This is a collection of works of Korean Literature that I hold very close to heart. They are special works of fiction that have so much meaning in my life and I hope that they give such meaning for everyone else. Hence, here they are.
The quintessential read for understanding Korean feminism
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
A careful and poignant examination into what makes us human
Almond by Sohn Won-pyung
The representative magic realism book from Korea, on par with 100 Years of Solitude
Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan
A thought-provoking and intimate, raw look at what it means to be a gay man in Korea
Love in the Big City - Sang Young Park
Yun Ko-eun’s slow burning thriller about a society that seeks out disaster for entertainment reminds us that the final frontier of capitalism is our emotions.
The Disaster Tourist - Ko-Eun, Yun
An inventive collection of interrelated stories. A soliloquy to all the imperfections that make us human
I'm Waiting for You: And Other Stories - Bo-young
A sincere family drama that looks at what makes our lives worthwhile, as well as how we deal with grief.
Korean Book Club: My Brilliant Life by Ae-ran Kim
A dreamlike novel by a literary master. Surreal, bewildering, and utterly fantastic.
Untold Night and Day - Bae Suah
A novel about identity, self determination, the idea of ideology being lost to everyday desires. A portrait of a man fighting his desires to stay in a society of pleasures rather than go back to a society of ideology.
Your Republic Is Calling You
This book is about a family's search for their missing mother and the profound reflections it triggers about love, sacrifice, and the complexities of family relations.
Please Look After Mother - Shin Kyung-sook
An intense book that forces you to be at peace with that uncomfortable, yet refreshing taste of the unresolved, throwing a very important question at the reader: must human life and death have any meaning at all?
Lemon - Kwon Yeo-sun
The titular story, is about a cursed bunny that literally causes the fall of an entire family. It’s an examination of capitalism and greed. It’s nuts, it’s amazing.
