Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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[Herald Interview] ‘Cursed Bunny’ author Bora Chung on writing from the margins
Like her stories, Bora Chung radiates terse, fierce energy like an electrical cable cut open. On a Thursday morning exactly one week after “Cursed Bunny” -- her collection of 10 short stories translated by Anton Hur -- was announced among the works longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize, Chung told The Korea Herald that she was still in shock. “Suddenly people are mentioning my name in the same sentence with Han Kang and Olga Tokarczuk, and I feel this is surreal
March 30, 2022
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Published screenplays of hit TV series make bestselling book lists
Popular TV series have recently made their presence felt not only on the global viewership charts but also on local bestselling book lists. The script book of the romantic comedy "Our Beloved Summer," published on Feb. 16, placed second on the weekly bestsellers list for the third week of February by Kyobo Book Center, the biggest bookstore chain in South Korea. On the weekly sales list of Yes24, a local online bookstore, preorders of the series' screenplay book also ranked third in th
March 11, 2022
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[Book Review] In ‘Future of Silence,’ Korean women’s voices resound across generations
We turn to literature to understand ourselves and others, across boundaries of time, space, and culture. When fictional characters reveal the whole, unvarnished truth of their lives, it can be a mirror to our own. Readers may experience such moments of recognition while reading “The Future of Silence: Fiction by Korean Women,” a collection of nine short stories spanning five decades from the 1970s to 2010s. In them, women find themselves in situations ranging from the Kafkaesque t
Feb. 24, 2022
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2 Korean children's books win prizes at Bolgna Ragazzi Awards
Two South Korean children's books have won prizes at this year's Bologna Ragazzi Awards, one of the world's largest honors for kids' books and illustrations. "Summer," written and drawn by Suzy Lee, was listed as one of the three Special Mention works in the Fiction category, the organizers of the awards said Wednesday (Korean time) on its website. In the Non-Fiction section, "Father's big hands" by Choi Deok-kyu was also selected as a Special Mention piece. "Summer
Feb. 23, 2022
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Book of late S. Korean poet Cho's poems published in English
A book of more than 80 poems of late renowned South Korean poet Cho Ji-hoon was published in English in New York more than half a century after his death, his family said Friday. A ceremony celebrating the publication took place in New York on the day with the attendance of South Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations Cho Tae-yul, the third son of the poet, and his other family members.The publishing company, Cross-Cultural Communications, published the book, entitled "Shedding of the Pet
Sept. 21, 2019
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New young adult English novel to recount devastation of Japanese wartime sexual slavery
A young adult novel on Japan's wartime sexual slavery, which was recently translated into English, will hit the shelves in the United States and other countries this year to recount the devastation of the Japanese wartime atrocity, according to its publisher Thursday.The 248-page novel, "Trampled Blossoms: What They Stole from Grandma," written by Moon Young-sook and translated by David Carruth, will go on sale at the US online bookseller Amazon and through other global circulation cha
Aug. 22, 2019
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Han Kang hands over book to Norway's 'Future Library' project
Prize-winning South Korean novelist Han Kang has handed over a novel to the Norwegian public arts project "Future Library," with her writing to remain unpublished and unread for nearly a century.The 2016 winner of the Man Booker International prize for her novel "The Vegetarian" has been chosen as the fifth writer for the Norwegian project along with 99 renowned authors including English writer David Mitchell. Their works will be kept in secret and published a century later o
May 27, 2019
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17th century novel 'Hong Gil-dong jeon' written in Chinese characters discovered
A 17th century manuscript of "Hong Gil-dong jeon" written in Chinese characters has been found in a literary collection left by a civil official of the middle Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), a scholar said Wednesday."The Story of Hong Gil-dong," the first Chinese-character version that has been ever found, is different from the novel of the same name written in the Korean language, whose authorship is generally attributed to Heo Gyun (1569-1618), a radical intellectual. (Yonhap)Lee Yoon-suk, a forme
April 24, 2019
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130,000 copies of Korean feminist novel 'Kim Ji-young' printed in Japan
US than 130,000 times since its release more than three months ago, the book's South Korean publisher said Tuesday.The translated version of the book by Cho Nan-joo hit the Japanese market on Dec. 8 and immediately went into a second printing the next day.On the fourth day of its release, the novel went into its third printing, and it has since surpassed 130,000 copies in three months, its Korean publisher Minumsa said, quoting data from Chikuma Shobo, the Japanese publisher. This photo provided
April 2, 2019
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Han Kang's novel shortlisted for Man Booker Int'l Prize
South Korean novelist Han Kang, the 2016 winner of the Man Booker International Prize, has been shortlisted for the British literary award of world authority, the organizer said Thursday (British local time).Han's "The White Book" is among the six finalists for the 2018 Man Booker prize. The 2015 winner, Laszlo Krasznahorkai from Hungary, also made the list."The White Book" was translated by Deborah Smith, who was a joint recipient, along with Han, of the Man Booker award two years ago for her t
April 13, 2018
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Han Kang's latest novel nominated for Man Booker Int'l Prize
South Korean novelist Han Kang, who won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016, has again been longlisted for the British literary award of world authority.Han's "The White Book" was among the 13 contenders picked from 108 entries for the 2018 prize, according to the announcement on the organizer's website Monday (British local time).It was translated by Deborah Smith, who was a joint recipient, along with Han, of the Man Booker award two years ago for her translation of "The Vegetarian."Fir
March 13, 2018
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Chae Man-shik, compromised conscience of occupied nation
Chae Man-shik was a prolific Korean novelist, playwright, literary critic, journalist and essayist who boldly confronted society’s pretensions and predicaments under the restrictions of Japan’s colonial occupation using satire.Born in 1902 in Okgu, present-day Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, Chae lived true to his calling as a public intellectual, practicing his “publish-or-perish” ethos until succumbing to tuberculosis in 1950. In a span of about 25 years he produced some 290 novels, tales, play
July 20, 2017
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Mistranslation of ‘The Vegetarian’?
A slew of controversies surrounding the English translation of Han Kang’s award-winning "The Vegetarian" have started numerous conversations about accuracy and readability. Even if there were some mistranslations, they should not offend the masses, a literary critic said."The Vegetarian," winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize with translation by British translator Deborah Smith."The Vegetarian" tells the story of a woman who decides to become a vegetarian after waking up from a blood
July 3, 2017
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Underdog status pays off for Korean novelist
A chronic inability to talk to attractive women can eventually reap rewards. That was the takeaway message from author Cheon Myeong-kwan as he addressed the Seoul Literary Society at the Swedish Ambassador’s residence in Seongbuk last week.Thirty years ago, the now critically acclaimed novelist lived a markedly less glamorous life. The only gig he could find was selling golf clubs, and he had to mooch off friends just to get by. Chronically miserable, his only source of joy was riding the bus an
June 23, 2017
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Korean authors to attend overseas literature events
Popular Korean authors will get to meet readers and translators in overseas literature events, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea said Tuesday. The photos provided by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea shows Kang Young-sook (left) and Jeong Ho-seung. (Yonhap)Novelists Hwang Sok-yong will attend the Turin International Book Fair in Italy from May 18-22. His book, including "Mr. Han's Chronicle" and "Princess Bari," have been translated into Italian.At the book fair, Hwang wi
May 16, 2017
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Amazon expands literary horizons, making big imprint in translation niche
SEATTLE - The literary translation community in the US has a tradition of being highbrow, a carefully tended yet narrow reflection of the stirrings of global culture beyond the Anglosphere.Then Amazon.com jumped in, like a whale into a koi pond.Armed with financial might and an intimate, machine-learned knowledge of reader behavior, the e-commerce giant made a big splash.Gabriella Page-Fort, the editorial director for AmazonCrossing, poses for a portrait on March 8, in Seattle, while holding a c
April 20, 2017
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[Herald Interview] ‘Korean poems delight global sense and sensibility’
While the world’s eyes are gradually turning away from poetry, Korea’s poems are leaving their marks in the pantheon of international literature, acquainting readers with their ethereal elegance. Unlike in the West, where many illustrious poets self-publish, some writers in Korea have become so popular that they earn considerable royalties, deemed “unimaginable” elsewhere, says Kim Seong-kon, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. The institute recently collaborated with fam
April 6, 2017
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New books on Russian Revolution 100 years later
“Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis, 1890-1928” by S.A. Smith; Oxford University Press (455 pages, $34.95)“Lenin on the Train” by Catherine Merridale; Metropolitan Books (353 pages, $30)“Caught in the Revolution: Petrograd, Russia, 1917: A World on the Edge” by Helen Rappaport; St. Martin‘s Press (430 pages, $27.99) Russian President Vladimir (right) denounces Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin for his brutal rule and for placing a “time bomb” under Russia. (AP PHOTO)One hundred years ag
April 2, 2017
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[Eye Interview] Korea through eyes of an outsider
Michael Breen, a consultant and a former journalist, has just published a new book on Korea as seen through his eyes.“The New Koreans” was originally intended as a sequel to his previous book “The Koreans,” written in the late 1990s. But as is natural with the passage of time, much in Korea has changed and so has Breen’s perceptions and observations about the nation. In his first book, Breen proposed the idea that Korea’s economic miracle, so-called the “Miracle on the Han,” led to the second mi
March 31, 2017
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Dylan to meet Nobel academy to receive literature diploma
Nobel literature prize laureate Bob Dylan will meet with members of the Swedish Academy during a weekend visit to Stockholm and they will hand over his Nobel diploma and medal, the academy said Wednesday.Sara Danius, permanent secretary of the academy, said in a blog on the academy's website that Dylan will not give his Nobel lecture during the weekend but that a recorded version would be sent at a later date.She noted that taped Nobel lectures are occasionally presented, most recently in 2013 b
March 30, 2017