Financial Times / January 11, 2023

A South Korean classic about tycoons, ghosts and cinephiles that blends folklore and magical realism

David's Book World / February 07, 2023

The thought that kept returning to me as I read this book was: I don’t really know what I’m reading here, but I know I like it. 

Tony's reading list / February 09, 2023

We’re off to Korea to meet an interesting mother-and-daughter duo whose rise and fall mirrors that of the society around them, and they’re supported by an extensive cast, too. 

buzz / February 09, 2023

A rich, fantastical tale, Cheon Myeong-Kwan’s debut novel Whale was first published in Korea 10 years ago and has been translated into English by Chi-Young Kim.

Asian Review of Books / February 19, 2023

Cheon Myeong-Kwan’s Whale is a sweeping epic mostly set in Pyeongdae, a remote mountain town that immediately evokes Macondo from Gabriel García Márquez’s similarly sprawling epic One Hundred Years of Solitude. 

Waterstones / March 02, 2023

Join us on at 6.30pm on Thursday 2nd March for our monthly in-store book club! This month we'll be discussing Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan.

London Review Book Shop / March 06, 2023

Natalia is the manager of the London Review Bookshop, she joined the team in 2013.

The Guardians / March 14, 2023

Whale by Cheon Myeong-kwan, who is also a film-maker, is translated from Korean by Chi-Young Kim. It is a collection of stories about the lives of linked characters in a remote village in South Korea.

time news / March 14, 2023

A feature by Cheon Myeong-kwan (59) <고래>was nominated for the International Booker Prize, Britain’s most prestigious literary award.

TheBookerPrizes / March 14, 2023

Wondering which of the International Booker Prize 2023 longlisted titles to read first? We asked our judges to summarise each book - and say what they loved about them