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 during the previous calendar year.
This marks the first time a science fiction work by a Korean author has been nominated for the award, according to its Korean publisher Rabbit Hole.
In a previous interview with The Korea Herald for the book’s English release, Chung described "Your Utopia" as delving into traditional science fiction themes more deeply than her first collection, "Cursed Bunny" (translated by Anton Hur), which was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize and the 2023 National Book Award for translated literature.
“I think it’s a very basic question of what is human nature -- what are the depths of human nature amid dystopian landscapes," said Chung, reflecting on the book's themes.
The book also highlights the ongoing collaboration between Chung and Hur. The duo has two more books in the pipeline: “The Midnight Timetable” and “Red Sword,” both slated for release in 2025.
The other nominees for this year’s Philip K. Dick Award include: "City of Dancing Gargoyles" by Tara Campbell; "Time’s Agent" by Brenda Peynado; "The Practice, the Horizon and the Chain" by Sofia Samatar; "Alien Clay" by Adrian Tchaikovsky; and "Triangulum" by Subodhana Wijeyeratne.
The winner, along with any special citations, will be announced on April 18.
