Books from South Korea
110 popular south korean books
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
The target of the Read Around The World Challenge is to read at least one book written by an author from each and every country in the world.
All books that are listed here as part of the "Read Around Asia Challenge" were written by authors from South Korea.
Find a great book for the next part of your reading journey around the world from this book list. The following popular books have been recommended so far.
91.
The Specters of Algeria by Yeo Jung Hwang EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
A group of dramatists that commit what was a subversive act during the South Korean military dictatorships of the twentieth century – distributing copies of Karl Marx's only surviving play, The Specters of Algeria. The consequences of the brutal crackdown by the authorities would set the directions of the lives of two children of the group's members, Yul and Jing. Despite the deep connection between them, Yul would open up an alteration shop in Seoul and Jing would move to Europe. But now, Cheolsu, a dissatisfied employee at a community theatre, is unearthing the truth about The Specters of Al... continue
92.
The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
Thirty years after vying for the attentions of a beautiful but damaged missionary wife at a Korean orphanage, Korean orphan June Han and former GI Hector Brennan are reunited by a plot that forces them to come to terms with mysterious secrets from their past. By the author of Native Speaker.
93.
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
In this guide to mindfulness, Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk born in Korea and educated in the United States, offers advice on everything from handling setbacks to dealing with rest and relationships
94.
The Vegetarian : A Novel by Han Kang EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
FROM HAN KANG, WINNER OF THE 2024 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE “[Han Kang’s] intense poetic prose . . . exposes the fragility of human life.”—The Nobel Committee for Literature, in the citation for the Nobel Prize A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY “Ferocious.”—The New York Times Book Review (Ten Best Books of the Year) “Both terrifying and terrific.”—Lauren Groff “Provocative [and] shocking.”—The Washington Post Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life... continue
95.
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
Shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker International Prize From Booker Prize-winner and literary phenomenon Han Kang, a lyrical and disquieting exploration of personal grief, written through the prism of the color white While on a writer's residency, a nameless narrator wanders the twin white worlds of the blank page and snowy Warsaw. THE WHITE BOOK becomes a meditation on the color white, as well as a fictional journey inspired by an older sister who died in her mother's arms, a few hours old. The narrator grapples with the tragedy that has haunted her family, an event she colors in stark white-... continue
96.
The Wings by Sang Yi, Chŏng-hyo An, James B. Lee EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
Yi Sang was the most famous avant-garde writer of the colonial era. In his work he experimented with language, interiority, separation from inside one's self as well as the outer world. His poems, particularly, were influenced by Western literary concepts including Dadaism and Surrealism. "The Wings" is simple, apparently dumb and at least partly autistic. He lives in one room, kept by a wife who works as a prostitute; he understands neither sex nor money, but something of their importance is clear to him. When he begins to go out while his wife is with clients, to wander the streets at night,... continue
97.
Three Generations by Yom Sang-Seop EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
Touted as one of Korea’s most important works of fiction, Three Generations (published in 1931 as a serial in Chosun Ilbo) charts the tensions in the Jo family in 1930s Japanese occupied Seoul. Yom’s keenly observant eye reveals family tensions withprofound insight. Delving deeply into each character’s history and beliefs, he illuminates the diverse pressures and impulses driving each. This Korean classic, often compared to Junichiro Tanizaki’s The Makioka Sisters, reveals the country’s situation under Japanese rule, the traditional Korean familial structure, and the battle between the modern ... continue
98.
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
Tower is a series of interconnected stories set in Beanstalk, a 674-story skyscraper and sovereign nation. Each story deals with how citizens living in the hypermodern high-rise deal with various influences of power in their lives: a group of researchers have to tell their boss that a major powerbroker is a dog, a woman uses the power of the internet to rescue a downed fighter pilot abandoned by the government, and an out-of-towner finds himself in charge of training a gentle elephant to break up protests. Bae explores the forces that shape modern life with wit and a sly wink at the reader.
99.
True Beauty Volume Three by Yaongyi EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
From the smash hit WEBTOON comic comes a story about self-esteem, love, and learning to accept yourself for who you are. Once bullied for being perceived as ugly, young Jugyeong Lim uses online video tutorials to transform into a beautiful popular girl. Caught in a love triangle between a mystery man and a bad boy, Jugyeong navigates both high school and her personal life, while her self-esteem, romantic life and career are constantly in flux.In this third book of the series, we focus on Seojun, Suho and Seyeon. . . Three guys whose painful pasts are about to be revealed. The three S's! Best F... continue
100.
Untold Night and Day by Bae Suah EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
The day after her last shift at an audio theatre for the blind, Ayami guides a detective novelist through Seoul only to discover a frayed reality where the multiverse asserts itself, overlapping realities and potential outcomes before her eyes.