Korean Literature Night with Novelist Gong Ji-young

Gong Ji-young will discuss her influential writing career of more than 30 years, her personal influences, creative process, and future plans, as well as taking audience questions.
Prior to the conversation, Bruce Fulton who is a renowned Korean literature scholar and Young-Bin Min Chair in Korean Literature and Literary Translation at UBC will give a talk entitled Korean Classic Short Stories: Foundation of K-Literature. Fulton will explore the impact of pioneering Korean authors such as Lee Hyoseok and Hwang Sun-won who helped define Korean identity in a tumultuous 20th century, leading up to the explosive popularity of Korean culture today.
The conversation and talk will be followed by a light reception and free screening of The Shower (48 mins. in Korean with English subtitles) starting at 8:00 p.m. This evocative short film about lost youth and unrequited love is presented in concert with the ongoing KCCDC exhibition K-Animation with Literature, which looks at modern films by the celebrated Korean animation studio Meditation with a Pencil and the influential Korean literary works that provided their inspiration.
Gong's novels include Togani (도가니), the 2009 work also known as The Crucible which became the basis for a 2011 film and was recently translated and published in English for the first time in 2023, as well as Our Happy Time, My Sister Bongsoon, and Human Decency. She has been described as one of the most influential living Korean writers and a trailblazer for feminism whose deeply emotional stories of exploited groups and have led to greater legal protections for vulnerable individuals in South Korea. Her books have sold more than 10 million copies in Korea alone and her novels have been widely read in translation worldwide.
In Togani, Gong exposes sexual abuse, violence, and exploitation towards minors and the handicapped in Korean society, particularly toward those in state care. Togani had a significant impact on Korean society in terms of public awareness and new protective laws.

This event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required via the following link: https://forms.gle/swCVcyqhbTZZNJ1k9

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Category: Arts | Books and Literature