“The Vegetarian,” a three-part novella by Korean author Han Kang, had all the key elements of success.

Flush with literary subtlety, critique and insight, the novel, published in 2007, brought to light the culture of violence toward vegetarians and minorities through the perspective of Yeong-hye, a homemaker whose decision to become a non-meat eater entraps her in a cycle of vice and misery.

The novel took nearly 10 years to catch the attention of readers worldwide, before it finally won the Man Booker International Prize in May this year. The book was translated into English by British translator Deborah Smith. 

According to Kim Seong-kon, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, the story’s belated triumph on the world stage was due to its universal themes enmeshed in the fabric of Korean society.

“The book won the Man Booker award not because it was a Korean novel, but because of its global character, having to do with violence, domination and pain,” Kim told The Korea Herald in an interview.

“Due to rising terrorism worldwide, there is a prevalent interest in issues of violence and subjugation, the leitmotifs of ‘The Vegetarian.’ Furthermore, the book struck chords with vegetarians around the world, whose lifestyles are becoming increasingly visible in Korea.”

Amid the growing recognition of Korean literature around the world, the professor emeritus at Seoul National University stressed that efforts should be made to give the country’s literature global appeal.

This year was a fruitful year for Korean literature, as scores of novels caught headlines worldwide through enhanced translations. Recently, the Seoul-based institution awarded Smith and other translators, including Cho Kyung-hye, who translated Jeong Yu-jeong’s “Murder with a Twist: A Night of Seven Years” into German, “Sieben Jahre Nacht”; Kim Soon-hee, for translating Lee Seung-woo’s work into Japanese, roughly titled “A Speculation on a Labyrinth”; and Katarzyna Rozanska, who translated Yi Mun-yol’s “Our Twisted Hero” into Polish, “Nasz Skrzwiony Bohater,” for their work.

“People may think ‘The Vegetarian’ won the award purely through excellent translation, but our institute had worked tirelessly to promote our literature abroad, particularly through media and academic partnerships,” Kim said.

He added that he had an interview with the BBC in London this year, and prominent English-language media outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker and the Guardian have given capacious coverage of their rise from last year.

In recent years, various works have been translated into English and other languages, he noted, citing Korean classic “The Story of Hong Gildong,” published as part of Penguin Classics; Chun Myeong-kwan’s “Modern Family”; and Jeong Yu-jeong’s “Murder with a Twist.”

“Andres Felipe Solano, a Colombian novelist who works at our academy, once told me, ‘Translation is like disassembling a home into its constituent parts, loading them onto a ship and rebuilding a new home on another land,’” the scholar said.

“I believe what he said was very true. A translated work cannot and should not be the same as its original. What’s important is how natural and relevant it is in the ‘target language.’ If you translate literally, you cannot accurately convey the meaning due to cultural differences.”

The LTI’s 150 translators annually translate 80 novels and poems into 35 languages, a yearly addition to the over 1,300 translations since its establishment in 2001. The institute has partnerships with 150 publishers worldwide and also runs a translation academy where some 140 foreign students are enrolled under the guidance of 40 professors.

“Japanese and Chinese literature have already reached commanding heights on the global stage,” Kim said, adding that Korean literature is “the rising star” today.

Korean literature’s recent success is due to a myriad of factors, he claimed, mentioning the “Hallyu” Korean cultural boom, technological prowess, economic development and democratic advancements.

“It’s important that all of them go together for synergy,” the president said. “Young people nowadays have no cultural boundaries. Therefore works with universal outlooks are more appealing than those with strong nationalistic colors.”

Kwak Hyo-hwan, poet and executive director of the Daesan Foundation, a private agency dedicated to promoting Korean culture and literature worldwide, said the globalization of Korean literature has passed many trials and errors since 1980.

Noting that Korean novels became popular in France in the 1990s, he stressed the reputation took off after embracing “values such as salvation, existence and belonging,” and breaking from the straitjacket of nationalist identity.

“Popular films and music are trends swiftly gone with the wind, but literature leaves lasting statements,” he said. “In terms of importance, it is at the top. Novels and poems most accurately interpret our culture and identity, zeitgeist and aspirations. Their impact is also spatiotemporally boundless.”

The latest generation of translators includes those with not only multilingual competencies, Kwak said, but also those with a profound respect and understanding of the culture in which they operate. 

Deborah Smith, who studied at the University of Cambridge and came to Korea to carve out her niche, is a perfect example, he added.

The foundation, together with the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, has striven to “meet the world,” the executive director said. It hosts various international festivals to invite global giants and provide them with networking opportunities with Korean authors.

“Despite our progress, we have a long way to go in terms of entering the mainstream of world literature,” Kwak said. “One cannot deny the towering stature of Western literature, particularly the Anglophone one. The proportion of foreign literature in the English-language market is only 3 percent, and the share of Korean literature is even tinier.”

Asserting that the Nobel Prize for Literature is not the absolute benchmark, he said nonetheless it is a hurdle Korea must overcome.

“As much as we desire to make ourselves known to the world,” Kwak said, “we must equally welcome the world with open arms.”

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)