'고은과의 대화’ 대담집 쓴 자한베글루 교수, '고은은 전 인류적인 시인'

최근 한국에 번역 출간된 ‘고은과의 대화’ 저자 라민 자한베글루 교수는 고은 시인을 영국의 W. H. 오든, 딜런 토마스, 프랑스의 보들레르, 칠레의 파블로 네루다 등과 같은 ‘세계적인 시인’ 이라 말했다. 인도의 O.P. 진달 글로벌 대학의 자한베글루 교수는 코리아헤럴드와의 서면 인터뷰에서 고은은 “한국 문화뿐만 아니라 전체 인류에 속하는 시인”이라며 이같이 답했다. 나치 정권에 가담한 독일 철학자 하이데거, 프랑스의 스탈린주의자 시인 루이 아라곤, 파시스트였던 시인 에즈라 파운드를 언급한 뒤, 자한베글루 교수는 각 문화권에서 이들에 대한 평가가 다른 것처럼 고은 시인에 대한 견해도 다를 수 있다고 주장했다. 교수는 “비폭력을 믿고 모든 형태의 폭력은 거부”한다며 전 세계적으로 인기를 끌었던 넷플릭스 시리즈 ‘오징어 게임’과 같은 형태로 묘사된 폭력에 대해서도 같은 입장이라

Jan. 19, 2023

Lawyer-author returns with detective novel

A former judge and still a lawyer, writer Do Jin-ki has published another detective novel, “Revenge Law Firm.” The book centers on prosecutor Yoon Hae-seong, who gains public attention by prosecuting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses. But Yoon has something else on his mind: revealing the wrongful death of his father, whose murder 20 years prior was disguised as suicide. Yoon suspects the real murderer i

Jan. 14, 2023

[Exclusive] Disgraced poet Ko Un, unseen in Korea, has been active in international literary scene

While South Korean poet Ko Un remained virtually silent in Korea’s literary scene after sexual harassment allegations were made against him in 2017, he has been actively participating in international book fairs and festivals. The poet was awarded the New Golden Age Poetry Prize at Mexico City Poetry Festival in 2018 where he also had a solo poetry reading at the awards ceremony. In the past five years, he has also given speeches, interview and readings at international literary fairs in I

Jan. 13, 2023

Poet Ko Un releases new books five years after sexual harassment allegation

Korean poet Ko Un, 90, who had stayed away from the literary scene after sexual harassment allegations were made against him in 2017, has returned with a new collection of poems. Silcheon Munhak published Ko’s latest collection of poetry, “Song of Nothingness,” along with a collection of conversations, “Conversation With Ko Un,” on Dec. 20. The publisher said 2023 marks the 65th anniversary of the poet's debut in 1958. The two books are Ko's first publicat

Jan. 10, 2023

[Newsmaker] Is Kim Yo-jong a spare for Kim Jong-un?

To the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, his younger sister Kim Yo-jong is a very special figure. Kim Yo-jong assists Kim Jong-un at close range for official events. She is intimately involved in important international affairs and wields great influence over the politburo. Is Kim Yo-jong a successor to Kim Jong-un? Or a top spare for the Kim dynasty? asked Yoshihiro Makino, a reporter and former Seoul bureau chief of the Asahi Shimbun, one of the four largest newspapers in Japan, in his recently

Jan. 9, 2023

Author, publisher share stories behind record export deal for fantasy saga

The author of the fantasy saga that broke the record for a single export deal in Korean literature said he could never have predicted it. “I don’t know how to say this right … but I have seen people who hated my writing. Of course I do see readers who loved my work but it doesn’t feel real,” Lee Yeong-do told The Korea Herald. Lee’s four-part fantasy series “The Bird That Drinks Tears” recently sold to a European publisher for about 300 million wo

Jan. 7, 2023

‘School Nurse Ahn Eun-young’ author unites writers from 9 Asian cities in new book

In the fall of 2020, Chung Serang, author of the Korean novel “School Nurse Ahn Eun-young” which was the base for the Netflix series “The School Nurse Files,” received a proposal from Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The editor who was interested in Korean literature suggested that a Korean and Japanese writer each write a part for one novel. Chung, who wanted to expand the literary friendship to more countries in Asia, proposed inviting more authors for this project. Two y

Jan. 4, 2023

[Herald Interview] Korean Canadian author's mystery novels are 'love letters to Korean history'

In 1426, a teenage detective named Hwani returns home to Jeju Island to find her missing detective father, who vanished while investigating a mysterious case of 13 girls disappearing in a forest. Hwani is left with her father’s investigation case notes and an estranged younger sister, Maewol, who had a traumatic experience in the same forest when she was younger. Determined to find her father and solve the case, the young detective digs into the secrets of the small village. First publishe

Jan. 3, 2023

Bestselling author of ‘The Dwarf’ leaves behind literary legacy

Bestselling author Cho Se-hui, who shed light on the shadows of the country’s industrialization and economic miracle with his 1978 novel “The Dwarf,” was laid to rest on Wednesday. Cho passed away on Sunday at the age of 80 due to a chronic illness, his family said. Major bookstores and literary figures expressed condolences to Cho throughout the week. Kyobo Book Center, the biggest bookstore chain in Korea, and Yes24, Korea’s largest online book retailer, opened a memori

Dec. 29, 2022

Good year for Korean literature abroad

Korean literature has achieved significant recognition on the global stage in 2022. Translated literary works won or were nominated for prestigious literary awards outside of the country this year, with a total of four awards and nine nominations. They gained recognition in different genres including novels, poetry and graphic novels, according to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea on Wednesday. Bora Chung’s “Cursed Bunny” and Park Sang-young’s “Love in t

Dec. 28, 2022

‘Chunhyang’: Coming-of-age novel puts modern twist on classic love story

A modern twist on one of the most beloved folk tales in Korea, “Chunhyang” has put a mother and daughter’s quest for individuality at the forefront, rather than the well-known romance between Chunhyang and Yi Mongryong in the original “Chunhyangga,” or “Tale of Chunhyang.” Written by Jin Renshun, an acclaimed ethnic Korean author in China, the novel was first published in Chinese in 2009. It revolves around Chunhyang, the daughter of a courtesan, and her

Dec. 17, 2022

Four world classics translated into Korean for 1st time

Four foreign literary works that have not made the jump to Korean due to difficulty in translation or lack of commercial interest have been selected for the 2022 Translation of World Classics. The Daesan Foundation announced Monday four novels to be translated and introduced for the first time in the country. The selected novels were: “Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life” (1848) by Elizabeth Gaskell, “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh” (1933) by Franz Werfel, “Reeds in

Dec. 13, 2022

[Herald Interview] LTI winners say they see 'sisterhood' between Korean and Korean American poets

Acclaimed poet and translator Choi Don-mee connected two Korean American translators with Korean poet Yi Won for the English translation of Yi's poems, seeing the "sisterhood" between Korean poets and Korean-American poets, said the two recipients of a translation award. “(Choi Don-mee) had a vision of connecting Korean women poets and Korean American women poets to translate their poems,” poet-translator Marci Calabretta Cancia-Bello said during a press conference hel

Dec. 10, 2022

‘Uncanny Convenience Store’ tops bestseller lists at major bookstores

The novel series “Uncanny Convenience Store” by Kim Ho-yeon has topped this year’s bestsellers lists in Korea. The two-volume series ranked number one on the 2022 bestseller charts for Kyobo Book Center, the biggest bookstore chain in Korea, and Yes24, Korea's largest online book retailer. In November, the two-volume series sold a combined 1 million copies, according to publisher Namu Bench. It is the third to do so since 2020, following Lee Mi-ye’s fantasy series &l

Dec. 6, 2022

LTI Korea announces winners of 2022 Korea Translation Award

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea announced the winners of the 2022 Korea Translation Award on Monday, with four translators winning grand prizes under newly revised criteria for this year. This year’s grand prizes were awarded to Koh Eun-ji -- who also writes under the pen name E. J. Koh -- and Marci Calabretta Cancia-Bello for their English translation of poet Yi Won’s “The World's Lightest Motorcycle”; Yu Hsin Hsin for her Chinese translation of Lee Ta

Dec. 5, 2022

Poet Kim Hye-soon recognized as 'International Writer' by Royal Literary Society of England

Poet Kim Hye-soon has been named an “International Writer” by the Royal Society of Literature, based in London. An influential figure in the contemporary poetry scene in South Korea, Kim was included in the 12-author list announced Wednesday (local time) on RSL’s official website. The other authors on the list are Griffin Poetry Prize-winning Canadian poet Anne Carson, French novelist Maryse Conde, Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Damgarembga, German children’s fiction author C

Dec. 2, 2022

New online platform KLWave aims to lead literature’s Hallyu

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea on Monday announced the launch of Korea Literature Wave, an online platform linking the country’s literature and the global market. “Even though the interest in translation and Korean literature is growing, overseas publishers do not necessarily know which works to purchase, while domestic publishers do not know to whom they can sell,” Kwak Hyo-hwan, president of the LTI Korea, said during a press conference on Monday. “We h

Nov. 14, 2022

Walk along old streets of Seoul, filled with new stories

With a 600-year history as Korea’s capital, Seoul holds many stories. Those stories are the focus of the two latest books in the bestselling series “My Exploration of Cultural Heritage.” The first two books on the five Joseon royal palaces and heritages in Seoul were released in 2017. The recently released third book is a travelogue that explores the stories of the neighborhoods within the four gates of the old capital, while the fourth book takes the readers on tours around th

Oct. 28, 2022

Korean Pavilion returns to Frankfurt Book Fair

South Korean publishers are returning to the Frankfurt Book Fair with the Korean Pavilion for the first time since 2019. The Korean Publishers Association will present 24 Korean publishing houses including the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, NE Books and Darakwon at the collective stand that was inspired by the concept of “home.” “Home was where you separated from others to protect yourself from external risks during the pandemic. This time, we wanted to look at &ldq

Oct. 18, 2022

[Reading Korea through books] Contemplating death: observations from hospital beds offer what death means to Koreans

Death might be the only thing that comes to everyone indiscriminately, but discussing it has long been considered taboo in South Korea. “I wouldn't dare talk about death with my parents, let alone imagine their death,” would probably be the train of thought in most Korean people's minds. Perhaps the sudden deaths brought on by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and a growing number of discussions on what is considered a "dignified death" allow us to contemplate the i

Oct. 15, 2022