Greetingsfrom the Publisher

Recently, Koreans were greatly encouraged and elated bythe news that The Vegetarian had won the prestigious ManBooker International Prize. Thanks to the prominent novelistHan Kang and her outstanding translator Deborah Smith,Korean literature is now receiving its fair share of attention fromthe international community.A few months ago The Times Literary Supplement carried anarticle entitled, “A Glittering Korea.” In it, while comparing thetwo Koreas, Toby Lichtig writes, “But away from the escapeememoirs, famine histories and book-length speculations aboutthe robustness, politically and gastrointestinally, of the youthfulDear Leader, it is the South that has been gaining headway in themore refined literary arts.” It is true that, besides its breathtakingeconomic growth, cutting-edge technology, and the widespreadpopularity of its pop culture termed Hallyu or the Korean Wave,South Korea has emerged on the global stage as a country ofdelightful literary arts and rich cultural heritage.Lichtig also points out that Korean literature in the UK isnow rising. “Over the past few years there has been a glut offiction in translation arriving from South Korea, much of itcritically acclaimed and some of it even commercially successful,”he continues. “This is partly thanks to the indefatigable DalkeyArchive, whose Library of Korean Literature, produced incollaboration with the Literature Translation Institute of Korea,will—when complete—amount to an impressive twenty-fivenovels and collections of short stories.”In her article in The New Yorker, Mythili G. Rao, too, agreesthat the twenty-five books from Dalkey Archive offer a goodstarting point for English-speaking readers to learn about Koreanliterature. Indeed, Dalkey’s Library of Korean Literature seriesplays a crucial role in making Korean literature conspicuous andeasily accessible in the Anglophone market.This year, three major journals came out with special editionson Korean literature: Mānoa: A Pacific Journal of InternationalWriting in the US, Asia Literary Review in the UK, and LeMagazine Littéraire in France. A special issue on Korean literaturefrom Russia’s Inostrannaya Literatura will be forthcoming inNovember. Recently, Asia Literary Review wrote, “We are proud tohave worked in close cooperation with LTI Korea, which receivesprominent profiling in The New Yorker article.”Since its inception in 2008, LTI Korea’s quarterly journalin English, _list: Books from Korea, has played a vital role inpromoting Korean literature overseas. In fact, the quarterly hasbeen widely praised by international publishers, editors, andliterary agents. But despite its popularity, the quarterly has onedecisive downside: the title. You can neither Google it nor figureout what _list means. Thus, we have decided to change the titleto Korean Literature Now. There will be some substantial changesin content as well.The new issue of KLN features Han Kang and Deborah Smith.Han’s prose in The Vegetarian is poetic and full of heightenedsensitivity, while her narrative technique is breathtakingand mesmerizing. At times, the novel is saturated with anatmosphere of sensual desire, while at others it depicts graphicviolence in the bleak landscape of modern society. Meanwhile,Deborah Smith’s excellent translation vividly captures theauthor’s artistic description of the grim environment intowhich the vegetarian protagonist is thrown among carnivorouspredators. Smith beautifully renders Han’s charming prose intoimpeccable English.Translation is by no means an easy task. It is a painstakingjob that requires dedication, writing skills, and verbal dexterity.Besides, without translation, a writer could not be knownoutside his or her country. Italo Calvino once wrote: “Withouttranslation, I would be limited to the borders of my own country.The translator is my most important ally. He introduces meto the world.” If so, we should say, “Translators are transnationalists” because they play a key role in bridging two or morenations.I believe the rebranded and reimagined Korean Literature Nowwill help international editors and publishers to recognize andunderstand the intellectual and aesthetic significance of Koreanliterature more comprehensively. I hope KLN will continue tomake a distinguished contribution to this effort. 

Kim Seong-Kon, PhD 

Publisher, Korean Literature Now 

President, LTI Korea 

Professor Emeritus, Seoul National University