Contemporary Korean Lit in English?

February 6, 2009 10:38 PM

I'm interested in modern Korean Literature, but am having a difficult time finding English translations of contemporary Korean authors (last 20 years). I'm primarily interested in novelists, but also short stories and memoirs. I'm aware there are a few anthologies of short stories. Who has been translated? Who of those is the best, in your opinion? Thanks.
posted by jwucd to Writing & Language (6 answers total)

I happen to like this book--

Diary of a Vagabond, Song Yong, Trans. Jason Park.

caveat: I was involved in publication as proofreader/ editor, so I read it several times, but I'm not shilling-- I'm not making anything from your potential purchase.
posted by exlotuseater at 11:22 PM on February 6, 2009

Probably my favorite book: Aquariums of Pyongyang, though I'm not sure how well it fits your criteria.
posted by GooseOnTheLoose at 1:09 AM on February 7, 2009

I'd suggest you get in touch with LTI (Korean Literature Translation Institute), a state-funded organization whose sole purpose is get modern Korean literature translated into western languages, English being by far the most popular. They hold annual competitions and even award sizeable grants for those interested in serious translation work.

Unfortunately, their site seems to be down at the moment, so I'll link to the UNESCO page giving their contact details.

Also, a popular (among Westerners in particular) contemporary writer whose works have been translated is Kim Young Ha.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 11:14 AM on February 7, 2009

You might be interested in this book: Modern Korean Fiction: An Anthology. There is a "Suggestions for Further Reading" at the end of the book that has a long list of translated contemporary Korean literature.
posted by mattbucher at 2:54 PM on February 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

Perhaps a bit less straightforward than what you're looking for, Theresa Hak Kyu Cha's Dictée is marvelous nonetheless.
posted by dizziest at 6:31 PM on February 8, 2009

Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture is a fairly new literary & scholarly publication run out of Harvard's Korea Institute and entirely devoted to broadening Anglophone access to modern Korean literature. It publishes translations, interviews, as well as critical appreciations -- so seems part academic journal, part literary magazine. I'm fairly ignorant about Korean lit, but have seen issues of this, noted the high production values, and recognized some of the contributors.
posted by taramosalata at 2:21 PM on February 14, 2009