Seoul Int'l Book Fair explores sustainable coexistence with 'nonhumans' through literature

By Park Han-sol

The Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF), known as the largest annual book and publishing trade show in Korea, will return to COEX in southern Seoul on Wednesday.

Book lovers from across the country are expected to flock to the five-day event to attend a string of lectures, talks, seminars and exhibitions led by over 210 guest speakers and 530 publishers from 36 nations.

This year's edition, hosted by the Korean Publishers Association, will kick off under the theme, “Nonhuman.” It aims to steer away from centuries of anthropocentric beliefs, instead seeking a new framework of sustainable coexistence with all nonhuman creatures and objects.

Prominent literary heavyweights are set to take part in the fair.

Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Sympathizer” which has inspired an upcoming historical black comedy HBO series directed by Park Chan-wook, will speak about Asian diasporic literature in America.

Also among the lineup are Yann Martel, best known for his 2002 Booker Prize-winning “Life of Pi;” Cheon Myeong-kwan, who was shortlisted for this year's International Booker Prize for “Whale;” Korean American writer Kim Ju-hea, whose debut novel “Beasts of a Little Land” is set against the backdrop of occupied Korea in the early 20th century; and translator Anton Hur, who received two nominations for the 2022 International Booker Prize.

Some of the theme-related sessions include behavioral ecologist and academic Choe Jae-chun's lecture on the future of animals after humans disappear from the Earth, as well as Paris-based sociologist Nikolaj Schultz's seminar on climate emergency explored through his new philosophical travelog “Mal de Terre.”

A group lecture, “Literature as Nonhumans,” will be led by six ambassadors for this year's fair: Korean fiction writers Cheon Seon-ran, Pyun Hye-young, Oh Jung-hee, Kim In-suk, Kim Ae-ran and Choi Eun-young.

In addition to panel discussions and lectures, visitors can search for their own answers to the event's main theme through a special exhibition of 600 books that have been curated under five keywords: disappearance, resistance, acceleration, intersection and possibility.

The SIBF has also bulked up its international pavilion section for the 2023 edition.

The guest country of honor for this year is Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates. The emirate is set to host a series of talks on contemporary Arab literature and its publishing market, the clique culture of Arab writers and journalism in Sharjah, among others.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Korea, Canada has been selected as the event's spotlight country and will showcase books in English, French and Korean put forth by some 30 publishers.