Popular Authors Kim Choyeop, Jang Gangmyeong, Bae Seonyeong, and Others Hold Panel... Meet Overseas Readers

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The Literature Translation Institute of Korea will hold the ‘2022 Korean Literature Author Talks (K-Literature Talks)’ in both online and offline formats until November. By hosting talks with Korean authors who are gaining attention overseas, the institute plans to enhance local interest in Korean literature.

The first lineup features eight authors. In July, Jeong Hoseung (Vietnam), Cheon Seonran (Japan), and Jang Kangmyeong (Indonesia) will participate; in August, Pyun Hye-young (Vietnam) and Kim Choyeop (China); in September, Bae Suah (Brazil) and Park Sangyoung (UK); and in November, Lee Jeongmyeong (T?rkiye) will hold talks. Novelist Lee Jeongmyeong plans to visit T?rkiye (formerly Turkey) in person to meet local readers. The second lineup of authors will be announced sequentially later on the official website.

The talks are planned around works by authors whose translations have been published in the host countries within the last three years. In Vietnam, where interest in Korean literature is rising, poet Jeong Hoseung will meet local readers online on July 21 with his poetry collection Lovers, and novelist Pyun Hye-young, who won the 2018 Shirley Jackson Award, will engage with readers on August 19 with her novel Hole.

In Japan, where Korean literature is popular and there is a strong preference for science fiction, novelist Cheon Seonran will hold a talk on July 22 with her work A Thousand Blues, which won the Korean Science Fiction Award for Best Novel. Translator Kang Banghwa, who translated the work, and Japanese SF author Ikeizawa Harunawa will also participate in the talk.

Novelist Park Sangyoung, who recently made the longlist for the Booker Prize International category and is receiving significant attention in the English-speaking world, will meet British readers on September 14 along with translator Anton Heo (Heo Jeongbeom), who translated his nominated work Love in the Big City. Novelist Bae Suah, who has been active overseas including being shortlisted for the 2016 PEN America Literary Award, will also meet Brazilian readers on September 13 (local time) with her work Unknown Night and Day.

The online events will be streamed live on the institute’s official YouTube channel. There will also be a Q&A session allowing direct communication with the authors via YouTube live chat. Detailed information and pre-registration methods for each event can be found on the official Korean Literature Author Talks website or the institute’s social media channels.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.