The Female Wave in Publishing Continues... Jeong Bora, Kim Hyesoon, Yoon Go-eun, and Ernaux

Works by domestic and international female authors including Jeong Bora and Annie Ernaux
Also featuring the book by the real-life model of the drama 'Signal' female lead

Writer Jeongora. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] The 'female wave' sweeping through the publishing industry continues this year. Works by female authors across various genres are awaiting publication.

Novelist Koo Byung-mo. [Photo by Yonhap News]

This year, works by Ha Seong-ran, Cheon Un-yeong, Jeong I-hyeon, Gu Byeong-mo, Kanghwa Gil, and overseas female authors such as Annie Ernaux, last year's Nobel Prize in Literature winner whose works have yet to be published domestically, are scheduled for release.

Jeong Bora's first full-length novel (Dasan Books), following her short story collection "The Curse Rabbit," which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize last year, is set to be published in August. The work encompasses fantasy, science fiction (SF), and horror genres.

In June, Yoon Go-eun's full-length novel "Burning Work" (tentative title, Bank Tree), who won the British Crime Writers' Association Dagger Award last year for "Travelers of the Night," will be released. It deals with the strange experiences of an artist.

Cheon Un-yeong, who debuted in 2000 with "Needle," will publish a short story collection "Half of a Half" (Munhakdongne) next month, her first in 10 years. Kanghwa Gil will release a full-length novel "Light of Healing" (tentative title, Bank Tree) in July, depicting the life of a person whose real and fake identities are swapped. Ha Seong-ran, who debuted in 1996 with "Grass," plans to publish a full-length novel (Changbi) in the second half of the year.

Additionally, Jeong I-hyeon's full-length novel (Changbi), Baek Su-rin's full-length novel "So Beautiful" (tentative title, Munhakdongne), Lee Seo-su's short story collection "Era of Mijo" (tentative title, Bank Tree), Jang Ryu-jin's short story collection (Changbi), Son Bo-mi's short story collection "Dream of Love" (Munhakdongne), and Kim Geum-hee's essay collection "Summer Colonies in My Room" (Munhakdongne) are also awaiting readers.

As for poetry collections, this month sees the release of An Mi-ok's "I Am Watching a Lot," followed by Baek Eun-seon's collection in May and Moon Bo-young's collection in October (both Munhakdongne). Kim Hye-soon, a poet with 44 years of recognized work internationally, will publish "Kim Hye-soon's Words" (Maumsanchaek), which contains conversations about life and literature with poet Hwang In-chan. Literary scholar Jeong Eun-gwi, who translated poems by last year's Daesan Literary Award-winning poet Na Hee-deok (Munhakgwa Jiseongsa) and Louise Gl?ck into Korean, will release an essay collection (Maumsanchaek).

Kang In-suk, director of the Youngin Literature Museum and wife of the late Lee O-ryeong, will publish an essay "A House Built with Words: The Housing Chronicle of the Couple Lee O-ryeong and Kang In-suk, Both Born in the Same Year" (Yeollimwon) this month. Park Hae-young's drama script collection "My Liberation Diary Script Collection" (Dasan Books) is also on the publication list.

In children's literature, Hwang Sun-mi, famous for "The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly," will release "Reading the World Through Fairy Tales" (tentative title, Munhakgwa Jiseongsa), a theory on fairy tale creation, and Lee Geum-i, who has written children's and youth works for 40 years, will publish a new youth novel "Editing" (tentative title, Munhakdongne), both meeting readers soon.

No, Arno. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Among overseas works, unpublished works by last year's Nobel Prize in Literature winner Annie Ernaux are awaiting publication domestically. Three books will be released by Open Books: "Annie Ernaux Autobiography: Returning to Eve" (expanded edition published in France last November), Ernaux's diary "Life on the Surface," which observes the surrounding world from 1993 to 1999, and "Diary of Avoidance" (tentative title), a diary-format record of daily life from 1985 to 1992.

In August, a short story collection "Strange Stories" by Olga Tokarczuk, a Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, will be published by Minumsa. Chinese author Chan Xue's debut work "Huangni" (Open Books) and a novella "The Aged Floating Cloud" (tentative title, Open Books) are also scheduled.

The book "Detective Park Mi-ok" (tentative title, Iyagi Jangsu), by former police superintendent Park Mi-ok, who was the model for the detective role played by actress Kim Hye-su in the drama "Signal," is set for publication next month. Park Mi-ok, who played a key role in solving cases such as escapee Shin Chang-won and serial killer Yoo Young-chul, shares insights and anecdotes gained over more than 30 years as a detective and as a woman confronting crime and evil.

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