Saturday, April 23, 2022

Seven Korean novels set in Seoul

A native of Nyack, New York, Soon Wiley received his BA in English & Philosophy from Connecticut College. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Wichita State University. His writing has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and earned him fellowships in Wyoming and France. He resides in Connecticut with his wife and their two cats.

When We Fell Apart is his debut novel.

At Electric Lit Wiley tagged seven "books that unfold against the backdrop of the bustling South Korean capital" that he read after he finished writing his own. One title on the list:
At Dusk by Hwang Sok-yong, translated by Sora Kim-Russell

In his novel, that at times reminded me of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, Hwang Sok-yong tells the story Park Minwoo, an elderly businessman who begins reexamining his past. A rags to riches tale, Park was born into abject poverty and raised in one of Seoul’s poorest districts, only to ride Korea’s rapid modernization to wealth and success. But when his company is the target of a corruption investigation, and he receives a message from an old lover, he begins to reassess the cost of his success.
Read about the other entries on the list at Electic Lit.

--Marshal Zeringue