11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Seoul Writers' festival to explore stories that go beyond what meets the eye
Yan Lianke, Hyun Ki-young to open festival set for Sept. 9-17
Writers from around the world will gather in Seoul next month for the 2025 Seoul International Writers' Festival, a weeklong event designed to foster dialogue between authors and readers.
The Literature Translation Institute of Korea announced Monday that the festival will take place Sept. 12-17 at Ground Seoul in Jongno District, under the theme "( ) Meets the Eye." Ten international authors from eight countries and 19 Korean writers are slated to participate.
This year's theme, "( ) Meets the Eye," the organizers said, was chosen to explore the essence of things in an age awash with information and fierce competition for attention.
'The 2025 Seoul International Writers' Festival aims yet again to re-envision our world from a perspective beyond what the eye can see. We invite you into the beauty of the literature that is created when one set of eyes meets another,' said the institute in a statement.
The program will open with a conversation between Yan Lianke — an acclaimed Chinese novelist and winner of the Franz Kafka Prize who has twice been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize — and Hyun Ki-young, the Jeju–born Korean author whose works, including the novella "Uncle Suni" and the three-volume epic "Oh, Jejudo," have brought attention to the tragedy of the island's April 3 Uprising. The two writers plan to reflect on the historical wounds their countries share.
Other notable pairings include Lee Suzy, the first Korean recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration in 2022, with French picture-book artist Adrien Parlange; Swedish novelist Jonas Hassen Khemiri with Korean American author Juhea Kim of "Beasts of a Little Land."
Overseas guests also include Matteo B. Bianchi of Italy, Victoria Mas of France, Sarah Pinsker of the US, Elvira Navarro of Spain, Patrick deWitt of Canada and Yumi Fuzuki of Japan.
Korean authors include Kang Ji-young, author of "The Killer's Shopping List"; star SF writer Kim Cho-yeop of "If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light"; this year's breakout sensation Seong Hae-na of "Honmono"; Hans Christian Andersen Award nominee Lee Geum-yi; and Choi Jin-young of "Hunger," among others.
Founded in 2006, the Seoul International Writers' Festival is a global literary event dedicated to expanding opportunities for readers to engage with literature and to fostering international exchange in Seoul.
Admission is free, with reservations available beginning Monday through LTI Korea's official website and on Naver's booking page.
