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E-Book Versions of 33 Translated Classic and Modern Works of Korean Literature to be Produced
  • Writer최고관리자
  • Date2017-03-29
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    The Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea, President: Kim Seong-Kon, professor Emeritus at Seoul National University) is producing E-book versions of 33 translated classic and modern works of Korean literature from 1890 and on.

    The 33 works include 28 completed translations of Korean classics and five independently published works whose translations were assisted by the LTI’s translation support grant. The 28 classics were selected based on their significance in the history of Korean literature in translation. The classics include 10 works whose copyrights have expired. The rest will be published in agreement with their respective copyright holders. The five independently published works are completed translations that have not yet been published overseas, and have received LTI Korea’s translation support grant.

    The 28-book collection of classics, entitled “The Digital Library of Korean Classics”, includes Printemps Parfumé (E. Dentu, 1892, translated by Hong Tjyong-Ou and J. H. Rosny), the first work of Korean literature to be introduced overseas, and The Cloud Dream of the Nine (D. O’Connor, 1922, translated by James A. Gale). James A. Gale, the first to translate The Cloud Dream of the Nine into English, was a Canadian missionary who came to Korea (then Joseon) in 1888. He also translated Korean works such as Chunhyangjeon and other folktales from Joseon into English, actively promoting Korean culture, language, and customs in the West.

    Other translated works in the E-book collection include Korean Fairy Tales (Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1922, translated by William Elliot Griffis), Memoirs of a Korean Queen (Kegan Paul International, 1985, translated by Choe-Wall Yang-hi), Lives of Eminent Korean Monks: The Haedong Koseun Chun (Harvard University Asia Center, 1969, translated by Peter H. Lee), The Classical Poetry of Korea (Korean Culture & Arts Foundation, 1981, translated by Kevin O’Rourke), and Der Mond gespiegelt in tausend Flüssen (Sohaksa Verlag, 2002, translated by Werner Sasse and An Jung-hee), which was recently designated a national treasure. The classics will be greeting global audiences in this new format.

    The five independently published works include two classics and three modern works of literature. The classics are Classical Writings of Korean Women (Kim Keum Won et al., translated by Kyung-nyun Kim Richards and Steffen F. Richards) and The History of Korean Literature (Ko Mi Sook, Jung Min, Jung Byung Sul, translated by Michael J. Pettid and Kil Cha). Japanese literature in translation was introduced into the English-speaking world starting in the 1980s and 90s with introductory texts to Japanese literature, and LTI Korea expects a similar effect with the introduction of classic Korean literature to the West in the E-book format.

    The three modern works of Korean literature being published in E-book format are The House of Pomegranate Trees (Hahn Moo-Sook, translated by Jin-Young Choi and Suzanne Newton), A Trip Through the Mirror (Kim Joo-young, translated by Jeong-il Moon and Philip McElroy), and Chocolate Friend and Other Stories (Han Malsook, translated by Suzanne Crowder Han et al.).

    Last October, LTI Korea hosted the 15th International Korean Literature Translation and Publication Workshop, exploring ways to translate and share classic Korean literature in a globalized world with experts from relevant fields in attendance. Greg Newby, CEO of Project Gutenberg, emphasized in his keynote speech the significance of the convergence of classic works and new media. Project Gutenberg’s mission is to distribute classic literature around the world for free via the Internet and E-books. The project is just one example of ways in which classics can be preserved and shared in the modern age.

    “The Digital Library of Korean Classics” and the other E-books can be found on multiple platforms:

   - The LTI Korea Library’s Digital Library of Korean Literature: http://library.klti.or.kr/taxonomy/term/28215
   - Books on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=literature+translation+institute+of+korea&c=books
   - Internet Archive: https://archive.org/search.php?query=The%20Digital%20Library%20of%20Korean%20Classics
   - Open Library: https://openlibrary.org/publishers/Literature_Translation_Institute_of_Korea
   - Free-eBooks: https://www.free-ebooks.net/search/Digital+Library+of+Korean+Classics+/1?sort_by=relevance&timeframe=alltime&category=any
   - Apple iTunes: Accessible via the iBooks application

    LTI Korea hopes that the publication of these E-books will allow Korean classics to reach scholars and translators of Korean literature and readers all around the world in even more convenient ways than ever before. The LTI will continue to produce E-books of works of Korean literature, regardless of their significance in the history of the field, thereby boosting accessibility to Korean literature for foreign publishers and strengthening promotional efforts globally.
 

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