Life&Culture
Latest Read In series
Newly translated works
#Books
# Literature
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Latest Read In series
Newly translated works
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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 - 20:01:17
[Eye Interview] Charting remarkable year, Anton Hur‘s journey in literature continues
Acclaimed Korean-to-English translator and newly minted novelist, Anton Hur is navigating his busiest year yet. Based in Seoul, Hur was born in Stockholm and raised in Hong Kong, Ethiopia and Thailand, “but mostly in Korea.” So far this year, he has published six translated works, made his debut as
Oct. 23, 2024 - 08:00:51![[Eye Interview] Charting remarkable year, Anton Hur‘s journey in literature continues](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/content/default/2024/10/22/20241022050866_0.jpg?type=h&h=320)
'Yeonnam-dong’s Smiley Laundromat' breezes connection, solidarity
Mira, a resident of Yeonnam-dong living with her daughter, Nahee, and her husband, Woochul, finds herself at a crossroads. Despite her past success, her reality feels bleak as she struggles to find work amid all her concerns about her daughter and financial worries. When her old washing machine brea
Sept. 13, 2024 - 15:30:44
Magical girls battle climate change in Park Seo-lyeon's 'A Magical Girl Retires'
At 3 a.m., a young woman stands alone on Mapo Bridge in Seoul, leaning against the railing. Cars speed past, no one noticing her. She is contemplating ending her life: The pandemic has stripped her of her job, her debts are mounting and her hope is waning. It’s been two hours of deep, dark introspec
Aug. 4, 2024 - 09:21:13
Invitation to 'Dallergut Dream Department Store,' where dreams are for sale
Author Lee Mi-ye hopes she has added magical reason for why one-third of our lives is spent asleep We all have that experience of waking up from a delightful dream, only to find it slipping away after a few hours, or suddenly waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. What if there was a store wher
July 16, 2024 - 16:46:16
Murder by design: ‘The Consultant’ examines dark side of corporate restructuring
Dagger-shortlisted novel follows anonymous narrator masterminding perfect murders The man is very good at his “job” -- crafting simple, elegant and effective solutions for “restructuring.” Not so obvious or messy, certainly nothing anyone would ever suspect as murder. The natural deaths he plans hav
July 3, 2024 - 18:35:07
Revolutionary poems from Korea‘s darkest days published in English decades later
Co-translator says poems show resilience, potential of humanity A monumental work of Korean labor literature, Park No-hae’s poetry collection “Dawn of Labor” has recently been published in English. In 1984, Park Ki-pyung, better known by his penname Park No-hae, meaning liberation of laborers in Kor
June 19, 2024 - 15:31:17
Bora Chung on finding utopia amid dystopian worlds
‘Cursed Bunny’ author writes about robots ‘sweeter’ than human Few voices resonate as uniquely as that of Bora Chung, whose gripping stories like the haunting narratives of “Cursed Bunny” captivate readers worldwide. With her genre-defying short story collection, translated by Anton Hur, Chung becam
May 14, 2024 - 14:00:41
[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
People are now living longer, well up to the age of 100. Many things have changed compared to 100 years ago, but the pursuit of happiness remains a constant thread. Rhee Kun-hoo was in his 70s and retired from a prestigious career in psychiatry when he took up writing. Born in 1935, the 88-year-old lived in a pastoral society in his youth, survived the Korean War (1950-1953), witnessed turbulent events in Korean history and even served time in prison for opposing the country’s totalitarian
May 4, 2024 - 16:01:02![[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/content/default/2024/05/03/20240503050674_0.jpg?type=h&h=320)
‘A privilege beyond measure’ author Lee Geum-yi‘s love for young readers endures for 40 years
[Herald Interview] Lee became first Korean to be shortlisted for Andersen prize in writing award Every grown-up has been through childhood and adolescence on their journey to adulthood. And the emotions experienced during these formative years are fundamentally universal, with only slight variations
April 4, 2024 - 16:52:41
Park So-young takes readers to ‘Snowglobe’ where privacy is new currency
Set in a dystopian world where fame and popularity have become the most crucial means of survival, the first installment of the gripping young adult duology “Snowglobe” by Park So-young recently hit bookshelves worldwide. The English edition translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort, and published by Delac
April 1, 2024 - 16:02:30
Hwang Bo-reum welcomes readers to 'Hyunam-dong Bookshop' with healing dose of books
At some point in their lives, many people pause and ask, “Is this the life I wanted?” We find ourselves overwhelmed by work, experiencing burnout as professional obligations overshadow personal lives. This critical juncture prompts introspection -- a moment to reassess one's life and ask if this pat
March 25, 2024 - 18:00:32
