Found on the web

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More stuff just found on the web. The first is Bae Su-ah’s appearance at PEN, an annual literary festival underway in New York,  where, among other things she will discuss her recently translated work.  In the past Hwang Sok-yong and Kim Young-ha, participated in 2009 and 2011, respectively, but Bae becomes the first female writer to be so represented. She’s worth checking out if only for her unusual history as a writer (which is covered in the article) and her work Highway with Green Apples (translated by SOV blogger Sora Kim Russell). is available on on Amazon here.

Here is the money quote from the article:

During the festival, Bae will read excerpts from her short story “Highway with Green Apples.” It was translated into English and published in “Day One,” Amazon’s digital literary journal dedicated to short fiction and poetry by emerging writers and translations of non-English literature, in December. She will also read excerpts from her 1998 novel “Cheolsu.”

• Next is “The Gypsy Scholar” (can he still call himself that if he never actually moves from Korea?) reacting to a review of Yi Kwangsu’s The Soil, which is part of the LTI Korea/Dalkely Publishing project. The money quote (the “scholar” quoting another scholar from the Times Literary Supplement):

There are now . . . signs that South Korean fiction may finally make a dent in the consciousness of British readers. Last week the London Book Fair devoted its “Market Focus” to a range of Korean publishers. Since February London’s Korean Cultural Centre has been hosting monthly literature nights. And then there is the new partnership between South Korea’s well-funded Korean Literature Translation Institute and Dalkey Archive Press. A series of twenty-five books has been agreed — The Library of Korean Literature — covering prose fiction from the colonial era until the present day. 

Although rumour has it that in the end only fifteen books will be published, I hope this quote is correct, because the works are quite good. As is his habit, the scholar complains that his middle name is incorrectly spelled, but since this always happens it seems to invite the question of who is actually doing the misspelling here…“Jeffery”  or the rest of the world?^^

• Finally, if you speak the language of the Dutch… er.. whatever the language is?  All I know is that if you speak it fast, iit is double dutch (worst jumprope joke ever). Anyway,  here are some translations for you!