[K-wave] Expansion of K-literature: Bora Chung shortlisted for Philip K. Dick Award

<span style="color: rgb(13, 13, 13); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Korean writer Bora Chung or Chung Bora has been both shortlisted and longlisted for distinguished international awards, and this year, her short stories collection "Your Utopia" was nominated for one of the world's most prestigious science fiction literary awards.

That's further proof that Korean literature is gaining recognition and becoming more prominent on the global stage.

Lee Eun-jin tells us more.

"Your Utopia" is a 2024 short story collection by Korean author Bora Chung.

It tells the story of a humanoid and an intelligent car fighting to survive after an infectious disease wipes out humanity.

The book features seven other short stories including the opening piece titled "The Center for Immortality Research" and "The End of the Voyage."

"Your Utopia" is a revised edition of the short story collection "Meeting Her" which was published in 2021 and is also one of the eight stories.

As a collection of short stories, "Your Utopia" is the first Korean work to be nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, one of the world's top three honors for science fiction.

"The eight short stories in "Your Utopia" make you think about what living as a human being is. Even with all the difficulties we face in reality, how we can be better humans."

American science-fiction author Philip K. Dick is the writer of original novels and short stories which were later adapted as movies including 'Blade Runner', 'Total Recall', and 'Minority Report.'

He had a great influence on popular culture in the latter half of the 20th century, and after his death in 1982, the award has been presented annually since 1983 for distinguished works of science fiction.

Along with other world prestigious awards that recognize science fiction publications like the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award, the winner of the Philip K. Dick Award will be announced in April.

"Looking at the other writers and other works on the shortlist, being selected alongside them among the tens of thousands of books really is as hard as climbing above the clouds."

Chung was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022 and longlisted for the National Book Award in 2023 for her collection of short stories, "Cursed Bunny."

Following Han Kang's recent winning of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Korean literature is continuing to solidify its status globally,

and being highly evaluated by critics abroad.

Lee Eunjin, Arirang News.</span><div></div>