Bora Chung’s 'Your Utopia' nominated for Philip K. Dick Award

Booker-shortlisted author's second English-language book delves deeper into science fiction themes Internationally acclaimed South Korean author Bora Chung’s science fiction collection "Your Utopia" has been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, the award organizers announced Friday. Translated by Anton Hur and published by Algonquin Books, "Your Utopia" is among six candidates for the 2025 award, which honors distinguished science fiction works published in paperback original form in the US d

Jan. 13, 2025

Unraveling of secrets, mysteries beneath once grandest greenhouse

"The Grand Greenhouse Renovation Report" By Kim Keum-hee Changbi Publishers The Grand Greenhouse at Changgyeonggung is the first glass greenhouse in Korea and was once the largest in the East. The place holds a controversial history as a symbol of Japanese imperialism, as the palace was demoted into a recreational park with a zoo and botanical garden during the Japanese colonial period. Kim Geum-hee’s latest historical novel, "The Grand Greenhouse Renovation Report," is set against the backdrop

Jan. 11, 2025

Boulder rhino and penguin take stage after book's success

The last white boulder rhinoceros on Earth and a young penguin hatched from an abandoned egg might seem an unlikely pair to anchor a story. Yet, in the musical adaptation of “The Longest Nights,” their journey in search of an ocean they have never seen leaves audiences rooting for them every step of the way.

Jan. 11, 2025

From 'The Rainfall Market,' coming-of-age fantasy adventure explores wish-fulfilling journey

"The Wishseekers" By You Yeong-gwang Clayhouse You Yeong-gwang, author of the breakout bestseller "The Rainfall Market,” returns with a YA novel that intertwines self-discovery, fantasy and adventure. The author wrote the draft of “The Wishseekers” eight years ago and shared it with just 350 readers through a 2021 crowdfunding campaign. Now, it's seeing its official release. The story follows Paul, a blind boy struggling to survive each day with his alcoholic father in the desolate Castle of Wan

Jan. 11, 2025

'Beasts of a Little Land' author delves into Russian ballet in new novel

'City of Night Birds' on ballerina’s rise, fall and potential return Kim Ju-hea, acclaimed author of the international bestseller, "Beasts of a Little Land," returns with her bold and luminous second novel, "City of Night Birds." The novel, which hit US bookshelves in November 2024, became available in the UK on Thursday. The incandescent tale of redemption and love centers on Natalia Leonova, a once-celebrated prima ballerina whose life is at a crossroads. She returns to St. Petersburg two year

Jan. 10, 2025

Law revision clears path for graduate school in literary translation

Revised Literature Promotion Act approved Tuesday A new legal framework has been established to enable the Literature Translation Institute of Korea to create a degree-granting graduate school for literary translation studies. With approval from the Ministry of Education and government funding for essential expenses, this long-awaited project by the government-affiliated agency can now move forward. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Tuesday that the revised Literature Prom

Jan. 1, 2025

Major international wins, nominations for Korean literature this year, what more is needed

This year, Korean literature reached the heights of international recognition with Han Kang’s historic Nobel Prize win headlining the parade. The Literature Translation Institute of Korea, a government-affiliated institution under the Culture Ministry, wrapped up this year's nominations and wins for Korean literature overseas. One notable entry is Hwang Sok-yong's intergenerational epic "Mater 2-10," co-translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae, which was shortlisted for the Inte

Dec. 24, 2024

Feeling stressed? Shanna Tan translates ‘healing’ Korean books

SINGAPORE -- A wave of “healing” Korean literature has gained momentum this year, with a growing number of titles winning hearts and more to come just over the horizon. At the center of the wave stands Shanna Tan, the Singaporean translator who debuted with runaway bestseller “Welcome to Hyunam-dong

Dec. 13, 2024

Edward Lee‘s cookbook sizzles its way to Korea

Korean American celebrity chef and restaurateur Edward Lee from the Netflix hit “Culinary Class Wars” will have his debut cookbook “Smoke & Pickles” translated and published in Korea next month, according to the book‘s Korean publisher, Wisdom House. In the cookbook, Lee shares his culinary journey

Dec. 13, 2024

Han Kang says South Korea's martial law crisis is 'not that awful,' praises citizens' courage

Han Kang, this year's Nobel Prize laureate in literature, said South Korea's political turmoil following President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration is "not that awful," highlighting the courage and sincerity of citizens who have mobilized in response. Han, author of "Human Acts," which is about the stories of survivors and victims of the May 18, 1980, pro-democracy Gwangju uprising in South Korea, spoke about the situation during the Nobel Ni

Dec. 13, 2024

‘Literature stands in opposition to all acts that destroy life’: Han Kang

In a historic night for South Korea, Han Kang received the Nobel medal and diploma from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during the award ceremony held at the Concert Hall in Stockholm. “Just as inevitably, the work of reading and writing literature stands in opposition to all acts that destroy life.

Dec. 11, 2024

[Books News] Kim Ae-ran’s ‘One of Them is a Lie’ leads year-end writer recommendations

Kim Ae-ran’s coming-of-age novel “One of Them is a Lie” topped the list of the most recommended books of the year by writers, according to a survey released by Kyobo Book Center on Monday. The “Book of the Year from 50 Writers” initiated by the country‘s largest bookstore in 2016, features recommend

Dec. 9, 2024

Han Kang‘s ’Human Acts‘ reverberates once again

Just weeks after her groundbreaking Nobel Prize win, Han Kang‘s books have sold millions of copies nationwide. Last week, annual sales reports from major Korean bookstores revealed that half of the year‘s top-10 bestsellers were Han’s works. Particularly noteworthy is that among her titles, “Human A

Dec. 8, 2024

[Books News] Han Kang dominates annual bestseller lists with multiple titles

Han Kang’s “Human Acts” has topped this year’s bestseller lists in Korea. The Nobel laureate dominated the top three spots, with “Human Acts” in first place, followed by “The Vegetarian” in second and “We Do Not Part” in third, according to the two 2024 year-end bestseller rankings released Monday b

Dec. 4, 2024

2024 Korea Translation Award recognizes 20 translators

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea announced the winners of the 2024 Korea Translation Award on Wednesday, recognizing 20 translators for their contributions to translating Korean literature, including three Grand Prize recipients. This year’s grand prizes were awarded to Lee Seung-min an

Dec. 4, 2024