[KS] Re: English translations of Korean literature

[Anthony]

I serve as 'English Editor' for a quarterly journal with the title
'Korean Literature Today' which is published under the auspices of the
Korean Culture and Arts Foundation and Korean PEN. My colleague
Professor Lee Tae-dong of the English Dept here at Sogang University is
the main editor. It is far from being a perfect instrument but we have
just brought out the fourth issue of the third year of publication. It
contains English translations of Korean fiction and poetry (drama very
rarely) and occasionally of critical essays. Some of the contents have
been published previously (in The Korea Journal for example) but most of
the translations are new, including a number by the Fultons. The journal
is distributed by the Korea Foundation to a large (but not exhaustive)
number of libraries, embassies, PEN centers, etc, and is not available
for individual (or indeed institutional) subscription. We try to
maintain a certain level of quality but operate without staff or time...
In theory it should be going to the libraries of any university where
there is a program of Korean studies. If your library is not receiving
it, perhaps you could tell me and I will see if it can be added (even
retroactively perhaps) to the list. I can promise nothing...
For all its shortcomings, (including the irregular standards of
romanization, sorry, but one does one's best within severe limits) this
publication certainly offers a series of works by modern writers not
available elsewhere. The 3rd issue of 1998 contained about 5 poems each
by Pak Tu-jin, Ch'On Pong-gOn, Ham Dong-sOn, Lee KUm-bae, Lee SOng-bu,
fiction by Yi Sang, Han Mal-suk, Kim Mun-su, Yu Jae-yOng, and above all
three famous novellas by Cho Se-hui including 'A Little Ball launched by
a Dwarf' translated by the Fultons, as well as a portion of their
version of Hwang Sun-won's 'Trees on a Slope' which we are serializing.
The issue that came out this week was devoted to work by women. Most of
the writers being featured are well-established figures, since obvious
factors make it very difficult to give space to 'unknown' writers.
Most but not all of the issues have been put on-line without clearly
defined permission, it seems, by an agency and can be found at
http://www.propose.co.kr/klt/
I have included some of the poems I have translated for it in the Korean
literature translations section of my own home page:
http://www.sogang.ac.kr/~anthony
I hope that in the future a number of the translations published in this
review may be brought together in a commercially published anthology but
the issues of copyright etc would need to be sorted out. Any one know a
potential publisher???
I hope that this may be helpful; sorry to be so long.
Brother Anthony (An Sonjae)
Sogang University, Seoul


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