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Summer's Last Hurrah: New Book Releases for July and August scrap download

뜨거웠던 여름을 보내주며! 7~8월 신간 도서입니다

KLWAVE introduces international readers to various works of Korean literature. “New Releases” showcases works that have been published between July and August 2024, selected by Kyobo Book Centre as “Book of the Month” and by Aladin as “Magician’s Choice.”


The endless cicada cries of mid-summer have faded into the soft hum of insects, and the air, once thick with heat, now carries a cooling breeze. The blazing sun of summer has passed, and with it, autumn gently arrives. Though we may feel a tinge of regret as summer slips away, we know that after autumn and winter, another summer will come again. Like the changing of seasons, our lives move in cycles. 


The new books of July and August beautifully reflect this rhythm. In these pages, both well-established authors from Korea and abroad, as well as emerging voices in Korean literature, capture the intricacies of life from their unique perspectives. They offer words that continue to draw us in, tenderly soothing the hearts of readers.


Shin Yong-mok's poetry collection, Because We Exist in an Accidental Future, speaks of a future that can only be reached by living fully in the present moment. Bae Su-ah’s novel, Whisper Sunken Garden, chases after the elusive fragments of memory, bringing forgotten emotions to the surface, as it probes deeply into the inner world of humans.


Then there are also those novels that critique Korean society with a knife’s edge. Author Cheong YE, who has garnered attention by winning several major literary awards in Korea, explores the idea of freeing oneself from self-censorship in the sci-fi mystery Orange and the Bread Knife. Meanwhile, Ha Seung-min’s Melanin, which unanimously won the Hankyoreh Literature Award, tackles the invisible yet pervasive gaze of discrimination through the story of a mixed-race boy of Korean and Vietnamese descent.


These are stories that linger, offering insights into the cycles of our lives, much like the seasons that come and go.


Renowned internationally for Dollargut Dream Department Store, author Lee Miye delineates a society shaped by everyday selfishness in her latest work Pantry. In Don’t Call Me Kind, Kim Kang offers profound insight into the duality of our existence. Jeong You-jeong, who has enchanted readers worldwide with her unique universe, continues her exploration of human desire in Eternal Heaven, the second book in her trilogy following Perfect Happiness, racing towards the ultimate extremes of human yearning.


This summer has seen an outpouring of essay collections. Boldly stepping away from the monotony of daily life, Kim Min-cheol chronicles her post-resignation journey through Paris in her travel essay A Shapeless Form of Life. In The Merry Elder, Lee Ok-sun’s debut collection of essays, we are graced with the wisdom of a grandmother who offers life lessons we’ve long awaited. Lee's daughter, Kim Ha-na, and her partner Hwang Sun-woo, together released Two Women Living Together, a work that challenges and redefines the conventional structure of family in Korea.


Brimming with Kim Youngmin's characteristic wit, Light Confessions teaches us how to maintain peace of mind amidst the imperfections of life. Lee Seung-U, who captivated global readers with Quentin, shares his method for understanding both the self and the world through intense, immersive reading in his literary essay collection, A Quiet Reading, distilled from 43 years as a novelist. Finally, Han Jeongwon’s My Fourth-Favorite Season is a poignant reflection, helping us swallow the bittersweet pill of the end of summer. This summer, as we look back at the three seasons passed, how have we changed?



Translated by Snigdha Gupta snigdhagupta9@gmail.com


Snigdha is a literary/academic translator residing in Korea. An ex-fellow of KLTI and a Korean Government scholar, Snigdha bridges gaps not only through her Korean to English translations, but also as a full-time communication specialist in the government sector.

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