skip-navigation

한국문학번역원 로고

TOP

You will be logged out soon

Your progress has been saved up to now.
Any new changes may be lost when the session ends.
Save or submit to keep your work.

05:00

Log out now Continue session

Featured Titles for Rights Sales

Fairly Optimistic Kid scrap

꽤 낙천적인 아이

#Humor #Coming-of-Age #Autobiographical #Comedy

If you want to meet this book in your language, please vote!

View the voting results

  • SPAIN

    1

Voting

To view licensing and rights information for this book,
please sign in with your publisher, agency, editor or agent account.

Sign in

! Updated: 2026-08-20

  • Posted by MINUMSA Publishing Group on 2026-08-20
  • Updated by MINUMSA Publishing Group on 2026-08-20

Message 닫기

Send a message to the rights holder.

Info table is about Title, Authors, Year of Publication, and Translators
Right Type*
Language*
Select
Country*
Select
Contact Person*
Affiliation
Email*
Content*

Cancel Send

Sample Request 닫기

You can request samples only in languages marked as available by the rights holder. If your preferred language is unavailable, please submit a Rights Inquiry.

Info table is about Title, Authors, Year of Publication, and Translators
Sample Type*
Select
Language*
Select
Contact Person*
Affiliation
Email*
Content*

Cancel Send

Description 작품 소개

Humor runs deeper than despair.

Stylistically halfway between stand-up comedians Emily Catalano and Taylor Tomlinson.

A laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story of a self-deprecating stand-up comedian grappling with questions of loss, grief, and faith. Sharp satire with real emotional depth. Uniquely entertaining, it defies comparison.

A FAIRLY OPTIMISTIC KID is a hilariously heartbreaking, semi-autobiographical novel by a stand-up comedian turned novelist whose YouTube videos have garnered over 6 million views. Both satirical and deeply poignant, the book redefines what a coming-of-age novel can be.

The story follows Soyun, an optimistic novice stand-up comedian, as she grows up in a far-from-ordinary, three-generation Catholic family. Her mother, Romualda, is a volunteer prison counsellor living in quiet despair after losing her first child in a tragic car accident—and she confesses to inmates how much she wants her husband dead. Her grandfather, Cyriolo, is a devout man who never misses a prayer, often praying for the punishment of those he despises. Her father, Romualdo a tower-crane operator who lives on site during the week and comes home on weekends, and who is often abusive toward her older brother, Samuel, completes this deeply idiosyncratic family portrait.

One of the book’s most distinctive features is its structure. Between the cheerful and humorous stories of growth are brief interludes set at an open-mic night in a stand-up comedy club, where anyone can take the stage and say whatever they like. These episodes read like raw comedy scripts copied on the page, with jokes spanning a wide range of subjects—from religion and politics to the quiet absurdities of everyday life. What gives the humor its lasting resonance is that it is rooted in irreversible loss and deep-seated sadness.

Through laughter-tinged sorrow and sorrow-tinged laughter, this “fairly optimistic kid” navigates resentment, grief, gradually learning empathy and love for her parents as she grows into adulthood.

Written with remarkable fluency and skill, it’s hard to believe that this is the work of a young debut novelist. It is genuinely funny and effortlessly readable.

There was no time for deep conversations; we hardly had enough time for humdrum family time. – from A FAIRLY OPTIMISTIC KID



Author Bio 작가 소개

원소윤

Soyoon Won원소윤

Soyoon Won, a writer and stand-up comedian specializing in one-liners, is the author of A Rather Optimistic Child (2025).

Translator’s Expectations 기대평

There are no expectations.

Write an expectation

Related Content 관련 콘텐츠