If you’re looking for stories that blend horror, humor, and a dash of magic, you’ll find many appealing works by South Korean authors now in translation. One novel that is representative of this sub-genre is The Disaster Tourist, by Yun Ko-Eun. It was originally published in 2013, while the English translation (by Lizzie Buehler) was … Continue reading #WITMONTH 2025: Surreal Stories by South Korean Authors
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Snowglobe
A 2025 GLLI Translated Young Adult Book Prize Honor Book and the first fabulous volume in a sci-fi duology, Snowglobe is set in a post-apocalyptic, post-climate-change world. Life for the lower class is cold and brutal. Most labor daily to create electricity via giant human-powered hamster wheels, except for the lucky few who live in … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Snowglobe
#INTYALITMONTH: Manga, Manhwa, and Manhua
Written by Melissa Cooper A flurry of kindergarteners zoom past on tricycles, sticks clenched between their teeth, fully in character as Nezuko, the demon from the wildly popular manga Demon Slayer. This series took Japan by storm, captivating everyone from toddlers to teens. Despite its violent story - beginning with the brutal slaughter of the … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: Manga, Manhwa, and Manhua
#INTYALITMONTH: Graphic Novels of Displacement
Written by Angela Erickson Those of us who work or live in a world of books know that perhaps the richest terrain for graphic novelists is memoir and biography. As I type this, I can picture the covers of Maus, Persepolis, and Dragon Hoops -- some of the graphic memoirs that I regularly press into … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: Graphic Novels of Displacement
#INTYALITMONTH: Banned books in Korea too?
Written by Fiona Collins Banned Book Club – by Kim Hyun Sook / Illustrated by Hyung-Ju Ko / Translated from Korean by Ryan Estrada (Iron Circus Comics/2020) – KOREA Korean literature in translation is extremely popular at the current time, thanks in no small part to Han Kang who recently became the first Asian woman … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: Banned books in Korea too?
#DecDisplays – August celebrations
The next couple of posts are going to be the country celebration posters of the last few months. Please note these are not an exhaustive list of the literature coming out of those countries, or even the literature in translation, merely what I have to offer our students, including stories of Korean diaspora - mainly … Continue reading #DecDisplays – August celebrations
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Shade Tree
On a hot day, how wonderful it is to be able to sit outside in the shade of a tree! And how terrible to be deprived of the opportunity by one person’s greed and selfishness. In The Shade Tree, renowned picture book creator Suzy Lee retells a traditional Korean folk tale. As the story goes, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Shade Tree
#translationthurs: The White Book, by Han Kang
One of the styles of prose I love most is patchwork fiction, which sits on the line between fiction and nonfiction, using vignettes to link a theme or story together. This book from Korea links tale vignettes around death and how death is celebrated/remembered around the world. I have often found solace in books like … Continue reading #translationthurs: The White Book, by Han Kang
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Let’s Play Gonggi
Many of us adults now look back on our decidedly low-tech childhood pastimes with fondness. I remember playing hopscotch, for example, and partaking in neighborhood baseball games. In my family literacy work, I often encourage parents and caregivers to share their "old-school" games with their children. After all, play is a child's work— and adults … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Let’s Play Gonggi
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Almond
Selected as a 2021 GLLI Translated YA Book Prize honor book, Almond is the story of Soon Yunjae, who as child is diagnosed with alexithymia, or the inability to identify and express one’s feelings. His amygdalae—the almond shaped structures in the brain responsible for interpreting external stimuli as emotional responses— are, as he explains, "unusually … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Almond
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 