String of translated Korean literary works honored on international stage

The cover of Chung Bora's "Cursed Bunny" (2021), translated by Anton Hur / Courtesy of Honford Star

By Park Han-sol

From genre-defying short story collections to graphic novels, a string of translated Korean literary works continue to gain international recognition as they are nominated for or named winners of coveted prizes.

Chung Bora's "Cursed Bunny" made headlines on Thursday after making it on to the shortlist of six titles for this year's International Booker Prize ― one of the world's most significant awards established in 2005 to recognize both the author and the translator of a single work of fiction translated into English.

Chung's short story collection is a gripping mix of absurdist tales that draw on science fiction, horror and fantasy. With "Cursed Bunny," she became the second Korean writer ever to be named as a finalist after Han Kang, whose "The Vegetarian" and "The White Book" have been shortlisted in previous years. "The Vegetarian" took home the prize in 2016.

Earlier, the International Booker Prize's longlist of 13 nominees also included another Korean novelist's work: Park Sang-young's "Love in the Big City." Both Chung's and Park's stories were translated by Anton Hur.

The winning title will be announced on May 26.

The covers of Sohn Won-pyung's "Counterattack at Thirty" (2021), translated by Akiko Yajima, left, and Keum Suk Gendry-Kim's "Grass" (2021), translated by Petra Ben-Ari / Courtesy of Shodensha, Centrala

Sohn Won-pyung's "Counterattack at Thirty," translated into Japanese by Akiko Yajima, took home the annual Japan Booksellers' Award in the excellent translation category, Wednesday.

Each year, the winner of the prize is selected based on votes cast by major bookstore clerks across Japan.

Sohn's novel revolves around four characters at the age of 30 stuck on the fringes of society, who plan their own playful adventures so as to rebel against the system of exploitation, hierarchy and hypocrisy that remains in place in Korea.

This is the second time the writer has been awarded the Japanese prize, following her first win with her debut novel "Almond" in 2020, also translated by Yajima, which sold more than 90,000 copies in Japan.

Another notable literary achievement was made in the Czech Republic in February of this year by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim's "Grass," when its translator Petra Ben-Ari received the country's Muriel Comics Award in the best translation category.

Organized by the Czech Comics Academy, the annual award celebrates comic books in multiple categories, including illustration, scenario and translation. This is the first time for a Korean graphic novel to be honored at the Czech prize. "Grass" depicts the life of a "comfort woman" forced into sexual slavery by Japan during the 1910-45 colonial era.

Ben-Ari is also responsible for translating Han's "The Vegetarian" and Jeong Yu-jeong's "The Origin of Species" into Czech.

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea, which has funded the overseas publications of these books, said in a statement, "We hope that more Korean novels and authors can continue to play a role in expanding the horizons of the cultural influence of Korean literature."

It added that in 2022, some 200 translated Korean literary works are slated for publication through the support of the organization.

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