Novelists Cheon Un-yeong (left) and Kim Insuk will be at the 2016 Tokyo International Book Fair that runs from Sept. 23 to 25 to share their literature with Japanese readers.
A select set of Korean literary works will be featured at the 2016 Tokyo International Book Fair.
The book festival, running from Sept. 23 to 25, will welcome two Korean novelists this year: Cheon Un-yeong and Kim Insuk.
Cheon had one of her major full-length works, “Ginger" (생강), published by the Shinkansha (新幹社) publishing house early this year. Meanwhile, a Japanese version of Kim’s collection of short stories, “Bye, Elena,” will be made public there, too.
“Ginger” revolves around a torture technician who inflicts brutal pain upon his suspects, and, his daughter. The story follows the inner conflict that unfolds inside the daughter's mind as her father -- from whom she has not heard for a very long time and who she doesn't even know is a torturer -- suddenly appears one day and hides himself in the attic at their home.
The “Bye, Elena” collection consists of seven short stories. Each work narrates an individual who has gone through pain and psychological wounds. The short story “Bye, Elena” that lent itself to the collection's title depicts a protagonist who looks back on her late father who lost his life while working as a sailor.
The full-length novel ‘Ginger’ (left), written by Cheon Un-yeong, and Kim Insuk’s collection of short stories, ‘Bye, Elena,’ have been translated into Japanese and published in that market this year.
At the upcoming Tokyo book fair, the two writers will talk about these works and also about their world of literature. On Sept. 24, they will meet with translators who worked on these novels in Japanese and with Japanese readers, as well. On Sept. 25, the authors will give a lecture under the theme of “The joy of reading Korean novels.”
Prior to the fair, the pair will take part in talks with readers that will focus on “Where female writers from Korea and Japan stand in the literary world,” exchanging their thoughts on the literature of both nations. Accompanying the pair will be Higashi Naoko (東直子), a Japanese poet, and they will share their experiences as female writers throughout their careers.
The Tokyo International Book Fair, one of Japan’s biggest book festivals, marks its 23rd run this year. Last year’s festival featured 1,800 publishing houses from 20 countries, attracting 67,570 visitors. This year, Korea will set up a 40-square-meter pavilion that will feature publications from four publishing houses -- the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, Darakwon, the Korean Language and Culture Center and Book for Kids -- and there will be more than 250 books on display throughout the book fair.
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: the Literature Translation Institute of Korea
jiae5853@korea.kr