Gu Byeong-mo (
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
구병모; born 1976) is a South Korean writer. She made her literary debut in 2009 when her novel ''Wizard Bakery'' (위저드 베이커리 Wizard Bakery) won the 2nd Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction. Her 2015 short story collection ''Geugeosi namaneun anigireul'' (그것이 나만은 아니기를 I Hope It's Not Just Me) received the Today's Writer Award and Hwang Sun-won New Writers' Award. She penned the novels ''Pigeumallion aideul'' (피그말리온 아이들 The Pygmalion Children), Agami (아가미 Gills), and ''Bangjuro oseyo'' (방주로 오세요 Come to Bangju) as well as the short story collection ''Gouineun anijiman'' (고의는 아니지만 I Didn't Mean to But). Gu's debut novel ''Wijeodeu Beikeori'' was translated into Spanish by Minjeong Jeong and Irma Zyanja Gil Yáñez. They received the 24th
Daesan Literary Award in 2016 for their translation.
Life
Gu Byeong-mo was born in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, South Korea in 1976. Gu studied Korean literature at
Kyung Hee University
Kyung Hee University (abbreviated to KHU) (Hangul: 경희대학교; Hanja: 慶熙大學校) is a private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. Founded in 1949, it is widely regarded as one of the best universities i ...
.
Writing
Many of Gu Byeong-mo's works are
genre fiction
Genre fiction, also known as popular fiction, is a term used in the book-trade for fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre, in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre.
A num ...
. Her debut novel ''Wijeodeu beikeori'' (위저드 베이커리 Wizard Bakery) mixes mystery, horror, and fantasy. It is the first young adult novel in South Korea to employ magic as a major plot device, breaking the convention of the genre to deal with only realistic settings. The judges of the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction chose ''Wijeodeu'' as the winner because it is a fantastical allegory that deviates from the standard coming-of-age story set in schools.
Gu's later works are also allegories that use unusual motifs to reveal a dark side of reality. “''Hwagapsonyeojeon''” (화갑소녀전 Tale of the Match Girl) is a short story based on “
The Little Match Girl
"The Little Match Girl" ( da, Den Lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne, meaning "The little girl with the sulphur-sticks", i.e. matches) is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The story, about a dying child's dre ...
” by
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales.
Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...
. But instead of seeing wonderful visions in the glow of her matches, the protagonist only sees scenes of horror and tragedy. The story urges readers to question commonly accepted truths or lessons and to view the world in a new light.
Works
* 심장에 수놓은 이야기 ''A Story Embroided In The Heart'' (2020)
* 버드 스트라이크 ''Bird Strike'' (2019)
* 단 하나의 문장 ''The One Sentence'' (2018)
* 네 이웃의 식탁 ''Four Neighbors' Dining Table'' (2018)
* 한 스푼의 시간 ''A Spoonful of Time'' (2016)
* 빨간구두당 ''The Red Shoes Party'' (2015)
* 그것이 나만은 아니기를 ''May It Not Be Just Me'' (2015)
* 파과 ''Damaged Fruit'' (2013)
* 파란 아이 ''Blue Child'' (2013)
* 피그말리온 아이들 ''The Pygmalion Children'' (2012)
* 방주로 오세요 ''Come to Bangju'' (2012)
* 고의는 아니지만 ''I Didn’t Mean to But'' (2011)
* 아가미 ''Gills'' (2011)
* 위저드 베이커리 ''Wizard Bakery'' (2009)
Works in Translation (partial)
Source:
* The Old Woman with the Knife (English)
(Spanish)
Fils de l'eau(French)
AZALEA (Journal of Korean Literature & Culture) : Volume Ten(English)
Awards
* 2016: Daesan Literary Award, translation category
* 2015: Today's Writer Award
* 2015: Hwang Sun-won New Writers' Award
* 2009: Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction
References
External links
The Wizard Bakery Book Trailer (English)The Wizard Bakery Book Trailer (Spanish)The Wizard Bakery excerpt (English)
Interview (Spanish) at the Guadalajara International Book FairLearning to Breathe: Greatest Fish by Gu Byeong-moLTI Korea Attends the 2015 Guadalajara International Book FairKorean novel enthralls Mexican young adults
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gu, Byeong-mo
South Korean women novelists
South Korean novelists
1976 births
Writers from Seoul
Living people
Kyung Hee University alumni