This is the program book for the 2023 Seoul International Writers’ Festival, which contains the overview, schedule, participating writers, and event details.

April 03, 2023 to August 24, 2023

• II00001252

The theme of KLN Vol. 61 is “The Artistry of Literary Translation and the Advent of AI.” The cover feature essays discuss the future of translation in the era of AI through the eyes of translators. The volume also includes an interview with the Featured Writer Ha Seong-nan, as well as translations of her short story and an essay on her world of works. The Bookmark section features Kim Eugene’s “Circle of Light,” Kim Tae Yong’s “The Phantom Schoolgirl Army,” as well as four poems by Hwang Inchan and Chang Seung Ri. In addition, this volume introduces the English translation of the classic Korean literature “The Tale of Choe Cheok.” Moreover, it features the reviews of Shin Kyung-sook’s Violets, Jeong Yi Hyun’s The Age of Benign Violence, Do Jinki’s Mental Suicide and Bae Su-ah’s Uru Is Going To Be Late by a literary critic, editor, journalist, and other contributors.

September 01, 2023 to September 01, 2023

• II00001228

The theme of KLN Vol. 60 is “The Face of Climate Grief.” The Cover Feature essays written by experts in different fields, including a writer, a literary critic, and a researcher, discuss climate change as a disaster. The issue also includes an interview with the Featured Writer Ra Heeduk, as well as the English translations of her poems and an essay on her works. The Bookmark section features English translations of Kim Seong Joong’s “Martian Child,” Jeong Ji A’s “The Enemy of Capitalism,” and four poems by the poets Lee Young-ju and Kim Un. The Inkstone section introduces the English translation of the Korean classic “The Tale of Choe Cheok.”

June 05, 2023 to June 05, 2023

• II00001203

The theme of KLN Vol. 59 is “Deaths Forgotten, Names Erased.” In the cover feature essays, four literary critics and poets discuss Korean literature that reflects on the place of mourning and loss. This issue’s Featured Writer section includes an interview with Kim Yeonsu, the full text of his short story “A Future as Ordinary As This,” and an essay on Kim’s world of works by Cho Yeonjung. Moreover, the Bookmark section features the English translations of Kim Ji Yeon’s “When I Start Weeping,” Chung So-hyun’s “A Good Girl Like You,” four poems by Eins Hwang and An Taewoon, as well as The Story of Jeon Unchi.

April 07, 2023 to April 07, 2023

• II00001157

The theme of KLN Vol. 58 is “The Manifold Ways We Experience Literature.” Through four essays written by people in publishing and the readers, this issue introduces various ways in which Korean literature is experienced. This issue also presents an interview with the Featured Writer Kim Kyung-uk, the full text of the translation of his short story “A Sheepish Story,” and an essay on Kim’s literary world by literary critic Kang Yu Jung. The Bookmark section presents translations of Woo Dayoung’s “With a Knife Between Us,” Han Junghyun’s “Princess of the Night,” as well as four poems by Jin Eun-young and Ahn Miok, and the second installment in the series The Story of Jeon Unchi.

December 08, 2022 to December 08, 2022

• II00001137

The theme of KLN Vol. 57 is “In Search of Lost Hope.” It discusses the gap between Korean society and the hope embedded in the narrative of contemporary Korean literature and gives implications about the present state of Korean literature. The Featured Writer section presents an interview by poet Lee Sumyeong as well as 10 of her poems and an essay on Lee’s literary world. The Bookmark section features the short stories, “Half of Half on Half” by Cheon Un-yeong and “Landscapes and Love” by Wi Soo Jung, as well as four poems by You Hee-kyoung and Baek Eunsun, and the classic tale of Jeon Unchi. In the Cover Feature section, three essays by literary critics Park Hye-jin, Yiso, and Jung Hongsoo examine the way Korean literature looks at and portrays hope.

September 07, 2022 to September 07, 2022

• II00001127

The theme of KLN Vol. 56 is “Polarizing Properties: the Story of Real Estate in Korean Lit.” This issue examines how Korean literature addresses the real estate issue, which is closely connected to the political and social context over a century. The Featured Writer section presents the firm world of works by the Featured Writer Kim Seung-hee through an interview, an essay, and 10 poems including poems published in her poetry collection The Truthful Human of Pickled Radish and Bacon. Starting with this issue, the Bookmark Section, which presents works of Korean literature, has been expanded. This issue provides an opportunity for the readers to get to know several young authors who are active in the Korean literary world through the entire text of stories by Kim Mella and Jung Jidon, as well as poems by Heo Yeon and Eugene Mok. Inkstone has also been revamped to carry a work of classical Korean literature instead of essays; this issue features the translation of The Wang Sibung giu gi (The story of a fortuitous encounter of Wang Sibung).

June 03, 2022 to June 03, 2022

• II00001117

The theme of KLN Vol. 55 is “The Female Family Tree.” Through the works of Hwang Jungeun, Choi Eunyoung, and Chung Serang, this issue traces the memories of a certain history that continues from women to women. The Featured Writer section highlights novelist Kim Soom, who celebrates the 25th anniversary of her debut this year with a writer’s note and an essay in addition to an interview with the author and excerpts of her works. Readers can read the entire text of Kim Soom’s “The Man Who Touches Waves” and Lee Misang’s “When a Woman Subways.” Additionally, Inkstone introduces the culture of the Joseon royal court through “Gungwol: The Korean Palaces” and “Gungnyeo: The Palace Women.”

March 03, 2022 to March 03, 2022

• II00001097

The theme of _List Vol. 25 is “Literature of the Korean Diaspora.” It introduces Korean diaspora literature from the United States, Japan, China, and Central Asia and examines the current state of diaspora literature. This issue also includes an interview with the Featured Writer, poet Ko Un, an essay on his world of works, his works that have been published in Korea and abroad, and some of his poems. In addition, it introduces LTI Korea’s projects, such as the 2014 Seoul International Writers’ Festival, the 13th International Workshop for the Translation and Publication of Korean Literature, the 8th Survey of Published Korean Literature, and the residency program and analyzes the trend in the translation and publishing world. It also presents an excerpt from Jo Kyung-ran’s “The Story of Ladle” in English.

September 01, 2014 to September 01, 2014

• II00001094

The theme of _List Vol. 24 is “Transnationalism in Korean Literature.” Starting with this issue, _List has been revamped to include more works of Korean literature and current issues through a section on Featured Writers, relevant events, book reviews, and excerpts. This issue includes an interview with the Featured Writer Bok Geo-il, an essay on his world of works, as well as his works that have been published in Korea and abroad. In addition, it introduces LTI Korea’s projects, such as the 2014 London Book Fair, the 2014 Seoul International Writers’ Festival, and the Korean Literature Essay Contest, and analyzes the trend in the publishing industry. It also features reviews of nine translated works of Korean literature, translated excerpts from nine Korean fiction, and translations of three poems in English.

June 01, 2014 to June 01, 2014

• II00001093