festival ’18
The Litro Summer Literary Festival has a few things of Korean interest, not least of which is the very welcome presence of Krys Lee, who apart from hosting a masterclass on Korean poetry and participating in a panel session on female writers will also be introducing Im Sang-soo’s adaptation of Hwang Sok-yong’s The Old Garden … [Read More]
A look back at some of the books of 2016
To cut to the chase, here are my two books of the year for 2016. For more detail, read on. Literature in translation The world of translated fiction seems to have been dominated by two names this year, one Korean and one British. The Korean name of course is Han Kang. Just as The Vegetarian … [Read More]
Krys Lee featured in the Guardian
There’s a really good interview with Krys Lee (Drifting House, How I Became a North Korean) in The Guardian: “The acclaimed short story writer talks about her debut novel, trying to understand her violent father and moving back from the US to South Korea”. The novel is available on Amazon from 18 August. Krys Lee … [Read More]
LBF sketch: the snippets which didn’t quite make it…
Sometimes a discussion session is really interesting and you come out of it thinking you’ve get some really good material; and then when you check your notes later there’s just not enough to do a coherent write-up – or the notes don’t make a lot of sense. Or one session might cover the same ground … [Read More]
London Book Fair, day 3 – looking forward, looking back
The London Book Fair is over now, but the collaboration with Korea continues, for which a huge thank-you is due to the British Council and the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. One thing I forgot to mention yesterday is that Britain (or was it the UK?) is invited as guest country at the Seoul Book … [Read More]
Krys Lee wins literature award
Congratulations to Krys Lee who has won a literature award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is one of two winners of a Rome Fellowship in Literature, which involves a one-year residency (2014–2015) at the American Academy in Rome. Source [Read More]
LBF event, 10 Apr 6:45pm: Separations, at Asia House
The fourth of six evening events during London Book Fair week, which unfortunately overlaps with a session with Kim Hyesoon at the Festival Hall. Separations 10 April, 18.45-20.00 Authors from Korea, Pakistan and Singapore discuss their work and the question: How does the partition of a country and divisions of families affect its society and … [Read More]
Krys Lee interviewed for Asia House
There’s a nice interview with Krys Lee, author of Drifting House, on the Asia House website. Drifting House was LKL’s book of the year last year, and so we’re looking forward to seeing Ms Lee at the Asia House Festival of Asian Literature next month. [Read More]
Winner of The Story Prize Spotlight Award to attend Asia House Festival of Asian Literature
Browsing through the Asia House programme for the upcoming couple of months I saw this encouraging double-page teaser. After the appearance of Changrae Lee at the Asia House Festival of Asian Literature in 2010, they dropped Korea from their 2011 schedule. So at the end of 2011 I wrote to them to suggest a couple … [Read More]
The London Korean Links Awards 2012
The seventh eclectic and highly personal commemoration of the best of the past year. Personality of the Year Runner up There were plenty of personalities in the South Korean Olympic team, particularly the pistol shooters, archers and the gymnasts. But the athlete that everyone will remember is fencer Shin A-lam, cheated out of a place … [Read More]
Korean authors Shin Kyung-sook and Krys Lee visit Edinburgh Book Fest
We’ve all heard of the Edinburgh International Festival and its fringe; and of the Edinburgh Film Festival. Each year there’s sure to be Korean interest at these events. But this year another festival held at the same time, the Edinburgh Book Festival, together with the World Writers Conference, hosted Korea’s two most famous younger generation … [Read More]
Interview with Krys Lee in the Economist
There’s a Q & A with Krys Lee, author of “Drifting House” in the Economist: All the lonely people. Put the book on your reading list – so far, it’s the book to read this year. http://t.co/uTh7gri8 [Read More]