Category: Literature

 Author Photo by Aaron Jay Young

Maureen Corrigan/Fresh Air Top 10 Book of the Year ● Longlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection ● An NPR Book Best Book of the Year ● A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

A long-married couple is forced to confront their friend’s painful past when a church revival comes to a nearby town … A woman in an arranged marriage struggles to connect with the son she hid from her husband for years … A well-meaning sister unwittingly reunites an abuser with his victims. Skinship by Yoon Choi is a breathtaking debut of an important new voice.

Through an indelible array of lives, Yoon Choi explores where first and second generations either clash or find common ground, where meaning falls in the cracks between languages, where relationships bend under the weight of tenderness and disappointment, where displacement turns to heartbreak. This collection of short stories is suffused with a profound understanding of humanity and offers a searing look at who the people we love truly are.

“To encounter these achingly truthful, beautiful stories of newcomer Americans is like gazing up at the starry vault of a perfect night sky; it’s immediately dazzling and impressive, and yet the closer and deeper you look, the more you appreciate the sheer countless brilliance.” —Chang-rae Lee

 

A Conversation with Yoon Choi

Thursday, April 28, 2022 | 6 PM (EDT)

 

 

Click here to purchase the book

 

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

About the Author:

Yoon Choi was born in Korea and moved to the U.S. at the age of three. She has an MA from Johns Hopkins and is a former Stegner Fellow at Stanford. Her stories and essays have appeared in New England Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Narrative Magazine, and The Best American Short Stories 2018. She lives with her husband and four children in Anaheim, California.

---

 

“An epic novel brings complex 20th-century Korean history to life…. Extraordinary…. Gorgeous prose and unforgettable characters combine to make a literary masterpiece.” -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

An epic story of love, war, and redemption set against the backdrop of the Korean independence movement, Beasts of a Little Land follows the intertwined fates of a young girl sold to a courtesan school and the penniless son of a hunter. From the perfumed chambers of a courtesan school in Pyongyang to the glamorous cafes of a modernizing Seoul and the boreal forests of Manchuria, where battles rage, Juhea Kim’s unforgettable characters forge their own destinies as they wager their nation’s. Immersive and elegant, Beasts of a Little Land unveils a world where friends become enemies, enemies become saviors, heroes are persecuted, and beasts take many shapes.

Join in the conversation with author Juhea Kim about her debut novel. 

Beasts of a Little Land with Juhea Kim

Tuesday, December 7, 2021 | 6 PM

 

Visit Literati Bookstore to pre-order your copy

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

About the Speaker:

Juhea Kim was born in Incheon, Korea, and moved to Portland, Oregon, at age nine. Her writing has been published in Granta, Catapult, ZYZZYVA, and elsewhere. Kim earned her BA in art and archaeology from Princeton University, and she now lives in Portland, Oregon. Beasts of a Little Land is her first novel.

---

 

“Park’s stunning English-language debut takes readers through the wild highs and lows of young adulthood . . . The strength of the narrator, notably his flexibility of voice and expansiveness, caries the narrative to great heights, making this a standout among queer literature.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Love in the Big City is the English-language debut of Sang Young Park, one of Korea’s most exciting young writers. A runaway bestseller, the novel hit the top five lists of all the major bookstores and went into twenty-six printings as one of the highest selling debuts of recent years in Korea. Award-winning for its unique literary voice and perspective and particularly resonant with young readers, this story of a young gay man searching for happiness in the lonely city of Seoul has been a phenomenon in Korea and is poised to capture a worldwide readership. A brilliantly written novel filled with powerful sensory descriptions and both humor and emotion, Love in the Big City is an exploration of millennial loneliness as well as the joys of queer life.

In this episode of Author Talks, Sang Young Park discusses his career in Korea and his English debut.

“A novel, told through relationships, about navigating life as a young gay man in Korea . . . The novel skips freely around in time, lending it a sense of propulsion and instability that feels entirely intentional. It’s anchored, however, by the narrator’s irresistible voice, which alternates between earnest, heartfelt emotion, and likable wryness . . . This book will sweep readers up in its sheer longing. An addictive, profound novel.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred reviews) 

Author Talks: Sang Young Park

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 | 5 PM

 

Click here to pre-order the book

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

About the Speaker:

Sang Young Park was born in 1988 and studied French at Sungkyunkwan University. He worked as a magazine editor, copywriter, and consultant for seven years before debuting as a novelist. The title story of his bestselling short story collection, “The Tears of an Unknown Artist, or Zaytun Pasta,” was one of Words Without Borders’ most read pieces ever. He lives in Seoul.

---

 

“How can black and white drawings do this, you might ask. But maybe only black and white drawings can do this—Gendry-Kim offers us here a glimpse of the heart of a woman who has lost more than some might ever find, and who has never given up her love, if not her hope. The Waiting is a stunning achievement, and a testament to the power of her artistry. Not a line or word feels out of place.” – Alexander Chee

Keum Suk Gendry-Kim was a teenager when her mother revealed a family secret: she was separated from her sister during the Korean War. It’s not an uncommon story—the peninsula was split down the 38th parallel, dividing one country into two. As many fled violence in the north, not everyone was able to make it south. Her mother’s story inspired Gendry-Kim to begin interviewing her and other Koreans who left their hometown during the war and separated from their family. That research fueled the deeply resonant graphic novel, The Waiting.

The Waiting is the devastating follow-up to Gendry-Kim’s Grass, which received numerous prizes including the Harvey Award and appeared on Best of the Year lists of the New York Times, The Guardian, Library Journal, and more. In this episode of Author Talks, Gendry-Kim discusses her much-anticipated graphic novel, her career and her art.

“This family portrait reveals in heartbreaking detail the impacts of colonization and political upheaval that reverberate for generations.” – Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“One of the most moving graphic novels of the year.” – BookPage

“Another stunning masterpiece… Gendry-Kim’s stark black-and-white compositions couldn’t be more affecting: the ominous efficacy of all-black pages, unpredictable layouts with and without panels, and prodigiously empathic expressions throughout.” – Booklist Starred Review

 

Author Talks: Keum Suk Gendry-Kim

Thursday, October 21, 2021 | 5 PM

 

About the book

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

About the Speaker:

Keum Suk Gendry-Kim was born in Goheung in Jeolla Province. She has written and illustrated graphic novels Grass, The Waiting, Jiseul, Jun, The Naked Tree, and Alexandra Kim, a Woman of Siberia; the autobiographical comic The Song of My Father; the three-volume children’s comic Coquinette; the picture books The Baby Hanyeo Okrang Goes to Dokdo and A Day with My Grandpa; and the children’s book My Mother Kang Geumsun. Grass (Drawn & Quarterly, 2019) appeared on Best of the Year lists from the New York Times and the Guardian, and received the Cartoonist Studio Prize for the Best Print Comic of the Year, the Big Other Book Award for Best Graphic Novel in 2019, the Harvey Award for Best International Book, and the Krause Essay Prize in 2020. The Waiting is her second book to appear in English translation.

---

cover illustration: Jisu Choi

One of the most popular science fiction writers in Korea, Bae Myung-Hoon explores the forces that shape modern life with wit and a sly wink at the reader. His writings are known for their inventive premises and clarity of language, and much of his work is also considered political satire.

Tower is a series of interconnected stories set in a 674-story skyscraper and sovereign nation. Each story deals with how citizens living in the hypermodern high-rise deal with various influences of power in their lives: a group of researchers have to tell their boss that a major powerbroker is a dog; a woman uses the power of the internet to rescue a downed fighter pilot abandoned by the government; and an out-of-towner finds himself in charge of training a gentle elephant to break up protesters. First published in Korea in 2009, Tower is also the first novel of Bae to be translated into English.

“Writing science fiction requires the capability to write elaboratively about big concepts as much as it requires logic and imagination. I’m very glad Bae Myung-Hoon has this ability, and I’m thankful someone with his intellect has written novels in Korean.”—Park Chan-Wook, Director of The Handmaiden and Oldboy

“Tower shatters our preconceptions about science fiction. There are no complicated technologies, galactic adventures, or aliens in the book. Instead it captivates readers with irreverent and razor-sharp social satire.”—Kyunghyang Daily News

 

To order Tower, please visit:
 https://www.honfordstar.com/tower

 

Author Talks: Bae Myung-Hoon

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bae Myung-hoon (b. 1978) is one of the most popular science fiction writers in South Korea. Since his literary debut in 2005, he has written ten novels and over fifty short stories and novellas. His short story collections include Hello, Artificial Being (2010) and Art and the Acceleration of Gravity (2016); his novels include Tower (2009), Divine Orbit (2011), Decoy (2012), First Breath (2015), Spiritual Archaeologist (2017), and ROK Space Force (2020). He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international relations at Seoul National University.

 

---

 

Author Photo by Victor G. Jeffreys II

Nunchi is Korea’s superpower. A sixth sense for winning friends and influencing people, this time-honored skill helps you connect with others so you can succeed in everything from business to politics to love. In The Power of Nunchi: The Korean Secret to Happiness and Success, Euny Hong explains the practice of nunchi in a highly prescriptive guide for social success.

Hong—whose “incisive and humorous” (New York Times Book Review) reporting on Korea is always necessary reading—explains how nunchi is a part of daily life in Korea, how a great deal of communication is based not on words but on the overall context of an interaction. Hong argues that it is what catapulted South Korea in half a century from one of the world’s poorest countries to one of its richest, coolest, and most technologically advanced. The Korean economic miracle has always been based on nunchi: the ability to “eye measure” other nations’ rapidly evolving needs, manufacture export products to meet them, and adjust plans based on the universe’s only constant—change.

In everything from finding love to excelling at work, Hong’s simple, effective, and relatable guide to mastering nunchi will help you to open doors you never knew existed.

 

To order The Power of Nunchi, please visit:
 https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608336/the-power-of-nunchi-by-euny-hong/

 

The Power of Nunchi with Euny Hong

Thursday, June 10, 2021 | 12 PM (EDT)

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Euny Hong is the author of The Power of Nunchi and a journalist who has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and the Financial Times. A self-described “nunchi ninja,” at age twelve she moved with her family from suburban Chicago to South Korea, not knowing Korean, and within a year was at the top of her class—thanks to her nunchi. She divides her time between New York and Paris and is fluent in English, Korean, French, German—and nunchi.

 

---

 

 

The saga of King Sukjong, Queen Inhyeon, and Concubine Jang Hui-bin is one of the most famous episodes in the 500-year-long history of Joseon dynasty. Filled with palace intrigues and passionate love affairs, the story of the 19th king of Joseon, his virtuous queen, and one of the most infamous women in the history of Joseon dominates the popular culture and imagination even today. But what was the real story behind the legend?

Professor Minsoo Kang, who recently published a translation of Record of the Virtue of Queen Inhyeon, Lady Min, speaks about the importance of this story, the historical myth that has built around the characters, and its place in modern Korean society.

 

 

The King, the Virtuous Queen, and His Wicked Consort

Thursday, March 11, 2021 | 6 PM (EST)

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Minsoo Kang is an associate professor in European history, with specialities in the cultural and intellectual history of France, England, and Germany in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. In addition to articles in numerous journals, he is the author of Sublime Dreams of Living Machines: The Automaton in the European Imagination (Harvard University Press), The Story of Hong Gildong (Penguin Classics), and Invincible and Righteous Outlaw: The Korean Hero Hong Gildong in Literature, History, and Culture (University of Hawaii Press). His translation of Record of the Virtue of Queen Inhyeon, Lady Min appeared in Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature and Culture.

 

---

 

The Magical Language of Others is a powerful and aching memoir, a tale of deep bonds to family, place, and language.

After living in America for over a decade, Eun Ji Koh’s parents return to South Korea for work, leaving fifteen-year-old Eun Ji and her brother behind in California. Overnight, Eun Ji finds herself abandoned and adrift in a world made strange by her mother’s absence. Her mother writes letters, in Korean, over the years seeking forgiveness and love―letters Eun Ji cannot fully understand until she finds them years later hidden in a box.

In this incandescent memoir, E. J. Koh fearlessly grapples with forgiveness, reconciliation, legacy, and intergenerational trauma. Join us for an in-depth conversation with E. J. Koh about her memoir, poetry, and translation.

“Koh’s book is a tremendous gift. We’re so fortunate to have this literary reckoning from a tremendously talented writer. The Magical Language of Others is a wonder.”
—The San Francisco Chronicle

“A haunting, gorgeous narrative…lushly told. Brilliant.”
—The Star Tribune

 

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

To order The Magical Language of Others, please visit:
 https://tinhouse.com/book/the-magical-language-of-others/

 

The Magical Language of Others with E.J. Koh

Wednesday, January 13, 2021 | 6 PM (EST)

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

E. J. Koh is the author of the memoir The Magical Language of Others and the poetry collection A Lesser Love. She is the winner of the Pleiades Press Editors Prize, and her poems, translations, and stories have appeared in Boston Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, and World Literature Today, among others. She earned her MFA in Literary Translation and Creative Writing from Columbia University, and is completing the PhD program at the University of Washington in Seattle. She is a recipient of The MacDowell Colony and Kundiman fellowships.

 

---

 

One Left is a provocative, extensively researched novel constructed from the testimonies of dozens of “comfort women.” Kim Soom tells the story of a woman who was kidnapped at the age of thirteen while gathering snails for her starving family. The horrors of her life as a sex slave follow her back to Korea, where she lives in isolation gripped by the fear that her past will be discovered. Yet, when she learns that the last known comfort woman is dying, she decides to tell her there will still be “one left” after her passing, and embarks on a painful journey.

The first Korean novel devoted to the subject of comfort women, One Left rekindled conversations about the violent legacies of Japanese colonialism when it was published in Korea in 2016. It is also the first novel of Kim to be translated into English.

In this episode of video series Author Talks, Kim Soom discusses her career and award-winning novels.

“[An] exceptional novel [that] captures the agonizing legacy of a dark chapter from the recent past.”―Booklist

“It may seem cliché to state that a novel is necessary. But this one really is.”―Asian Review of Books

 

To order One Left, please visit:
 https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295747668/one-left/

 

Author Talks: Kim Soom

Premieres: Thursday, January 7, 2021

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

About the Author:

Kim Soom has published thirteen novels and six short story collections. She has received the Yi Sang Literary Award, Hyundae Literary Award, Daesan Literary Award, Heo Gyun Literary Award, and the Tong-In Literature Prize. One Left is her first novel translated into English.

 

---

 

In K-pop Confidential, the YA novel from journalist Stephan Lee, a Korean-American girl plunges into the complex world of an idol factory and K-pop trainees in South Korea while staying true to herself in the process.

Join us for a lively conversation with Stephan Lee about his debut novel and everything K-pop, including its ever-increasing popularity in the U.S., the challenges the K-pop trainees face, and the issues Korean Americans grapple with as they find their own heritage.

 

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

To order K-pop Confidential, visit
 https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/books/k-pop-confidential-9781338639933.html

K-Pop Confidential Excerpt

 

K-pop Confidential with Stephan Lee

Thursday, December 10, 2020 | 6 PM (EST)

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Stephan Lee is a YA enthusiast, ardent K-pop fan, and journalist. He currently works as Senior Editor at Bustle after a five-year stretch covering books and movies at Entertainment Weekly. At EW, he traveled to Seoul for three weeks to write a feature about Korean entertainment’s world domination, interviewing K-pop idols Ailee, Tablo, and Tiffany Young of Girls Generation. He earned an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School.

 

---