Author Hwang Sok-yong’s novel “The Ancient Garden” was published in Sweden last month, according to the Korea Literature Translation Institute.

The novel, which Hwang published in Korea in 2000 after many years in political exile and five years in prison, was translated into Swedish by translators Anders Karlsson and Park Ok-Kyoung. The duo previously translated Hwang’s 1998 novel, “The Chronicle of a Man Named Han,” in 2007 and the edition was published in Sweden that same year.

Both of the novels’ Swedish editions have been released by Albert Bonniers Frlag, one of the largest and oldest publishing houses in Sweden. Established in Stockholm in 1837, the company currently publishes some 150 titles every year.

The book tells the love story of a couple surrounding the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980. It begins as its protagonist Oh Hyun-woo, who is just released from prison after serving 17 years for his anti-government activities in the 1980s, tries to reunite with the woman he had fallen in love with before being arrested.

Upon the book’s release in Sweden, Dagens Nyheter, one of the country’s major dailies, featured the novel and wrote: “Hwang Sok-yong’s language is clear and straight. His own experiences as a political prisoner give the novel’s narrative a precise and detailed knowledge.”

Hwang, who is considered one of Korea’s most acclaimed authors of modern times, is also known for his political activities in the 1980s against the government.

He participated in the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980, and visited Pyongyang in 1989 at the invitation of the Literature and Art Union of North Korea.

He went into exile in the U.S. and Germany thereafter, returning to Seoul in 1993. Upon his return, Hwang was imprisoned for violating the National Security Law.

He was released in 1998 and published “The Ancient Garden: A Love Story” in 2000. The novel was also made into a film by director Im Sang-soo in 2006. Starring Yeom Jeong-ah and Ji Jin-hee, the film premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in the same year.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)