From Yi Kwangsu to Park Sang Young: Editing and Translating Queer Korean Literature

In this book talk Perry will discuss the process of editing and translating his MLA volume “Han'guk ŭi k'wiŏ munka: han segi” and its accompanying volume of English translations, “A Century of Queer Korean Fiction”. He will also read from some of the selections, which range from Yi Kwangsu's 1918 short story "Yunkwangho" to Park Sang Young's 2017 "Yundo is Back" and include both canonical works as well as shorter pieces of popular found in the archives.

Samuel Perry is associate professor of East Asian Studies and Comparative Literature at Brown University. His interests include literary translation, queer studies, and revolutionary fiction from the early and mid-20th century. He is now working on two book manuscripts, “From Across the Genkai Sea: Japanese Literature During the Korean War” and “Bad Gays in Japan,” as well as a collection of translated stories called “Pyongyang Modern”.