Lifestyle - The Korea Times

When remembering becomes criminal: Goncourt winner Kamel Daoud confronts Algeria's silenced past

“We think that simply because we’ve witnessed something, we can express it. But no. Great pain, great suffering — they impose limits. When you walk through a site of massacre and human flesh sticks to your shoes, what use are grand, weighty words?” Kamel Daoud was 22 when he became a journalist to cover the civil war in his homeland of Algeria. The conflict, which raged between the government and Islamist rebels from 1991 to 2002, claimed as many as 200,000 lives, most of them civilians. Yet the way the state chose to “document” the atrocity was through absolute erasure. In 2006, it passed a law effectively forbidding any attempt to speak about or investigate the events of what has since come to be known as the “Black Decade.” Daoud’s “Houris,” which won French literature prize Prix Goncourt in 2024, summons the very memories of the civil war that his country sought to scrub from its history. Through the voice of Aube, forever scarred as the sole survivor of a massacre that wiped out her entire family, the writer attempts what the state never did: to remember. A tra

Dec 5, 2025By Park Han-sol

When remembering becomes criminal: Goncourt winner Kamel Daoud confronts Algeria's silenced past

LTI Korea honors translators behind Han Kang’s Nobel Prize win

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) honored two veteran translators for their contributions to Han Kang’s 2024 Nobel Prize in literature during its annual Translation Awards ceremony in Seoul, Wednesday. Anders Karlsson and Park Ok-kyoung, who have co-translated Korean literature into Swedish for almost three decades, were the recipients of the Outstanding Service Award. “Their translation work has played a pivotal role in elevating the status of Korean literature in Europe and increasing its international visibility,” said Kwon Seong-soo, a professor at Sookmyung Women's University and head of the jury committee, during the ceremony. “In particular, they directly introduced Korean literature to the Swedish literary community, which oversees the Nobel Prize in literature, and their Swedish translations of Han Kang’s 'We Do Not Part' and 'The White Book' were highly regarded in the judging process for the Nobel Prize.” The couple thanked LTI Korea for the recognition. “When we started, there was no publisher in Sweden willing to publish our translations.

Dec 4, 2025By Kim Se-jeong

LTI Korea honors translators behind Han Kang’s Nobel Prize win

InterviewThink 'can-do' and find way: Blind Wall Street analyst talks about life, resilience

Soonkyu Shin’s life story might at first sound like a classic tale of hardship and heroic triumph — all too easy to flatten into drama. Shin lost his eyesight completely at age 9. At his mother’s urging, he began learning the piano, and by 15, with the help of an American missionary, he left on his own for the United States. Once there, he found himself drawn not to the piano but to the workings of the human mind, studying psychology at Harvard with hopes of becoming a psychiatrist. But that dream died when new medical guidelines required physicians to examine and diagnose patients without any outside assistance — a standard that effectively closed the profession to blind candidates. After a period of searching, he pivoted to the psychology of business as a Ph.D. student at MIT Sloan in management and organizational studies. Before he got his degree, opportunities led him to Wall Street, working at JPMorgan and then Brown Brothers Harriman, where he has been a credit analyst for the past three decades. Shin stresses that his life is distant from the typical narratives often impo

Dec 3, 2025By Park Han-sol

Think 'can-do' and find way: Blind Wall Street analyst talks about life, resilience

Korean picture book brings hidden crisis for city birds to light

Zo-O's picture book "A Dot, a Line, and a Bird" is the story of a crow that loses a friend to a window collision. Through detailed, painterly illustrations, the book looks at the harsh reality of modern buildings, where birds fly into glass windows — often resulting in death. The book from Changbi Publishers won the grand prize in fiction at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s 2025 Picture Book Award. The book's author Zo-O hopes the recognition will help raise awareness of global bird–window collisions. “Not many people know about this issue. I’m happy that the award will help more people understand what is happening,” Zo-O told The Korea Times in a recent interview. “Then, we can start talking about what we can do to save the birds' lives.” According to the selection committee, “The book’s themes, conveyed metaphorically through concise prose, together with the striking contrast between its beautiful illustrations and the depiction of humanity’s destruction of civilization and nature, left a profound impact on its readers.” When asked about the inspira

Nov 23, 2025By Kim Se-jeong

Korean picture book brings hidden crisis for city birds to light

‘Be frugal, keep writing’: Advice from ‘Second Chance Convenience Store’ author to aspiring writers

For the many aspiring authors in Korea who dream of becoming bestselling writers, let alone Nobel laureates like novelist Han Kang, author Kim Ho-yeon offered a dose of realism. “You need to learn how to live a frugal life,” said Kim, author of international bestseller “The Second Chance Convenience Store,” during a book talk at Mapo Central Library in Seoul on Friday. “Until you become well-known, you generally don’t earn much, so you have to learn to spend less.” Since 2021, “The Second Chance Convenience Store” has sold more than 2 million copies in Korea and been translated into various languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese and Polish. The story, a blend of humor and drama, follows Dokgo, a homeless man struggling with alcoholic dementia, and Yeom Young-sook, a convenience store owner who hires him as a part-timer. To Yeom’s surprise, he turns out to be a diligent worker who improves the store’s operations and sales. Kim’s emphasis on frugality comes from experience. His career as a novelist didn’t truly begin until 2013, when he was in his late 30s

Nov 16, 2025By Kim Se-jeong

‘Be frugal, keep writing’: Advice from ‘Second Chance Convenience Store’ author to aspiring writers

K-LIT REVIEW Jang Ryujin’s ‘To the Moon’ indulges in fantasy of sudden wealth

What if somebody dropped a fortune in your lap, enough to let you leave the job you hate, stop struggling just to survive and live life for a change? Jang Ryujin’s bestselling slice-of-life novel “To the Moon” brings this impossible fantasy, one grounded in realism, to life. “To the Moon” tells the story of three ordinary women working dead-end office jobs in downtown Seoul. They’re casual work friends, keeping each other at arm’s length but gathering at lunchtime or when gossip is in the air. Eun-sang, the eldest and most ambitious, spends her free hours looking for ways to earn money outside of work. Jisong, the youngest, buries her head in the sand, choosing to give her all to a long-distance relationship that has no future. Dahae, the middle-of-the-road protagonist, keeps a low profile and dares only to dream of small things. The trio trudge through the daily grind, pushing paper in an endless loop. This dull monotony is shattered when Eun-sang hits upon her latest moneymaking idea: cryptocurrency. Pouring her savings into Ethereum, she watches with glee as her wealth

Nov 14, 2025By Faye Leung

[K-LIT REVIEW] Jang Ryujin’s ‘To the Moon’ indulges in fantasy of sudden wealth

K-LIT REVIEW Lovecraft’s madness finds new form in 3 Korean books

Rampant delirium. Terror. Beguiling belief. Honford Star, one of the leading publishing houses for translated speculative Korean fiction, has released three books filled with daring tales under the Lovecraft Reanimated Project. They pay tribute to the American writer H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), known for drawing from the gory bits of reality and lavishing our real world with supernatural horrors. In this trio comprising two novellas and a graphic novel, that same Lovecraftian consciousness is dressed in the reality of modern-day Korea. In one story, a woman discovers a horrid stench coming not just from herself, but from her workplace. In another, a university student’s best friend is found greatly changed from his usual self, possessed by an ominous, shadowy blankness. The third features shamanism and an unbeliever, as denial drives a researcher into a state of shock and then to the evil beyond. Though the month of October and its frightful attributes have come and gone, these stories let the sinister remain. Told within the Korean context, they reveal how evil lies right beneath the

Nov 13, 2025By Nathan Truong

[K-LIT REVIEW] Lovecraft’s madness finds new form in 3 Korean books

REVIEW Korean Canadian author explores diaspora experience in debut novel 'Oxford Soju Club'

In recent years, Asian voices in North American literature have seen a surge, with more authors gaining visibility and acclaim. This growth is fueled not only by a publishing industry increasingly committed to diverse voices but also by global cultural phenomena like the Korean wave. As audiences engage with K-culture, curiosity about Asian stories — including those of Asian American, Asian Canadian and diaspora communities — has grown, creating fertile ground for novels exploring identity, migration and heritage. Social media, adaptations and a rising demand for authentic narratives have further amplified these voices, marking a transformative moment. Korean Canadian first-time author Jinwoo Park released his debut novel “Oxford Soju Club” recently, proving that hard work, savvy use of social media and serendipity can bring an author to this moment. “Oxford Soju Club” is a layered story of suspense, intrigue and mystery, weaving together characters from North Korea, Korean American communities and newly emigrated Koreans in Oxford, England. The story opens when a North Ko

Nov 12, 2025By Antonia Giordano

[REVIEW] Korean Canadian author explores diaspora experience in debut novel 'Oxford Soju Club'

Future of K-lit: Redefining cultural phenomenon on global stage

Whether we like it or not, the next chapter of Korean literature may live onscreen. Korean literature, or K-lit, has emerged as a new global cultural frontier. International sales of Korean titles surged following Han Kang’s 2024 Nobel Prize win, but for many Korean publishers, high-profile book deals are no longer the end goal; they’re just the beginning. Taylor Bradley, co-founder of Honford Star publishing house, gave a lecture for Royal Asiatic Society Korea on Sept. 23, discussing how Korean publishers are increasingly evaluating new works for cinematic potential. Bradley pointed to the example of Safehouse Inc. Korea, a company that is, as he noted, “designed to sell IP content — originally they weren’t even a publishing company.” Today, while Safehouse certainly publishes books, Bradley emphasized that its real business is in selling stories aimed at reaching a global market. Bradley’s own U.K.-based Honford Star is proof of the success that translated East Asian media can enjoy abroad. Co-founded by Bradley and Anthony Bird, the independent publisher got its start i

Nov 11, 2025By Emily Serby

Future of K-lit: Redefining cultural phenomenon on global stage

dbBOOKS warehouse offers Korea's best hunting grounds for literature lovers

The best party in Seoul this weekend won't be in a nightclub — it'll be at the underground warehouse of dbBOOKS, an importer, distributor and retailer of books published in English. Twice a year, dbBOOKS invites readers into its warehouse for the Welcome to Our Warehouse (WOW) Family Sale. "What makes the Warehouse Sale/dbBOOKS special to me is the incredible assortment of foreign books to choose from and it is very affordable too," said Daniela, 30, from Austria. "Although you can order online anytime of the year, going to the warehouse sale is a very fun experience, as you can roam through countless shelves and 'hunt' for long awaited reads or discover new ones." The warehouse offers hundreds of thousands of titles across fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, as well as a section dedicated to Korean literature in translation and by Korean authors writing in English. "I love Korean literature. I think the more commercial work can really tap into the anxieties of what it is like to be in a society in flux, of young people trying to balance tradition and modern living," said A

Nov 10, 2025By Jon Dunbar

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