6 books by 5 Korean female authors

I recently returned from a week-long trip to Seoul. Although I had previously been on ‘a cinematic journey to South Korea’, this was actually the first time I set foot in the country. It’s been 4 years since ‘Parasite’, directed by Bong Joon-ho, won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. This was a historical moment: ‘Parasite’ was the first South Korean film to have been nominated in these categories, as well as the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since then, I have watched many more films from South Korea, listened to Korean music (not only K-pop) and read 6 books by 5 Korean female authors (I have yet to come across a book written by a Korean male author).

Books by Korean authors at Kyobo Bookstore in Seoul

Today, I’m discussing the books by the 5 female Korean authors that I’ve read so far. Of course, there are many more female Korean authors who have not been included in this post simply because I am yet to read their work.

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, by Baek Se-hee

Written by Baek Se-hee, this is an easy-to-read memoir, as well as the first Korean book I’ve read. It was first published in Korean in 2018 and was translated into English in 2022.

A second book, I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki: Further Conversations with My Psychiatrist, is due to be published in English in August 2024.

I found it particularly interesting, as the author, a dysthymia sufferer herself, recorded her conversations with her psychiatrist.

As a psychiatrist myself, I can’t help but notice the disproportionately high number of suicides among young Korean artists, such as Song Yoo-jung, Choi Jin-sil, Kim Jong-hyun, Goo Hara, Cha In-ha, Sulli, and Oh In-hye.

There could be many factors contributing to this sad statistic, both individual and societal. For example, many of those artists have been the victims of online abuse. At the same time, mental illness remains a taboo in South Korea (and therefore largely untreated). Despite the country’s economic growth, stigma is very prevalent throughout South Korean society. It is therefore not surprising that suicide is far more prevalent there than in the West. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, the suicide rate in South Korea was the fourth highest in the world in 2019 (28.6 per 100k people). It is also worth noting that Seoul’s Mapo Bridge has earned the nickname “The Bridge of Death” or “Suicide Bridge” because of how many people jump off it.

In case you’re wondering about tteokbokki, it’s a popular and delicious Korean dish – chewy rice cakes cooked in a red, spicy broth. It is one of my favourite Korean dishes.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, by Hwang Bo-reum

This is Hwang Bo-reum’s debut novel. It was first published in Korean in 2022 and was translated into English shortly afterwards.

The story is set in a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul. The heroine is a young woman who divorces her husband, quits her career and opens up a bookshop. A bibliophile myself, I enjoyed following her journey into the world of books and meeting interesting characters on the way.

The Daeo Bookstore is the oldest bookstore in Seoul. Located in the picturesque Seochon Village neighborhood, the store is only a few minutes' walk from Gyeongbokgung, the Palace of Shining Happiness. The bookstore also operates a small cafe. — The Daeo Bookstore is the oldest bookstore in Seoul. Located in the picturesque Seochon Village neighborhood, the store is only a few minutes’ walk from Gyeongbokgung, the Palace of Shining Happiness. The bookstore also operates a small cafe.

Greek Lessons, by Han Kang

This is the first book by Han Kang that I’ve read, but neither her first novel nor her first one to be translated into English. It was first published in Korean in 2011, and in English in 2023.

Set in Seoul, it tells the story of two people, a young woman who has lost her voice, and her teacher who’s losing his sight. In case you’re wondering about the title, it actually refers to the meeting point of these two main characters: the heroine is taking a class in the Ancient Greek language taught by the second main character.

Other works by the same author include Human Acts, The White Book and The Vegetarian.

The Vegetarian, by Han Kang

This is the second book by Han Kang I’ve read. It was first published in Korean as three separate novelettes (2004, 2005) and then compiled into a novel (2007). It was translated into English in 2015.

Set in modern-day Seoul, it tells the story of a young woman who decided to stop eating meat (and all animal products) after a dream. Soon afterwards, she gets admitted to a psychiatric hospital. She eventually gets diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and schizophrenia. The first novelette (also called ‘The Vegetarian’) is narrated by her husband; it describes the lead-up to the admission. The other two novelettes, ‘Mongolian Mark’ and ‘Flaming Trees’, are narrated in the third person; they describe the aftermath of the admission.

A film adaptation, directed by Lim Woo-Seong, was released in 2009.

Feline, by Hui-ryeong BU

I read this book in French, as it has yet to be translated into English. It was first published in Korean in 2006 and was translated into French in 2009.

It is narrated by a stray cat, rescued by a teenager who then tries to re-home the recently adopted animal.

An ailurophile myself, I enjoyed following the protagonists on a journey across South Korea.

Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee

Min Jin Lee is a Korean author who was born in Seoul but grew up in New York. Pachinko is her second novel, and the longest of the novels discussed here. It is actually divided into three books. It was first published in 2017 (in English) and has been made into a TV series (released in 2022), which I’m yet to watch.

An intergenerational novel, it tells the story of a Korean family who immigrated to Japan at the beginning of the 20th century. The story actually starts towards the end of the 19th century and takes the reader all the way to the end of the 20th century.

In case you’re wondering about the title, pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is often used for gambling, akin to the slot machines that are popular in the West. Pachinko parlours are widespread in Japan; in the novel, one of the characters owes such a parlour.

Seoul’s Starfield Library has 13-meter-tall bookshelves and is home to more than 50,000 books.