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Immerse Yourself in the Colors and Shades of Korean Literature through Translations scrap

by Isabel Montoro del Solgo link January 1, 2024

Immerse Yourself in the Colors and Shades of Korean Literature through Translations 이미지

Discovering Korean literature means opening a window and entering a fantastic world full of new colors and shades, a world with a large lake in which, even if you have traveled from far away, you can still see yourself reflected.

The 2020 lockdown was that window for me. One day, I binge-watched a Korean drama and my life was no longer the same. Within days, I had already bought my first book of Korean literature.

Accustomed to Western literature, Cho Nam-joo’s Kim Ji-young, nacida en 1982 (Kim Jiyoung, Born in 1982), translated into Spanish by Joo Hasun, was a revelation. Not only because of its feminist message, but also because of its fresh way of telling a story, expressing feelings and interpersonal relationships. However, what made me fall in love were the metaphors that made you sigh and begged to be read again and again, pulling on your heartstrings each time.

Since then, I have been able to enjoy the high-quality Spanish translations of several Korean works such as, If We Can’t Go at the Speed of Light by Kim Cho-yeop, Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin, Almond by Won-pyung Sohn, Concerning my Daughter by Kim Hye-jin, or Pachinko by Min Jin Lee among others.1

All these works (which I recommend to those of you who have not yet read them) have allowed me to travel and discover Korean culture, food, landscapes, family customs, and history. All this is only possible thanks to the skillful translators and hard-working promoters of Korean culture abroad.



As a translator myself, I know the work and effort behind each of these translations. Every single book I have read has astonished me because of how beautifully they were written, which shows that translators are working with passion and love to deliver Korean culture through other languages while maintaining the unique style of Korean authors.

Korean literature is now much more accessible, at least in Spain. In most bookstores you can purchase translated books, now that even large publishers are publishing translations into Spanish. It is easy to find many Korean works also in public libraries, including small neighborhood libraries.

Indeed, South Korea is becoming increasingly popular among Spanish citizens. Big companies like Samsung and Hyundai have a good reputation, K-pop festivals are starting to be held in the country, and you can find more and more Korean restaurants. So much so that in 2021, the Republic of Korea was the guest country at the Veranos de la Villa festival, organized by the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport of the Madrid City Council.

However, it is the Korean Cultural Center of Spain located in Madrid that puts in the greatest efforts in making Korean literature known and accessible. First of all, in their library you can find practically any novel, webtoon or children’s book ever translated into Spanish. They also have some works in Korean for those who want to read the original version. For years, in addition to promoting Korean music and cinema, they have held events to promote Korean authors. For example, last year, to celebrate Women’s Day, they screened the movie Kim Jiyoung, Born in 1982, and a copy of the book was given to each attendee. This year the Korean Cultural Center of Spain held the Korean Literature Month with Kim Cho-yeop, Bora Chung and Hwang Sok-yong as guest authors.



Their latest initiative is the Literary Wednesdays, in which every Wednesday on their social networks they present a work, its author and a short review. This initiative allows you to discover new works, authors and genres (and you can keep up to date on new acquisitions in their library!).

All this promotion seems to be paying off, as every time I borrow a book from a library, the list of return dates stamped on it gets longer and longer. The only thing that remains complicated at present is purchasing a book written in Korean. As I mentioned before, many can be borrowed from the Korean Cultural Center library, but buying them is still difficult.

In Madrid, there is a bookstore that sells some books, but as imported products, their prices are high. The cheapest way to get your hands on a Korean book now is to buy it in Korea (or, if you are lucky, ask an acquaintance who is traveling there to get it for you). I managed to get my hands on Uncanny Convenience Store by Kim Ho-yeon, but I’m still far from knowing Korean well enough to understand it. In the meantime, I’ll keep wandering through bookstore shelves and libraries looking for their translated siblings.

 

1) Kim Cho-yeop’s Si noPodemos Viajar a la Velocidad de la Luz has been translated intoSpanish by Joo Hasun, Kyung-Sook Shin’s Por Favor, Cuida de Mamáby Aurora Echevarría, Won-pyung Sohn’s Almendraby Sunme Yoon, and Kim Hye-jin’s Sobre Mi Hija by Irma Zyanya Gil Yáñezand Minjeong Je, and Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko by Eva González Rosales—Ed.

Writer 필자 소개

Isabel Montoro del Sol

Isabel Montoro del Sol

Isabel Montoro del Sol graduated from Translation and Interpreting at Universidad Complutense of Madrid, specializing in English and French. She studied one year in Paris as an exchange student and worked one year in France as a Spanish teacher. She discovered Korean literature during the 2020 lockdown and then started studying Korean at the Korean Cultural Center. Her biggest dream is to translate Korean works into Spanish.

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