How Han Kang's Nobel Prize win exposed tensions in the world of book translation
Professor Michelle Cho explains the controversy around the English translation of her book The Vegetarian
Han Kang's recent win of the Nobel Prize in literature has put the spotlight on Korean fiction. Her work has also fuelled a debate about literary translations.
Kang's 2007 novel The Vegetarian is perhaps her most famous text. It won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016, an honor that was shared by both Kang and her British translator, Deborah Smith. But as new attention is drawn to Kang's works, and Smith's translations, so too has the debate been reignited about what constitutes a fair and accurate interpretation.
Today on Commotion, guest host Ali Hassan speaks with Michelle Cho, an East Asian Studies professor at the University of Toronto, about the controversy around whether the English translations of Han Kang's books are faithful to the original text.
You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Michelle Cho produced by Jean Kim.