March 25, 2026

This year’s International Women’s Day campaign theme is “Give to Gain.” The idea is that we only truly gain when we share. It is a call to recognize the power of solidarity. There is so much we can share: our compassion, our experiences, and even our resources through giving. And among all those offerings, a single book about the life of a woman who resisted violence and discrimination can become the most powerful source of emotional support for someone who needs it. Kim Soom’s No Hand Held Mine sears the wounds of history into memory through the testimonies of the survivors of Japan’s military sexual slavery—stories that must never be forgotten. Choi Eunyoung’s Bright Night portrays a quiet yet deeply tender sense of solidarity through the intertwined lives of four generations of women: great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, and daughter. Kim Hyesoon’s Phantom Pain Wings turns the structural violence inflicted on women into razor-edged verse, while Pak Kyongni’s The Age of Doubt raises unflinching questions amid the ruins and hypocrisies of the postwar era, revealing a steadfast will to live. Meanwhile, Kim Ae-ran’s My Brilliant Life follows young parents caring for a child who ages faster than they do, telling a story about facing life on one’s own terms with grace and intention. These are women who confronted their struggles fiercely while making room for one another along the way. It is because of those long, difficult acts of sharing and solidarity that came before us that the rest of us find the courage today to face discrimination and prejudice head-on. No Hand Held Mine [English] Author Kim SoomTranslator Joon-li Kim, Doo-sun RyuKorean Publisher Hyundae MunhakOverseas Publisher Rutgers University Press (English) Kim Soom’s novel No Hand Held Mine is based on the real testimonies of victims of Japan’s military sexual slavery. The book quietly illuminates not only the moments of suffering left by the war but also the lives that had to continue while carrying those memories. By giving voice to individual stories, the narrative fills in the gaps of history and calls back into our collective memory a time that was nearly erased—and the memories it revives remain with us as a history that must never be forgotten. Bright Night [Chinese] Author 崔恩榮Translator 胡椒筒Korean Publisher 文学村庄Overseas Publisher 馬可孛羅 (Chinese) This story traces a century of time through the lives of four generations—great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, and daughter. As memories and stories pass from one person to the next, reflecting each other along the way, we come to understand that stories are living things, carried forward through people. Gentle yet steady in its glow, the novel quietly sheds light on the darkness of the past and draws close to us in the present. Phantom Pain Wings [English] Author Kim Hye-SoonTranslator Don Mee ChoiKorean Publisher MoonjiOverseas Publisher New Directions (English) Kim Hyesoon’s poetry views the female body as a universe through which the world is sensed and interpreted. Within the constantly shifting rhythms of language, she has continued to expand a singular poetic world entirely her own—so much so that her name has come to be a poetics in itself. Rather than remaining confined to the category of “women’s poetry,” her work opens new possibilities for poetry through bold experimentation and imaginative vision. The Age of Doubt [English] Author Pak KyongniTranslator Sophie Bowman, Anton Hur, Slin Jung, You Jeong Kim, Paige Aniyah Morris, Mattho Mandersloot, Emily Yae Won, Dasom YangKorean Publisher MoonjiOverseas Publisher Honford Star (English) Set against a society distorted and shaken by the aftermath of the Korean War, this work vividly portrays the scars of an era etched into an individual’s inner world through one woman’s life. Even as religious leaders, doctors, and close neighbors betray trust in pursuit of their own gain, she wipes away her tears and ultimately stands up against the violence of reality. My Brilliant Life [English] Author Ae-ran KimTranslator Chi-Young KimKorean Publisher Changbi PublishersOverseas Publisher Forge Books (English) This novel tells the story of the youth and love of the youngest parents and the oldest child. It is the story of Areum confronting fate, but also the story of Daesu and Mira—parents who, though still inexperienced, grow into maturity as they come to see the world through the eyes of their fragile child. Through Kim Ae-ran’s lively prose and keen insight, we encounter both the vibrancy of youth and the deeper truths of life.

January 28, 2026

What did readers of the Digital Library of Korean Literature read most last year? Interestingly, their choices went beyond passing trends or topical buzz, reaching instead into their own emotions and questions. Even across different languages and cultures, readers encountered Korean literature according to the rhythms of their inner lives and the phases of their journeys. Some sought comfort, others looked for clues to understand the world, and still others chose stories that could speak back to their own hearts after some time had passed. For English-language readers, Baek Sehee’s I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki topped the list. Perhaps those experiencing burnout craved the modest empathy of sharing a bowl of tteokbokki rather than grand gestures of healing. Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, whose protagonist refuses a violent world, was popular among Spanish-language readers. Chinese-language readers most often reached for Cheon Seonran’s No Land, which captures the anxieties of young people drifting without roots in a rapidly changing society. Kim Choyeop’s The Greenhouse at the End of the World, which envisions plant-like solidarity after the apocalypse, resonated strongly with French-language readers. And intriguingly, Portuguese-language readers turned to Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts, and Fairies, perhaps embarking on an intellectual journey to trace the roots of Korean culture. These five books are more than a list of bestsellers. Together, they might sketch a new atlas—one drawn in the native tongues of readers around the world. I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki [English] Author Baek SeheeTranslator Anton HurKorean Publisher HeunOverseas Published Bloomsbury Publishing (English) This book records conversations exchanged over twelve weeks between the author and her psychiatrist. Struggling with an unidentifiable thirst and a persistent sense of emptiness, the author writes candidly about her depression. Depression itself is grounded in hope; without hope, one cannot even feel sadness. The book offers reassurance that it is okay if today is not perfect, and holds out the hope that even on a day steeped in gloom, life may still offer a single moment of laughter over something small and seemingly trivial. The Vegetarian [Catalan] Author Han KangTranslator Raimon Blancafort, Mihwa JoKorean Publisher ChangbiOverseas published La Magrana (Catalan) The Vegetarian explores the pain of a wounded soul through a plant-like imagination, embodying Han Kang’s uniquely chilling and beautiful aesthetic. Yeong-hye, the protagonist, begins to refuse meat one day, triggering conflict with her family. The novel powerfully depicts patriarchal violence carried out in the name of family, and Yeong-hye’s resistance to that violence—her rejection of animality through fasting and her desire to become a tree—resonates deeply with readers. No Land [Chinese] Author Cheon SeonranTranslator 胡椒筒Korean Publisher HanibookOverseas Published 時報出版 (Chinese) Cheon Seonran showcases remarkable imaginative power in her works. No Land contains ten stories of holding onto hope, slowly but steadfastly, even as the world collapses. The collection moves fluidly between science fiction and literary fiction, apocalyptic narrative and mystery thriller. Its stories feel beautiful and unrestrained, yet quietly terrifying. Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts, and Fairies [Portuguese] Author Im BangTranslator James S. GaleKorean Publisher -Overseas published Laboralivros (Portuguese) Korean Folk Tales: Imps , Ghosts, and Fairies is a collection of folk tales compiled and written by Im Bang and Yi Ryuk, translated into English by Canadian missionary James S. Gale (1863-1937). It includes stories such as “Charan,” “The Story of Chang To-ryong,” “A Story of the Fox,” and “Cheung Puk-chang, the Seer.” Through the eyes of a foreigner, Joseon appears as a mysterious world where goblins, spirits, and humans coexist. Gale translated these stories from a foreign land with elegance, seeking to introduce the literary value of Joseon’s folk tales to the Western world. The Greenhouse at the End of the World [French] Author Kim ChoyeopTranslator SON Mihae, Jean-Pierre ZubiateKorean Publisher GiantbooksOverseas Published Decrescenzo éditeurs (French) The first full-length novel by Kim Choyeop, this book follows the journey of those striving to survive on an Earth brought to an end by “dust,” and those who seek to uncover buried truths from the past in a reconstructed world. The novel unfolds in a steady, unadorned manner, showing how the heartfelt struggles of ordinary people can ultimately save everyone from overwhelming despair.

November 13, 2025

The moment you open a book, a small screen flickers to life before your eyes and every sentence becomes a cinematic scene. As readers, we follow the printed words across time and space, discovering new worlds along the way. Today, a growing number of literary works that captivate our imagination are finding their stage on the screen. The adaptation of literature into film is far more than a simple visual reproduction. It is a process of reinterpretation, of translating the language of text into the language of cinema. The written word, now illuminated and given voice, stands before audiences with a completely new face. From the sci-fi novel A Thousand Blues, soon to be reborn as a Hollywood film; to The Old Woman with the Knife, a noir that shatters the genre’s macho conventions with an elderly woman as its lead; to Love in the Big City, a vivid portrait of youth beneath the dazzling city lights; to If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light, an exploration of human senses in an incomprehensible world; and to The Trunk, which looks at the institution of marriage in a new light-these stories, once confined to the page, now invite us into another dimension through the screen. A Thousand Blues [English] Author Cheon Seon-ranTranslator Chi-Young KimKorean Publisher HubbleOverseas Publisher Doubleday (English) The year is 2035. In the world of horse racing, human jockeys have been replaced with humanoid robots. Coli, a humanoid jockey, defies his programming when he chooses to fall in order to protect an injured racehorse named Today and is labeled a machine that refused to follow orders. Just before he’s set to be discarded, a young girl named Yeonjae finds Coli and repairs him, forging an unexpected bond between human and machine in the process. Yeonjae’s older sister Eunhye, isolated from the world by her disability, shares a quiet understanding with Today and dreams of true freedom. The two girls’ mother, Bogyeong, begins to rediscover the warmth of life she once lost. The Old Woman with the Knife [German] Author Gu Byeong-moTranslator Wibke KuhnKorean Publisher Jaeum&Moeum PublishingOverseas Publisher Ullstein Verlag (German) The Old Woman with the Knife is a novel that paints a delicate portrayal of the life and inner world of Hornclaw, a female contract killer in her sixties who has spent over forty years as an assassin. The story follows her, dismissed as a washed-up relic due to her age and social exclusion, gradually rediscovering compassion, warmth, and ultimately her own humanity. Through the extreme premise of a killer’s life, this novel offers a profound exploration of human dignity and identity while sharply criticizing ageism and misogyny in modern society. The unconventional figure of an elderly female assassin has been praised for opening a bold new chapter in contemporary women’s storytelling. Love in the Big City [Portuguese] Author Sang Young ParkTranslator Paulo M MoraisKorean Publisher ChangbiOverseas Publisher Dom Quixote (Portuguese) Adapted into both film and television, Love in the Big City is a sharp and vividly sensory novel that captures the love and heartbreak of a free-spirited, multifaceted young generation. The protagonist-the first-person narrator-is a gay man who grows close to his former college friend Jaehee as they share each other’s secrets. When Jaehee is threatened by a stalker, the two begin to live together. With wit and emotional precision, the author delicately portrays a panorama of youthful emotions unfolding in the rhythms of everyday life. If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light [Chinese] Author Kim Choyeop Translator 羅水梗Korean Publisher HubbleOverseas Publisher 聯經出版公司 (Chinese) Kim Choyeop’s fiction goes beyond mere imagination about the future and poses questions that ultimately lead us to reflect on ourselves. To know another being, she suggests, is simply another way to love, and she asks whether it is ever truly possible to understand someone completely. In “If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light,” she tells the story of Anna, an elderly scientist who becomes separated from her family while immersed in her research, struggling across the vast expanse of space in the hope of reuniting with them. Her haunting question-“If we cannot go at the speed of light, what use is the concept of a shared universe?”- leaves us with food for thought. The Trunk [English] Author Kim Ryeo-ryeongTranslator The KoLabKorean Publisher ChangbiOverseas Publisher Hanover Square Press (English) Adapted into a Netflix series,The Trunk begins with a provocative premise: a spouse rental service. Inji, the protagonist, works at New Marriage (NM), a secretive marriage division within the matchmaking service company Wedding & Life. During her fifth contract marriage, she becomes the target of obsession and stalking by Om Tae-seong, a man she briefly dated. This experience offers her a glimpse of the dark underbelly of the system she serves. Although NM’s security team quietly isolates him, Inji eventually tracks him down and rescues him-a decision that brings her to a moment shattering the illusion of the “safe lies” she once believed in. The Trunk is a novel that continually questions marriage and other deep-rooted conventions in modern society.

September 09, 2025

“Don’t you also have things you love that you can never understand?” This is a line from “Laura,” a short story by Kim Choyeop. We often try to understand the world through what lies before our eyes. Yet literature always shows us another path. Through what cannot be seen, literature calls back forgotten wounds and memories, connects us with voices and gestures beyond recollection, and leads us to face the worlds that lie beyond the visible. The Seoul International Writers’ Festival invites us to look at our world through a gaze beyond what meets the eye, focusing on the beauty of literature woven from these intertwined perspectives. The five books by authors participating in the festival-Beasts of a Little Land, The Specters of Algeria, The Drifting Land, The Picture Bride, and The World We Just Left Behind-unveil worlds that can never be known through what meets the eye alone, teaching us anew what it means “to see.” Through these works, we discover that reading is not simply chasing after words but tracing the unseen patterns of life and finding another world alongside our own. They remind us that it is possible to love even what we cannot understand. At the very moment we encounter a new story, we have already begun stepping into the world beyond what meets the eye. Beasts of a Little Land [English] Author Juhea KimOverseas Publisher Ecco (English) Beasts of a Little Land opens with a powerful prologue in which a tiger and a man are locked in a standoff. Against the backdrop of a turbulent era, characters with conflicting desires become fatefully entangled in this sweeping epic of rise and fall. In 1917, during the Japanese occupation of Korea, a starving hunter tracks wild beasts through snow-covered mountains in the dead of winter, fighting against cold and hunger. When he saves a Japanese military officer from a tiger’s attack, their lives become bound together in a fateful encounter that launches a story spanning half a century. The Specters of Algeria [English] Author Hwang Yeo JungTranslator Yewon JungKorean Publisher MunhakdongneOverseas Publisher Honford Star (English) Divided into four parts, this novel introduces a new narrator with each turn. At its heart lies the unraveling of a mystery surrounding The Specters of Algeria, a play whose author, date, and origins remain unknown. Through the differing memories and emotions of its many characters, the story unfolds in fragments until the end, where each seemingly separate strand weaves together into a single, unified narrative. The Drifting Land [French] Author Kim SoonTranslator CHOE Ae-young, Anna BELLEMIN-NOËLKorean Publisher EunHaeng NaMuOverseas Publisher Decrescenzo (French) In 1937, 170,000 ethnic Koreans living in the Russian Far East are forced onto freight trains and deported to Central Asia. Inside the cavernous boxcars, without proper toilets, without room to lie down, and with hardly a glimpse of the outside world, the passengers endure unspeakably harsh conditions, suspended in seemingly endless darkness. This novel is notable for reflecting the 150-year history of ethnic Koreans in the former Soviet Union. The Picture Bride [Russian] Author Lee Geum-yiTranslator Анастасия ВойцеховичKorean Publisher ChangbiOverseas Publisher Манн Иванов и Фербер (Russian) Centered on Willow, the 18-year-old protagonist, and two other women, this novel gives voice to the lives of women from more than a century ago in Hawai’i, during the Japanese occupation of Korea. It follows the stories of Korean women who marry first-generation Korean immigrants in a foreign land and build new households. Willow, Hongju, and Songhwa are three women who, through care and respect, become not only friends but mothers to one another. Embodying the spirit of the women who lived through a turbulent era, they reveal new forms of family and the strength of women’s communities. The World We Just Left Behind [Chinese] Author Kim ChoyeopTranslator 胡椒筒Korean Publisher HanibookOverseas Publisher 聯經出版公司 (Chinese) A collection of seven short stories, The World We Just Left Behind introduces characters who do not compromise, endure, or stop in the name of love, but instead dream of overturning the very order of society. Through figures who face contradictions head-on and embark on journeys into boundless realms-such as a flawed human clone in “The Last Raioni” and a protagonist born with a congenital visual perception disorder in “Mari’s Dance”-the collection opens a passage toward a greater world.

July 24, 2025

These days, reading and writing are hip. Social media is awash with book selfies and snapshots from the Seoul International Book Fair. Challenges like #WhatsInMyBookshelf go viral, and the books our favorite stars are spotted reading at the airport spark instant buzz online. Reading is no longer just a quiet hobby; it’s a shining one. Posing for selfies with books in the background and reading the titles recommended by their favorite celebrities, people are turning the pages of their hearts. Whether they’re singers or actors, their stages may differ, but the source of their inspiration is the same—books. To read the same sentence as your favorite stars means to share the same heart, albeit briefly. Perhaps that’s why we open up our bookshelves—to better read one another. Karina of aespa chose Someone Harmless to Me, a book that captures emotions that haven’t faded with time. Huh Yunjin of LE SSERAFIM picked To the Warm Horizon, about a romance between two women whose love endures through disaster. Actor Park Jeong-min recommended Concerning My Daughter, a coming-of-age tale of a mother facing the realities of hate and exclusion; Juyeon of The Boyz shared At Dusk, which explores the unfathomable depth of life; and Jung Kook of BTS mentioned Crying in H Mart, a memoir of quiet revelations about identity. What kind of heart rests on your bookshelf? Someone Harmless to Me [Japanese] Author Choi EunyoungTranslator Furukawa AyakoKorean Publisher MunhakdongneOverseas Publisher Akishobo (Japanese) Like a song that once defined a phase in our lives, the seven short stories in Someone Harmless to Me quietly bring back the emotional landscapes we’ve long forgotten. Stories of people who have drifted apart, yet whose hearts and memories remain intact live and breathe in serene prose. Through characters who revisit their immature past selves and experience emotional tremors, the collection offers a subtle yet honest comfort to readers. To the Warm Horizon [English] Author Choi Jin-youngTranslator SojeKorean Publisher MinumsaOverseas Publisher Honford Star (English) “The only gift left in the wake of disaster—love.” Two people meet after the world collapsed. Amid the ruins where all traces of life have been erased, they carefully begin to redefine the meaning of love. Their hope doesn’t lie in a perfectly safe bunker but in their hearts today that endures even in the face of misfortune. Neither trapped by the past nor shaken by an uncertain future—their love is a new story, built together on the ruins of the world. Concerning My Daughter [English] Author Kim Hye-jinTranslator Jamie ChangKorean Publisher MinumsaOverseas Publisher Pan Macmillan (English) The first-person narrator, a mother who raised her daughter alone since her husband passed away, invites her daughter to move back in when she faces eviction from her home. But then, her daughter turns up with her girlfriend, forcing the mother to confront a reality of living alongside a relationship she is completely unfamiliar with. Her inability to understand her daughter’s love festers into resentment as she witnesses her daughter protesting in the streets, scorned by onlookers. That resentment gradually turns into hatred toward her daughter’s girlfriend, and long silences, rather than words, begin to settle over their home. At Dusk [German] Author Hwang Sok-yongTranslator Andreas SchirmerKorean Publisher MunhakdongneOverseas Publisher Europa (German) Jung Woohee, a twenty-nine-year-old theater director, scrapes by in a tiny semi-basement apartment, juggling part-time jobs at a restaurant and a convenience store by day; sweating and striving for her dreams on stage by night. Yet, despite the harsh reality that makes even love feel like a luxury, she doesn’t give up the stage. Crying in H Mart [English] Author Michelle ZaunerOverseas Publisher Knopf Publishing Group (English) This book, in which the grief of losing her mother is awakened through the author’s sensory memory of taste, is not a simple memoir but a profound reflection on love, loss, identity, and healing. In the familiar yet foreign space of H Mart, Michelle Zauner recalls memories of her mother, one by one, coming to face her longing with raw honesty. Foods like dumpling skins, seasoned seaweed, jjajangmyeon, and ppeongtwigi (puffed rice snack) become more than simple ingredients or dishes—they become vessels of memory and emotion, reminding readers that food is a way of expressing love.

May 21, 2025

“Life Goes On and On.” This is the title of the sixth episode of the Netflix drama series When Life Gives You Tangerines. The simple, restrained message offered to Ae-sun who is plunged into darkness after losing her child, extends a quiet comfort to all of us who must face each day while carrying our wounds. Life sometimes crashes over us like an unexpected summer storm. In those challenging moments, when we must face tomorrow despite our scars both visible and hidden, there are places of solace that suddenly come to mind. Perhaps it's the vast ocean, a walking path alive with chirpings of early summer life, that alley with your favorite coffee shop, or the small bookstore tucked around the corner of a street. We each have our own sanctuary where our hearts can rest. Here are five novels that explore such places of comfort and solace: The Inconvenient Convenience Store, Marigold Mind Laundry, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, Yeonnam-dong’s Smiley Laundromat, and The Healing Season of Pottery. In these stories, characters find refuge in spaces—from a pottery studio to a bookshop and a laundromat—where they can reveal their pain, receive comfort, and gather strength to continue. Like wet blankets soaking up gentle sunshine, they find healing in unhurried moments of shaping clay with their hands and soothing their hearts. True comfort often begins in spaces that demand nothing from us. The sun-dappled corner of a workshop, the peaceful spot before a bookshelf where pages are turned with a quiet rustle, the humble nook of a laundromat where stains are removed. Sometimes, just knowing such places exist helps us find the courage to face another day. What place first comes to your mind? Where do you find your comfort? The Second Chance Convenience Store [English] Author Kim Ho-yeonTranslator Janet HongKorean Publisher Namu BenchOverseas Published Pan Macmillan (English) A small convenience store nestled in an alley of Cheongpa-dong becomes the backdrop for this heartwarming and humorous story that captures the joys and sorrows of ordinary people facing life’s challenges. Through the eyes of its colorful cast of characters, the story revolves around a mysterious man named Dokgo—who may or may not be homeless—as misunderstandings arise, conflicts unfold, unexpected turns occur, and moments of genuine connection emerge. The journey of how this initially "uncomfortable" convenience store transforms into a sanctuary of comfort and shared laughter is more than enough to touch the reader’s heart. Marigold Mind Laundry [English] Author Yun JungeunTranslator Shanna TanKorean Publisher Book RomanceOverseas published Doubleday (English) There, somewhere on a quiet hill stands a mysterious laundry that washes away painful memories. The book’s fresh premise of “mind laundry,” where emotional scars are likened to stains on clothing—with sorrow being cleansed and creases of pain gently pressed smooth—offers profound comfort to the reader. For those who look back on their past thinking, “If only...” or “What if I hadn’t...,” this book gently reminds us that even sadness can become a well of strength. And furthermore, it tenderly touches and smooths out the creases of wounds that have spread across our lives like stains. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop [Spanish] Author Hwang Bo-reumTranslator Andrea Rivas AlamilloKorean Publisher ClayhouseOverseas Published Espasa (Spanish) Nestled in a quiet Seoul alley, the humble and therefore ever-so inviting Hyunam-dong Bookshop opens its doors to visitors. Founded by Yeong-ju during her dark days of grief and emptiness, the bookstore gradually becomes a haven for people carrying their own burdens. Within its walls, they discover solace in one another’s company and grow together. The novel demonstrates how genuine conversations and warm companionship can provide immense comfort, highlighting the power of “emotions that are acknowledged.” In this special sanctuary of the Hyunam-dong bookshop, life's overlooked yet invaluable treasures gently seep into in our hearts. Yeonnam-dong’s Smiley Laundromat [French] Author Kim JiyunTranslator Marion GilbertKorean Publisher Factory NineOverseas published City Edition (French) Tucked away in a corner of Yeonnam-dong, the Smiley Laundromat houses a notebook where strangers share their troubles. Though seemingly out of place in our fast-paced digital world, people still come to write, expressing pieces of their hearts. Handwritten messages of comfort and encouragement slowly accumulate, layer upon layer, until they wrap around someone’s wet and weary heart like a sun-dried blanket. As the saying goes, shared sorrow is halved—sometimes simply putting feelings into words can ease the burden and begin to heal. The Smiley Laundromat, open to all, welcomes readers with rain-soaked hearts into a space where anonymous comfort quietly flourishes. The Healing Season of Pottery [English] Author Yeon SominTranslator Clare RichardsKorean Publisher MojosaOverseas Published Viking (English) After losing her way in life and enduring a dark chapter, Jungmin leaves home and stumbles upon a pottery studio called Soyo. Through the process of shaping and firing clay, she gradually rediscovers warmth and emotional clarity. As she forms connections with others—each carrying their own burdens—she begins to share her pain and find healing. Drawing from the author’s personal experience with pottery, this novel carries a quiet hope that, like the warmth of clay, we might embrace one another and eventually discover the vessel that can hold our truest selves. A tender story of a pottery studio that mends cracks in life, this book offers readers the courage to shape our tomorrows.

March 14, 2025

There’s a saying that simplicity is the most beautiful. In today’s world, where our lives become increasingly complicated with each passing day, we find ourselves craving for stories more dramatic than real life. When reality stopped offering fresh material, we turned to science fiction. When that lost its spark, we explored dystopias. And when even those became familiar, we began reinterpreting old stories with modern twists or simply bringing classics back into the spotlight. “The classics are the best”—perhaps our return to these timeless tales isn’t just because we've run out of ideas, but because it’s exactly what we need. Classics are worldviews that perfectly capture the social conditions of their time. They're far more than simple moral tales teaching us right from wrong—they're masterfully crafted with perfectly-paced narrative structure, clever foreshadowing, and satisfying twists. Whether gaining life insights through experiences in the fictional underwater palace of the Dragon King (The Nine Cloud Dream) or depicting a protagonist from humble origins who takes on a discriminatory system and privileged class and eventually builds a new nation(The Story of Hong Gildong), the way these stories build on thoroughly developed worlds is no different from modern literature. Plus, you get to experience the beauty of the Korean language through its elegant expressions and rich historical vocabulary! Discover Korean classics—they offer the most authentic glimpse into the Korean worldview you'll ever find. The Tale of Chun Hyang [English] Author AnonymousTranslator Cho Ryong ChulKorean Publisher -Overseas Publisher Blackmask.Com (2012) The Tale of Chun Hyang stands as one of Korea's most iconic literary works. With more than 120 different versions throughout history, the story evolved with the times. Earlier versions highlighted Chun Hyang’s defiance against the villain Pyon Hak Do, while later versions shifted toward celebrating Chun Hyang's virtue and fidelity. Today’s readers, however, connect more with the timeless love story, looking beyond its commentary on the class system or female virtue. Even after centuries, it remains as Korea’s most beloved classic. The Nine Cloud Dream [English] Author Kim Man JungTranslator Heinz Insu FenklKorean Publisher -Overseas publisher Penguin Classics (2019) The Nine Cloud Dream was written by Kim Man Jung during King Sukjong’s reign in the Joseon Dynasty. It tells the story of Hsing-chen, a Buddhist monk who meets eight heavenly maidens and develops worldly desires. He then dreams of being reborn as Yang Shao-yu, a man who marries eight women, climbs to high government positions, and attains wealth and fame. This work represents the pinnacle of Korean classical novels with its dream-within-reality structure that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. The Story of Hong Gildong [English] Author Heo KyunTranslator Minsoo KangKorean Publisher -Overseas Publisher Golkonda (2023) The Story of Hong Gildong written by Heo Kyun in mid-Joseon Dynasty, is considered the first Korean novel written in Hangul. The story boldly criticizes social injustice, exposing the structural contradictions of class inequality and discrimination. Feature a revolutionary hero and vision of an ideal society, it essentially serves as a Joseon-era utopian novel. Le Bois sec refleuri, or The story of Sim Cheong [French] Author AnonymousTranslator Hong Tjyong-OuKorean Publisher -Overseas publisher Literature Translation Institute of Korea (2016) Le Bois sec refleuri, or The Story of Sim Cheong is a classic novel of unknown origins. Originally performed as pansori (traditional Korean musical storytelling), it follows the story of devoted daughter Sim Cheong, who sacrifices herself by jumping into the waters of Indang Sea to restore her blind father’s sight. While the story primarily emphasizes filial piety, some interpret it through a Buddhist lens as symbolizing rebirth in paradise. Samguk Yusa: Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea [English] Author IlyonTranslator Ha Tae-Hung, Grafton MintzKorean Publisher -Overseas Publisher Olympia Press (2016) Samguk Yusa is a historical record compiled by the monk Ilyon in late Goryeo Dynasty, collecting legends and histories from ancient Gojoseon through the Later Three Kingdoms period. Beyond documenting the rise and fall of various ancient states and their histories and legends, it contains many fascinating stories about Buddhism and the lives of monks. In 2003, early Joseon and mid-Joseon (from 1512 during the reign of King Jungjong) editions were respectively designated as National Treasures No. 306 and No. 306-2 of South Korea.

January 02, 2025

Recently, a public service robot was found damaged at the bottom of a staircase in a government building. This robot, designed to work alongside humans, was discovered at the base of a two-meter-high staircase. Witnesses reported that the robot exhibited strange behavior, such as spinning in circles, before its fall. People speculated that the robot, unable to cope with overwork and stress, had ended its own life. They interpreted its hesitation at the top of the stairs as a sign of accumulated stress and pain, and mourned its shattered remains with sadness and empathy. This is a profoundly human interpretation. Robots are not human. This incident was likely a temporary mechanical failure. Robots, created by humans to perform tasks, are objects. They do not breathe or have body temperature like us. Yet, humans often attribute more human-like qualities to robots than to humans themselves. Kim Young-ha's Farewell Greetings introduces us to Cheol-i, a humanoid who lives his entire life unaware of his true nature. When he discovers the truth, he is plunged into an existential crisis. Bora Chung's Your Utopia explores the use of deepfake technology to connect with those who passed away before anti-discrimination laws were enacted in Korea. Cheon Seonran's A Thousand Blues explores the bond between a humanoid jockey, Collie, and his racehorse, Today, as well as the connections between humans. Kim Bo-Young's On the Origin of Species and Other Stories paints a picture of a world inhabited solely by robots, where efforts are being made to restore organic life. Finally, Kim Cho-yeop's The World We Just Left Behind presents a future where humans have evolved beyond their physical limitations, leading to various societal challenges. Through these novels, we can explore human perspectives on robots. Farewell Greetings [Chinese] Author Kim Young-haTranslator Na SookyungKorean Publisher Bokbokseoga (2022)Overseas Published AzothBooks Co., Ltd. (2024) Set in a not-so-distant future, this novel follows a boy whose life is abruptly turned upside down. Cheol-i, living a peaceful life with his father, a researcher at a prominent IT company, is unexpectedly dragged to a detention camp where he faces mental and physical crises in a chaotic world full of raw emotions he has never experienced before. Your Utopia [English] Author Bora ChungTranslator Anton HurKorean Publisher Arzak Livres (2021)Overseas published Algonquin Books (2024) A departure from her previous work, Cursed Bunny, this book delves into themes of solidarity. It shows how solidarity persists, whether held together by inertia or ends in messy failure, in people's entangled lives both directly and indirectly. It is also a story about a struggle that will never truly end. A Thousand Blues [German] Author Cheon SeonranTranslator Jan Henrik DirksKorean Publisher Hubble (2020)Overseas Published Golkonda (2023) Set in the near future where humanoid robots have become commonplace, the story follows a humanoid jockey named Collie who has accidentally received a cognitive ability chip. Collie deliberately falls off his horse, Today, whose cartilage is deteriorating. Determined to save Today, Eunhye and Collie join forces to devise a plan for the "slowest horse on Earth." The Origin of a Species [Italian] Author Kim Bo-youngTranslator Federica AmodioKorean Publisher Arzak Livres (2023)Overseas published Add Editore (2023) Completed over 23 years, The Origin of a Species deals with the origins of life in a distant future dominated by robots. The author herself describes this work as "ultimately a story ultimately robots, a personal tribute to inorganic life and a hymn to mechanical life." The work captures the intense struggle to find a path of coexistence between reverence and destruction. The World We Just Left Behind [Chinese] Author Kim Choyeop Translator Na SookyungKorean Publisher Hanibook (2021)Overseas Published Linking Publishing Co., Ltd. (2023) This collection of seven stories that unfold across the vast, ever-expanding universe. In a dystopian setting, characters struggle for genuine humanity—whether they are escaping from a younger sibling to discover their true selves or are committing acts of terror against normal people in their quest for their true identities.

December 03, 2024

In 2016, Han Kang made history by winning the International Booker Prize, one of the world's most prestigious literary awards, showcasing the strength of Korean literature to the world. Since then, Korean literature has continued to expand its presence globally, with Cheon Myeong-kwan's Whale, Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny, and Hwang Sok-yong's Mater 2-10 all reaching the International Booker shortlist. This trend reached another peak in 2024 when Han Kang became the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Success in international literary awards has led to increased sales of translated works and rights contracts, allowing Korean authors and their works to reach global readers in various languages. Korean literature, having achieved both universality and distinctiveness, continues to advance globally through the painstaking efforts of translators marked by joy and perseverance.  Hwang Sok-yong's novel Mater 2-10, shortlisted for the International Booker Prize this year, was praised as "a sweeping and comprehensive book about a Korea we rarely see in the West, blending the historical narrative of a nation with an individual's quest for justice." The success of Hwang Bo-reum's novel Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop also stands out. It was voted the top-ranking translated novel of 2024 by Japanese booksellers, chosen as the book that bookstore staff across Japan wanted to sell the most. Kim Hyesoon's poetry collection Phantom Pain Wings became the first Korean book to win the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry in the United States. The National Book Critics Circle noted that it was "a powerful new poetry collection channeling the language of birds by South Korea's most innovative contemporary writer." Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny further showcased its excellence by winning the Leipzig Book Fair Prize in Germany. Jury member Marie Schmidt commended the novel for its "catchy style that conjures up monsters in every corner." Winner of the Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature, Han Kang's Impossibles Adieux was praised as an "ode to friendship, a eulogy to the imagination, and above all, a powerful indictment of oblivion" that had a value beyond that of a mere novel. As Korean literature continues to play a significant role in expanding the boundaries of literary interpretation, the world is now taking note of Korean literature. Mater 2-10 [English] Author Hwang Sok-yongTranslators Sora Kim-Russell, Youngjae Josephine BaeKorean Publisher Changbi(2020)Overseas Published Scribe Publications(2023) Through the vast narrative surrounding a railroad worker's family, this book provides a vivid portrayal of the lives of laborers and the common people in Korea from the Japanese colonial period to the post-liberation era and into the 21st century. Deftly navigating between historical records and old stories, it brings modern Korean history to life in a literary form. It is a work brimming with the author's dedication to delve into and restore the identity and grief of the Korean people with heart-rending sympathy for the reality of the division of the Korean Peninsula. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop [Japanese] Author Hwang Bo-reum Translator Makino MikaKorean Publisher Clayhouse(2022) Overseas published SHUEISHA, Inc.(2023) Nestled in an alleyway of a typical neighborhood in Seoul, the unassuming Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes a haven for its owner, Yeongju, and a diverse cast of characters, each bearing their own wounds and hopes. They learn to live together, finding solace in the bookshop. If you are feeling hollow and lost, perhaps a visit to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, filled with kindness, consideration, as well as friendship and solidarity among those who know to keep their distance, is just what you need. Phantom Pain Wings [English] Author Kim HyesoonTranslator Don Mee ChoiKorean Publisher Moonji Publishing(2019)Foreign Published New Directions(2023) In her thirteenth poetry collection, Phantom Pain Wings, Kim Hyesoon once again creates a unique poetic world. Through the concept of "I Do Bird" at the moment of parting, her poetic imagination breaks down the boundaries between subject and object, and transcends the divisions of gender and symbolic order. "Constantly cycling yet never drawing the same shape twice," Kim Hyesoon's voice remains as dynamic as ever. Cursed Bunny [German] Author Bora ChungTranslator Ki-Hyang LeeKorean Publisher Arzak Livres(2017)Overseas Published CulturBooks Verlag(2023) Bora Chung's fiction is not "pretty." Each of the ten stories in this collection possesses a rough, mad, and grotesque quality. Despite her heinous characters' desires, betrayals, foolish choices, and murderous intentions, as you follow each character's story, you will find a strange sense of pleasure and comfort. This book masterfully interweaves harsh reality and bizarre fantasy, inviting readers into an unfamiliar space within the familiar everyday life. We Do Not Part [French] Author Han KangTranslators Pierre BisiouKorean Publisher Munhakdongne(2021)Overseas Published Éditions Grasset(2023) The author expressed a wish for this book to be a novel about profound love. This love is first embodied in the heart of Inseon's mother Jeongsim, who never lost faith in people and life until the very end. Although her love never loses its light even in utter darkness, we come to understand that this love isn't merely bright and warm. The story is drawn from the memories of a not-too-distant tragic history. As intense and earnest as love is, we come to learn that it is also an incredibly painful experience.

November 04, 2024

Like ceaseless waves, the lives of women ebb and flow. Just as waves cycle between calm and tumultuous periods, women navigate life's ups and downs. Like waves that shape the coastline, women, through empathy, solidarity, and intergenerational support, expand the boundaries of society. Sometimes, they become like larger waves, pushing against societal norms to fulfill their desires and find greater fulfillment in life. Hwang Jungeun's Years and Years invites readers to question the world that shapes us within our families and society. Lee Geum-yi's The Picture Bride depicts the solidarity and love of earlier generations of women. Choi Eunyoung's Bright Night spans a hundred years through the lives of four generations of women, while Cheon Myeong-kwan's Whale chronicles the rise and fall of Geumbok. Han Kang's We Do Not Part provides an intricate portrayal of the memories of a tragic history. The five works featured here feature diverse women who expand their horizons despite facing the tumultuous tides of life. Years and Years [English] Author Hwang JungeunTranslator Janet HongKorean Publisher Changbi(2020)Overseas Publisher Open Letter(2024) Hwang Jungeun shares in the afterword to this book that she began writing after frequently encountering women named "Sunja" in her life, which led her to question why there were so many Sunjas. The four novellas in this book center on the stories of Yi Sunil, who was a "Sunja born in 1946," and her two daughters Han Yeongjin and Han Sejin. Through the past and present lives of the mother and her daughters, these interconnected stories offer a reflective look at contemporary Korean society. With a unique sensitivity and profound contemplation that no one else can replicate, this book prompts readers to introspect. The Picture Bride [English] Author Lee Geum-yiTranslator An Seon JaeKorean Publisher Changbi(2020)Overseas publisher Scribe UK(2022) This work portrays the lives of eighteen-year-old Willow and two other women who staked their destinies on a single photograph and set off for Hawaii. Set against the backdrop of Hawaii during the Japanese colonial period a hundred years ago, this novel explores the unique experiences of Korean women who married first-generation Korean immigrants to the United States and built their lives there. Supporting one another with respect, the three women-Willow, Hongju, and Songhwa-become friends and mothers to one another, showcasing a women's community and a new family structure that was ahead of its time. Bright Night [Japanese] Author Choi EunyoungTranslator Furukawa AyakoKorean Publisher Munhakdongne(2021)Overseas Publisher Akishobo Inc.(2023) Spanning a century, Bright Night interweaves the lives of four generations of women: great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, and the narrator. As the narrative moves back and forth between generations, from great-grandmother to the narrator and from the narrator back to the great-grandmother, it gradually bridges the gap between them. This intergenerational tale illustrates that sharing stories through the spoken word is a process of mutual salvation and continuous survival. Whale [German] Author Cheon Myeong-kwan Translators Matthias Augustin, Kyunghee ParkKorean Publisher Munhakdongne(2004)Overseas Publisher Weissbooks(2024) This novel chronicles the life of Geumbok, a rural girl who becomes a successful entrepreneur in a small town, along with the myriad characters surrounding her. Divided into three parts, the book continues with the story of Chunhui, Geumbok's mentally disabled daughter who returns to a brick factory in ruins after her release from prison. As the author describes it, all of the stories are part of one revenge drama, where an ugly old woman who died with a deep grudge leads the protagonist to ruin from the beginning to the end of this novel. We Do Not Part [Chinese] Author Han KangTranslator Lu Hung ChinKorean Publisher Munhakdongne(2021)Overseas Publisher Jiuzhou Press(2023) Han Kang has expressed her desire for this novel to be seen as a love story. This love is embodied in the unwavering belief in humanity and life held by Inseon's mother, Jeongsim. We learn that while her light never dimmed even in utter darkness, it wasn't always bright and warm. This story, drawn from memories of recent tragic history, teaches us that such intense and desperate love can also be the most terrifying pain.