The Seoul International Writers’ Festival is a literary festival that aims to raise the status of Korean literature on the world stage by allowing overseas readers to enjoy their favorite Korean books. From 2006 to 2022, 295 Korean and foreign writers from 58 countries have gathered to share their thoughts about the world, language, life, and literature, and the relationship between writers and readers. This year’s theme, “Crossing the Bridge of Language,” will undoubtedly bring us more memorable stories. With her short story collection, Spring Light, Jeong Ji A, author of the bestselling novel My Father’s Liberation Diary, makes waves on the social level. Choi Eunyoung’s Shoko’s Smile needs no introduction, while Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park illustrates a new perspective of love from the younger generation. Kim Keum Hee takes inspiration from the ordinary to create extraordinary episodes in her novel, Too Bright Outside for Love, and poet Jin Eun-young writes letters to her readers through her poems. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s read the works of these five authors, and get hyped for this year’s festival! ㅣ La lumière du printemps (Spring Light) [French] *one of the collections from 'Corée des villes, Corée des champs' Author Jeong Ji A Translators Kim Jeong-Yeon, Suzanne SalinasPublisher Decrescenzo ÉditeursYear Published 2019Originally published in Korea by Changbi in 2008 As with the acclaimed My Father’s Liberation Diary from last year, and her first novel, Partisan Daughter, which was published when the author was just twenty-five, Jeong Ji A strikes yet another chord with this story collection that explores lives destroyed by war and ideologies. This collection contains eleven short stories, including “Landscape,” winner of the Lee Hyoseok Literary Award. Through eclectic characters like an elderly person with dementia, a partisan’s wife who withhold her thoughts, a mother and son who grow old together, and two fated people with the same name that meet on a hiking trail, we are shown glimpses of the writer’s affection towards the humankind. ㅣ Shoko’s Smile  [English] Author Choi EunyoungTranslator Sung RyuPublisher Penguin Publishing GroupYear Published 2021Originally Published in Korea by Munhak Dongne in 2016 Comprising of seven stories, Shoko’s Smile was awarded a prize just two months after its publication. Choi Eunyoung has risen quickly to stardom, becoming a writer loved and trusted by many readers. The novel introduces characters like Shoko, an exchange student from Japan, Mrs. Nguyen, a survivor of the Vietnam war, an elderly person and a middle-aged woman who meet during the protests for the Sewol ferry disaster. These stories vividly capture the characters’ progress as they learn to maneuver relationships, and learn how to empathize by putting themselves in the shoes of others.  ㅣ Love in the Big City  [English]  Author Sang Young ParkTranslator Anton HurPublisher Grove PressYear Published 2021Originally published in Korea by Changbi in 2019 Sang Young Park’s novel has been a trending topic after being nominated for the Booker Prize, one of the world’s three top literary awards, and for the International Dublin Literary Award. Strung together by episodes, the book kicks off with the winner of the Young Writer’s Award, “A Bite of Rockfish, Taste the Universe,” and the title episode, “Late Rainy Season Vacation.” Through humor and lighthearted prose, the author delves into the love and heartbreak experienced by a young gay man. While overturning the preconceived idea of a queer narrator, this story deeply contemplates love and loss, and life and death. The title story is currently being adapted into a TV series.  ㅣ We, Day by Day  [English] Author Jin Eun-youngTranslator YoungShil JiPublisher White Pine PressYear Published 2018Originally published in Korea by Moonji in 2008 After studying philosophy to compose better poems and eventually becoming a poet, Jin Eun-young has confessed that philosophy has helped her look at the world with new eyes. Writing poetry is a very personal pursuit, but if poems are written as letters with the belief that someone will read them one day, then the poems of this collection are love letters that will one day reach her readers. The forty-nine poems in this collection create a stark contrast between the pure and delicate language in which they are written and the memories of reckless but passionate days.  ㅣ 大白天的戀愛 (Too Bright Outside for Love)  [Chinese] Author Kim Keum HeeTranslator 杜彦文Publisher 臺灣商務印書館Year Published 2021Originally Published in Korea by Munhak Dongne in 2016 After winning the Shin Dong-yup Prize for Literature with her first collection, Sentimentality Works Only for a Day or Two, the Hyundae Literary Award for the story “Everything About Chess,” and captivating her readers with her collection, Kyeong-ae’s Heart, Kim Keum Hee has won the Young Writers’ award for the title story of Too Hot Outside for Love, her second short story collection. These nine stories are about past memories that are better forgotten, not only because they’re insignificant, but also because they cannot be spoken about. Childhood memories, love stories that ended in painful breakups, and traumas buried in the subconscious reveal hidden truths and summon them to the present. Yoon Hye Suk Yoon Hye Suk started her career with the historical novel The Boys Are Coming. She now has more than thirty publications of fairy tales and YA novels under her belt. She teaches creative writing at Sejong Cyber University and Hankyoreh Cultural Center.