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New books published in September and October in time for the season of deep thoughts scrap download

사색의 계절에 읽기 좋은 9~10월 신간 도서

Fall is a great season to immerse ourselves in deep thoughts, but some feel frustrated from being unable to organize the thoughts swirling inside their minds. It’s because specifying thoughts into sentences can be challenging, even if we want to get them down on paper. In this case, it’s helpful to refer to honed works of writers.


They shape their thoughts into sentences, carefully refine them, and invite readers to contemplate. The new books in Korean literature for September and October precisely possess such power. Comprised of three essay collections and three novels, these September and October releases will give you space to ponder and inspire us to put our thoughts into words.


The time is fall, the season for deep thoughts, but some people find it frustrating. They lament that they can’t seem to organize their thoughts inside their minds. How could they specify thoughts enough to express them in words? This is where the writings of novelists become helpful.


They have dedicated their lives to transforming thoughts into sentences and painstakingly tweaking them, helping us think. Three essay collections and three novels in September and October are precisely that. Try reading these books if you need food for thought or are wondering how to organize your thoughts and put them into words.

I Don’t Fit in This World is a new collection of essays by poet Jin Eun-young. She has published four poetry collections over the 24 years since her debut in 2000. Her works have been loved for her sensuous, fierce language and keen social awareness, especially in France, where two translated books have been published. In this essay collection, Jin talks about the books she read. The poet confesses, “Among the countless passing moments when I wanted to die, there must have been someone’s sentence that saved me. I have forgotten all the moments of suffering and the process of recovery, but I am alive today thanks to those times.”


Kafka, Woolf, Bachmann, Camus, Weil, Plath, Arendt—the names she mentions are mesmerizing in and of themselves. She writes: “They don’t say that their books would make us happy in the evening even if we were sad in the morning. Instead, they tell us that we will suffer all the pains in the world, but we will still not give up our lives and uniqueness.”

A Certain Secret is novelist Choi Jin-young’s first essay collection in 18 years. Famous for her long-time beloved novel Proof of Gu in Korea, Choi currently lives on Jeju Island, where she runs a cafe with her husband. The book’s structure is unique; Choi wrote letters corresponding to 24 solar terms—from gyeongchip (the end of hibernation) to Usu (snow turning into rain)—and added essays to each letter. Her poetry-like writing presents her life and love. At the book launch talk, Choi suggested that readers read her latest book slowly as if they were letters. The book is indeed worth the time.

If you are looking for something more cheerful, novelist Kwon Yeo-sun’s essay collection, The Mother Tongue of Drinkers would be a perfect choice. The collection is a revised edition of What Should I Eat Today?, the only essay collection published in 2018 by Kwon, who is the author of Lemon, a novel published worldwide after being translated into seven languages. The Mother Tongue of Drinkers is full of appetizing sentences about alcohol, snacks, and food written in Kwon’s unique language. It goes something like the following: “There are many unappetizing foods in the world, but there is no such thing for snacks for drinks. As long as it’s followed by the phrase ‘for drinks,’ there is no food I can’t eat.” She also writes, “Gimbap is a generous dish. As long as you have laver and rice, it doesn't matter what the other ingredients are.”

Novels are mirrors that reflect ourselves. One such work is Woo Shin-young’s City View, the winning novel of the 14th Honbul Literary Prize. Set in Songdo, Incheon, it paints a detailed portrait of today’s urbanites, who struggle to lead flawless lives on the outside while suffering from compulsions, deficiencies, self-harm, industrial accidents, and trauma.

Novelist Kim Jiyeon’s second short story collection, A Slightly Broken Love, also sheds light on our reality. The collection features a story of a woman who gives the money she borrowed to help her lover suffering from a rental scam, only to break up and lose contact; losing one’s job due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which breaks up a small but happy life; and an ex-husband's current wife contacting the protagonist regarding the husband’s death benefit. In the plight of the novel’s characters, we can discover our own “slightly failed” selves.

The Grand Greenhouse Renovation Report is the first historical novel in the 15-year literary career of Kim Keum-hee, a novelist known for her works translated in Chinese and Japanese. The narrator and protagonist of the novel is a woman in her 30s who is tasked to write a public report on the renovation of the Changgyeonggung Palace's grand greenhouse. The novel reveals the painful Korean history and wounded hearts of the Korean people. It is a massive story where big and small events naturally gather in one place, showcasing the writer’s outstanding ability to seamlessly unravel a complex and vast storyline.


Written by LimGeun-ho

Lim is areporter at The Korea Economic Daily. He writes articles about books.


Translated by Joheun Lee

Joheun Lee (Jo) is a literary translator from Korea. She was selected in the 2023 and 2024 Translation Academy Night Courses from LTI Korea, the American Literary Translators Association's inaugural Building Our Future workshop for emerging BIPOC translators, and the 2023-24 National Centre for Writing's Emerging Translator Mentorship for Korean-English translation.

A long-time fan of K-pop and many other subcultures, she finds herself drawn to works on related topics and speculative fiction, especially by women and queer writers. A UX Designer by day, Jo now lives with her partner and three cats in Shanghai, China.

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