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Fantasy novel series earns largest export contract for Korean books

This photo provided by The Golden Bough shows Lee Yeong-do's four-part Korean fantasy series "The Bird That Drinks Tears." Yonhap"The Bird That Drinks Tears," a fantasy novel series by Lee Yeong-do, has set a new record for foreign exports of Korean books, its publisher said Monday.The four-part series has recently been sold to a European publisher at about 300 million won ($235,997) in advance royalty payment for the right to publish it, Minumsa said, without specifying the European publisher."Advance royalty payment" is a royalty paid in advance to writers when signing a publishing contract. The 300 million won is the highest amount for any Korean book exported to a single country.The previous record was set when Kim Soo-hyun's essay "Comfortably Without Trying Too Hard" was exported to Japan at about 200 million won in 2020. Lee has already received more than 600 million won in advance royalty payment for the overseas rights to publish the book from publishers in 12 countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands and Ukraine, according to t

Jan 2, 2023
Fantasy novel series earns largest export contract for Korean books

Korean literature continues to ride high on global stage

The covers of Chung Bora's “Cursed Bunny” (2021), left, and Park Sang-young's “Love in the Big City” (2021), both translated by Anton Hur / Courtesy of Honford Star, Tilted Axis PressBy Park Han-solFrom genre-defying short story collections to poetry and graphic novels, a string of translated Korean literary works continued to ride high on the global stage in 2022 as they were nominated for or won coveted prizes.In 2022, Korean literature published overseas scored a total of four wins and nine nominations, according to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea).Chung Bora's short story collection “Cursed Bunny” ― a gripping mix of absurdist tales that draw on science fiction, horror and fantasy ― made headlines after making it on to the shortlist of six titles for 2022's International Booker Prize.Earlier, the U.K. prize's longlist of 13 nominees included another Korean writer's work: Park Sang-young's queer romance novel “Love in the Big City.” Both pieces were translated by Anton Hur.In Japan, Sohn Won-pyung's “Co

Dec 30, 2022By Park Han-sol
Korean literature continues to ride high on global stage

BOOK REVIEW Apocalyptic thriller, 'Of Ashes and Dust,' delves deep into nature of human conflict

Ron Roman / Courtesy of Ron RomanBy No Kyung-minRarely can we say that we are not embroiled in the turbulence of power dynamics in our day-to-day lives. In every social structure, ranging from family to society, people interact with each other in one way or another, while maintaining different forms of relationships. Considering the variety of interests involved in many stages of negotiation and the conflict that erupts within or between social entities is inevitable. In this sense, frustration may come not when we are caught up in the vortex of social conflicts, but when we stay clear of them.For Will Watson, the main protagonist of Ron Roman's debut novel, “Of Ashes and Dust,” this frustration comes in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of his participation in the Vietnam War. Albeit inexplicable, what he has to endure, as a war survivor, sees him riddled with guilt and pain. The Vietnam War is seared into his memory to the point where he “can never forget it,” and yet he confesses that his mental exhaustion stems not from “h

Dec 11, 2022
[BOOK REVIEW] Apocalyptic thriller, 'Of Ashes and Dust,' delves deep into nature of human conflict

LTI Korea's translation award shows global boom in Korean literature

From left, Sasaki Sizuyo, an official from Japanese publisher CUON, and Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello and Yu Hsin Hsin, winners of the 2022 LTI Korea Translation Award, pose during the award ceremony in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Literature Translation Institute of KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) announced the winners of its annual translation awards on Monday, recognizing their excellence in translation and contribution to promoting Korean literature worldwide.The 20th LTI Korean Translation Award went to E.J. Koh and Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello who translated “The World's Lightest Motorcycle” by Lee Won into English; Yu Hsin Hsin who translated “An Anthology of Korean Literature 2” by Yi Tae-jun and seven other modern Korean novelists into Chinese and Ingliana Tan who translated “Seven Years of Darkness” by Jeong You-jeong into Indonesian. The recipients each received 20 million won ($15,462) in prize money.Kim Seung-bok, the director of CUON, a leading publisher of Korean books in Japan, won the l

Dec 6, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
LTI Korea's translation award shows global boom in Korean literature

Book celebrating cineaste Park Chan-wook's 30-year career to go in print

Filmmaker Park Chan-wook / Courtesy of CJ ENM By Park Han-solA comprehensive, limited-edition book highlighting cineaste Park Chan-wook's decades-spanning oeuvre is slated for publication early next month.In May, Park became the second Korean auteur ever to notch the Best Director prize at Cannes for his 2022 romance noir, “Decision to Leave,” starring Tang Wei and Park Hae-il. The film, which earned six awards at the Blue Dragon Film Awards in Korea last week, is also vying for a nomination for the Best International Feature category at the 2023 Academy Awards.“Finally, Park Chan-wook” is a crowdfunded book scheduled for print in celebration of the filmmaker's 30th anniversary of his debut.During the month-long crowdfunding period on Tumblbug, which ended on Sunday, the title surpassed its target of 65 million won ($48,550) in a matter of days, eventually reaching 334 million won, or 514 percent of its original goal.The title will be a 600-page hardcover volume tha

Nov 28, 2022By Park Han-sol
Book celebrating cineaste Park Chan-wook's 30-year career to go in print

K-Book Festival 2022 to bring together lovers of Korean literature in Japan

A promotional banner for K-Book Festival 2022 in Japan / Courtesy of Korea FoundationBy Park Han-solThe K-Book Festival 2022 in Japan invites fans of contemporary Korean literature across the country for a weekend-long series filled with talks, performances and contests.The hybrid event is scheduled to be simultaneously held at the Bellesalle Kudan in Tokyo and broadcast live via the festival's YouTube channel from Nov. 26 to 27.Co-hosted by the Korea Foundation (KF) and Japan's K-Book Promotion Association, the fourth edition of the book festival will see a string of talks among renowned authors, translators and editors hailing from the two countries.Kim Ae-ran, four of whose works have been translated into Japanese over the years, including “My Brilliant Life,” “Run, Abby” and “It's Summer Outside,” will engage in a dialogue with Naoki Prize-winning Japanese writer Kyoko Nakajima.Best-selling journalist-turned-novelist Chang Kang-myoung, who has award-winning pieces like “Team Aleph” and “The Bleached” under his belt, will

Nov 23, 2022By Park Han-sol
K-Book Festival 2022 to bring together lovers of Korean literature in Japan

Book Review Wayne's “Great Man Theory” examines life of the everyman

Cover of “The Great Man Theory” by Teddy Wayne / Courtesy of AmazonBy No Kyung-min The first line of Teddy Wayne's new novel, “The Great Man Theory,” presents a classic move of investing an unfamiliar character with a magnetic attraction: “'I am a Luddite', Paul typed.” As much as it is important to recognize Paul's explicit abhorrence of technological development rooted in his belief that “technological immersion has fomented the rise of right-wing extremism,” the fact that he is engaged in the act of writing is worth noting. Indeed, this outright exposure of his view insinuates two possible ways the novel can unfold. Either Paul sticks to his ideology throughout the novel, or he changes his mind. Yet, more entertaining is to monitor the vertical axis of his life trajectory: is it going to be upward or downward ― or, simply put, plus or minus? And if you are no stranger to Wayne's novels set in college, it is not hard to know what to expect.Starting his literary career with a relatively mild flavor of the story of Karim Issar in &ldquo

Nov 16, 2022
[Book Review] Wayne's “Great Man Theory” examines life of the everyman

'Uncanny Convenience Store' becomes newest book to sell over 1 million

The covers of Kim Ho-yeon's “Uncanny Convenience Store” series / Courtesy of Namu BenchBy Park Han-solThe novel series, “Uncanny Convenience Store,” penned by Kim Ho-yeon, has become the newest title to sell over a million copies in Korea this week.According to the local publishing house, Namu Bench, as of Monday, the book's first volume had sold 800,000 copies, while the second sold more than 200,000.The two-volume series became the third Korean work to earn the title of a million-seller in the 2020s, followed by another two-part series, "Dollargut Dream Department Store,” by Lee Mi-ye and Sohn Won-pyung's “Almond.”After its release in April last year, the book gradually climbed to the top of the bestseller lists across multiple major local online and offline bookstores, as well as at Millie's Library, one of the country's largest e-book subscription platforms.Kyobo Bookstore and YES24 subsequently reported that the book was the highest-selling title in the first half of 2022.“Uncanny Convenience Store” is primarily set in a smal

Nov 15, 2022By Park Han-sol
'Uncanny Convenience Store' becomes newest book to sell over 1 million

LTI Korea launches web platform to facilitate global publications of Korean literature

Kwak Hyo-hwan, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), speaks during a press conference held to mark the launch of KLWAVE, an online platform, and the diaspora-themed web magazine “nomo” in central Seoul, Nov. 14. Courtesy of LTI KoreaKLWAVE aims to link local and global publishing houses, authors and translators of Korean literatureBy Park Han-solAs part of its mission to promote and facilitate the translation and international publication of Korean literature, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) has launched a new website called KLWAVE (Korean Literature Wave).“It's a one-stop platform aiming to provide all necessary information for publishing houses, agencies, authors, translators and readers within and outside of Korea to help the translation, publication and cultural exchange of Korean literature,” LTI Korea President Kwak Hyo-hwan said during a press conference held in central Seoul, Monday, to announce the launch of the website.Providing its service in English and Korean, KLWAVE will connect local an

Nov 15, 2022By Park Han-sol
LTI Korea launches web platform to facilitate global publications of Korean literature

INTERVIEW International Booker Prize-winning 'Tomb of Sand' breaks down borders, celebrates plurality of life

Geetanjali Shree, Indian author and the winner of this year's International Booker Prize for her novel, "Tomb of Sand," speaks at the Expo Centre Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, Nov. 3, as part of the ongoing 41st edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair. Courtesy of Sharjah Book AuthorityIndian novelist Geetanjali Shree discusses her genre-defying masterpiece at SIBFBy Park Han-solSHARJAH, United Arab Emirates ― “No, no, I won't get up. Noooooo, I won't rise nowwww. Nooo rising nyooww. Nyooo riiise nyoooo. Now rise new. Now, I'll rise anew.”Uttered by author Geetanjali Shree in her mother tongue, Hindi, on the morning of Nov. 3, the delightful wordplay echoed through the convention hall at the Expo Centre Sharjah, filled with nearly 400 secondary school students from across the United Arab Emirates.The passage comes from her fifth novel, “Tomb of Sand” (“Ret Samadhi” in its 2018 Hindi original), which earned her the honor of becoming the first-ever Indian novelist to win the International Booker Prize early this year after competing wit

Nov 9, 2022By Park Han-sol
[INTERVIEW] International Booker Prize-winning 'Tomb of Sand' breaks down borders, celebrates plurality of life
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