Korean Literature Week

November 17 to 20, 2021

Meet 5 Korean authors in person during 4 days in Brussels!

During each event an author talk will be held together with a special guest. This will be followed by a Q&A during which the audience can ask their questions directly to the author, and a signing session.

Wednesday November 17, 2021 / 20h00 @ Passa Porta

A unique encounter between East and West. Sun-Mi Hwang is one of the most loved and popular authors in South Korea. Her clear style has endeared her to young and old. During this exceptional author visit, she will talk to Bart Moeyaert, a writer who, like her, effortlessly breaks down age barriers with readers.

The work of the South Korean Sun-Mi Hwang is immensely popular in her own country. Her compelling stories, written in a flawless style, were initially intended for younger readers. But they also became immensely popular with adults. Over the past decade, she has also found a large readership on the international stage. Her book The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly has been adapted into a comic strip and filmed. The Guardian has described this simple, comic story about a chicken that tries to escape her battery cage as an ‘instant classic’.

At the invitation of the Korean Cultural Center and Passa Porta, Bart Moeyaert will talk to Sun-Mi Hwang. This promises to be a unique encounter between two versatile authors who know how to fascinate young and old with stories exploring universal themes such as love, mourning and forgiveness.

The moderator of this conversation will be literary journalist Katrien Steyaert.

Info & Tickets: CLICK HERE Sun-Mi Hwang & Bart Moeyaert | Passa Porta

Thursday November 18, 2021 / 19h00 @ Tropismes Librairie

[ SOLD OUT / Author Talk with Korean author Chang Kang-Myoung ]

CHANG Kang-myoung (b.1975), a former journalist and recognized writer in Korea, stands up for Korea's youth in his novels by expressing the many frustrations of their generation. This is why he is a must-read author, so come if you can!

Génération B, his latest book published by Decrescenzo and translated from Korean to French by Hwang Jihae and Véronique Cavallasca tells the story of a group of young people applying themselves to follow the stages according to the normative model of success in Korea: studying at one of the best universities and then working for a large company like Samsung. But this generation is undergoing a world in which the great dreams of yesteryear have no equivalent today...

As a special guest, we are also grateful to welcome Korea and Korean literature specialist Jean-Claude de Crescenzo, who will introduce you to the world of Korean literature.

The meeting will be moderated by literary journalist Philippe Manche.

Tickets (FREE): SOLD OUT

Friday November 19 2021 / 19h00 @ KBR

[Author Talk Seo Mi-Ae]

You may already be familiar with the Korean thriller genre from movies and TV series, but did you know that it is also a very popular genre in Korean literature?

Seo Mi-ae, writer and screenwriter of successful Korean thrillers, will come to Brussels to present her latest translated book “Chut c'est un secret”. This book is a follow-up to “The Only Child”(“Bonne nuit maman”, “Welterusten mama”), which has been translated into over 16 languages!

Pierre Bisiou, editorial director of Matin Calme, will also be present as a special guest to talk about the Korean thriller genre.

Don't forget to buy your book beforehand to have it signed by the author herself!

Info & Tickets (FREE) : CLICK HERE https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rencontre-avec-lauteure-coreenne-seo-mi-ae-tickets-210104146157

Saturday November 20, 2021 @ Musical Instruments Museum (Brussels)

[Author Talk with RA Hee-duk] / 13h00

Ra Hee-duk, a poet who has published seven collections of poems and four essays, has received many of Korea's most prestigious prizes. Her works which show her love for nature and humans are appreciated by many Koreans.

Robert Calvora, a French psychologist, will give a unique insight into her poems using psychoanalysis to address the difference between the familiar and the strange which is expressed through and carried by language.

Info & Tickets (FREE): CLICK HERE https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rencontre-avec-la-poetesse-coreenne-ra-hee-duk-tickets-210116924377?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

[ Author Talk with PARK Chan-soon / 14h30 ]

Look forward to this conversation between author Park Chan-soon and Kim Jae-Hwan, director of the Korean Cultural Center in Brussels, in which they will talk about their love for Korean literature.

In addition, her story "Amsterdam Omnibus", in which she talks about her fascination with the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, has been translated exclusively for this event.

PARK Chan-soon was born in 1946 in Yeongju, a city in North Gyeongsang Province. She rose to prominence in 2006 with a story titled A Mutton Skewer in the Garibong District, which won an annual Spring Literary Competition organized by the daily Chosun Ilbo. She has successively published the novels A garden in the style of the kingdom of Balhae (2009), Une coccinelle s'vole au haut (2013), published by Munhakkwajiseong editions, as well as a collection of short stories entitled Le train omnibus pour Amsterdam aux éditions Gang.

In 2014, she received the Writers 'Award from the Korean Writers' Association. She participated in 2011 in the "International Writing Program" (IWP) organized in the USA by the University of Iowa, as well as in Iran in 2015 in a writing residency in Tehran.

Info & Tickets (FREE) : CLICK HEREhttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/rencontre-avec-lauteure-coreenne-park-chan-sook-tickets-210123835047?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

*For all of these events it is necessary to reserve your seat beforehand and (except for the one held at Tropismes) a Covid Safe Ticket is necessary in order to attend each event.