Visitors to the exhibition "Springing to Life" on April 30 browse through the displayed books by domestic authors honored abroad at Starfield Library of COEX Mall in Seoul's Gangnam-gu District.

By Charles Audouin
Photos = Charles Audouin

An exhibition at COEX Mall of Seoul's Gangnam-gu District is highlighting the global success of Korean literature.

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea is hosting "Springing to Life" at the mall's Starfield Library.

The event's purpose is to publicize the global achievements and value of domestic literature given how literary works by the country's authors have recently received or been nominated for foreign awards.

The 82 dispalyed works include 13 originals and translations of books by 11 authors who have won international awards since 2019.

In the middle of the library are six shelves displaying titles like Kim Hye-soon's poetry collections "Phantom Pain Wings" (National Book Critics Circle Award of the U.S.) and "Autobiography of Death" (Griffin Poetry Prize of Canada), Han Kang's "I Do Not Bid Farewell" (Prix Medicis for foreign literature and Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature of France), and Yun Ko-eun's "The Disaster Tourist" (Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger of the U.K.).

Other notables include Kim Cho-yeop's short story collection "If We Can't Go at the Speed of Light" (Nebula and Galaxy awards of China), Kim So Yeon's essay collection "One-letter Dictionary" (Japan's top translation award), Kim Yideum's poetry collection "Hysteria" (National Translation Awards and Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize of the U.S.), and Lee Young-ju's poetry collection "Cold Candies" (Stryk).

Still more highlights are "Diary of a Murderer" by Kim Young-ha (German Prize for Crime Fiction aka the Deutscher Krimi Preis), "Almond" and "Counterattack of the Thirty" by Sohn Won-pyung (Japanese Booksellers' Award for translation), "Grass" (in English) by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (Harvey Award for best international comic book of the U.S.) and "Moms" (in English) by Ma Yeong-shin (Harvey).

Luminita Popescu, a Romanian visitor to the exhibition on April 30 who browsed the French-language edition of "Almond," said, "I've enjoyed read Sohn Won-pyung's works as well as Han Kang's 'The Vegetarian' and 'Greek Lessons.' I particularly enjoyed 'I Do Not Bid Farewell.'"

"The writing styles of young Korean authors are full of wit," she said. "For those who want to feel the diversity of Korean literature, I recommend Lee Mi-ye's 'Dollar Good Dream Department Store,' which I discovered at a Korean literature book club in Seorae Village in the Banpo-dong neighborhood of Seoul's Seocho-gu District."

Tourists Cynthia Birikundavyi from Canada and Monica Regueira from Switzerland stumbled on the exhibition while visiting the library.

Though never having read Korean literature, they said they learned of new stories because of books not only in Korean but also translated versions. The library is pretty and the shelves well arranged, they added, so it naturally made them want to read Korean literature.

Author Han on May 10 will host a Q&A on the background for "I Do Not Bid Farewell" and the creative process of writing her book.

Opened on April 18, "Springing to Life" runs through May 12.

The 10 translated editions of Sohn Won-pyung's novel "Almond" are displayed at the exhibition "Springing to Life" at COEX Mall in Seoul's Gangnam-gu District.

caudouin@korea.kr