We spoke to the author and translators about post-colonial Korean literature, the visit to North Korea that inspired Mater 2-10, and how they embarked on a co-translation of the novel
Hwang Sok-yong
Hwang Sok-yong was born in 1943 and is arguably Korea’s most renowned author
In 1993, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for an unauthorised trip to the North to promote exchange between artists in the two Koreas. Five years later, he was released on a special pardon by the new president. The recipient of Korea’s highest literary prizes, he has been shortlisted for the Prix Femina Etranger and was awarded the Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature for his book At Dusk. His novels and short stories are published in North and South Korea, Japan, China, France, Germany, and the United States. Previous novels include The Ancient Garden, The Story of Mister Han, The Guest, and The Shadow of Arms.
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An epic, multi-generational tale that threads together a century of Korean history
In the evening of his life, a wealthy man begins to wonder if he might have missed the point, in Hwang Sok-yong’s wise and thoughtful novel
