Catching up on Korean literature translated into English

The summer heat continues to beat down on Korea, and with the promise of relief still weeks off, it is an excellent time to stay inside by the air-conditioner, or outdoors in the shade by a river, and catch up on your reading.



The good news is that, in the past few years, partly due to good work of the Korea Literature Translation Institute (KLTI), the number and range of Korean translations has increased dramatically. Until recently, most translated novels focused on the brutal realities of occupation, war and division. Given Korea`s modern history, this made sense, but it sometimes made for rather grim reading for English speakers who were looking for a diversion, rather than a harsh history lesson. Many books still focus on these issues, and many of these are extraordinary, but more recent translations extend the scope of translated Korean literature. There has never been a better time to begin "reading Korean" if only in English.



So, if you`re looking to read some good, translated Korean literature, where should you start?



To begin with, you can`t go wrong by looking through the Portable Library of Korean Literature (PLKL) from Jimoondang Publishing. The PLKL consists of over twenty slender books of short stories by authors of classic Korean modern literature such as Yi Sang ("The Wings"), Kim Yu-jeong ("The Camellias"), Yi Chong-jun ("The Wounded"), and Choe Yun ("The Last of Hanako"). While many of these works do focus on the "older" issues of modern literature, they are nonetheless quite interesting and a quick way to be introduced to a range of Korean writers.



In terms of short story collections, "Land of Exile" remains the accessible standard. Recently re-released to include newer stories, this excellently translated volume is a good starting point for a reader interested in understanding the general outlines of Korean post-war literature. It is organized chronologically, which also helps it demonstrate the general lines upon which Korean modern literature has developed and expanded. As Korean modern literature has developed, it has been studded with great writers.

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Yi Mun-yol is an interesting writer whose work bridges the gap between the more traditional concerns of modern Korean fiction and what might be called the cutting edge. "An Appointment With My Brother" is perhaps his most predictable work, telling the story of a family bisected by the Korean War. Yi`s classic "Our Twisted Hero" is a meditation on the uses and misuses of power, while "The Poet" tells an even older story of poet Kim Sak-kat who dishonors his grandfather and suffers considerably for it. Yi is also capable of stunning modern work as his "Twofold Song" ably demonstrates with its explosive mix of surrealism and a love story.



Kim Young-ha writes for readers interested in something with an existential edge. His dreamlike, "I Have the Right to Destroy Myself", asks questions about sex, identity, and death, while his dead-on laconic creation of a policeman in "Photo Shop Murder" (published in the PLKL series) is well suited for anyone who likes the true-crime genre. Currently Chi Young-Kim (who translated "I Have the Right to Destroy Myself" and Lee Dong-Ha`s brilliant "A Toy City") is scheduled to translate Kim Young-ha`s latest novel, "The Empire of Light." If Kim`s previous work is any indication, this should be well worth the read.



A longer novel, but quite easy to read due to its episodic structure, is Cho Se-hui`s "The Dwarf." This is the tremendously affecting story of a dwarf`s family and their ongoing struggles to survive industrialization and urbanization. "The Dwarf` was tremendously popular at its first publication, and its key chapter "A Dwarf Launches a Little Ball" has been reprinted in Korea 245 times. Cho writes sparely but hypnotically and if you read only one Korean novel, this would be an excellent choice.



Choe Yun first came to the attention of English readers with the publication of "Last of Hanako" which was initially published by the PLKL and later added to "Land of Exile" in its latest edition. The story of youthful friends who are torn apart by circumstance, "Last of Hanako" depended on a plot twist that might be seen ahead of time by a western reader. With the release of "There a Petal Silently Falls", Choe steps firmly into the forefront of international Korean writers. The novella from which the book draws its title is a horrific story of family tragedy (based on real events in Gwangju in 1980) along the traditional plotlines of Korean literature, but Choe invests the story with such surreal tragedy and a hallucinatory writing that the reader is pulled along. "Whisper Yet" is the slightest work in the book, and "The Thirteen Scent Flower" is a surreal, happy-yet-sad, story of an unlikely romance enmeshed in the coarse fabric of larger life.



The authors and books mentioned here are merely the tip of the translated iceberg. A trip to "What The Book" in Itaewon, or Kyobo Books in Gwangwhamun can lead a reader to a treasure trove of new fiction, while just around the corner by Noksapyeong Station, the Foreign Book Store often stocks out of print collections. For readers out of Korea, many of the works discussed here are available on Amazon.com and Kindle. It`s hot out there, but the bookstores have air-conditioning and once you`ve bought a stack of books you have a good excuse to stay in out of the sun and read some truly excellent writers and their best works.



Charles Montgomery teaches at Dongguk University. He can be contacted through his translated Korean Literature blog at http://www.spunangel.com/morningcalm.html -- Ed.

By Charles Montgomery