Kim Hee-sun wins Daesan Award with dystopian take on post-pandemic world

Novelist Kim Hee-sun won the fiction category of the Daesan Literary Awards on Tuesday for her latest novel "All About 247,” a thought-provoking work that explores a post-pandemic society shaped by the aftermath of COVID-19.

Set in near-future Korea, after the pandemic, society has built systems to prevent large-scale outbreaks. A global Disease Control Center now coordinates efforts worldwide to fight infectious diseases. Fever-reducing drugs are banned to curb virus spread, heat sensors are installed everywhere, and drones fly overhead to detect anyone with a fever. People showing symptoms must go to a hospital to prove they’re not carriers before they can get medication.

The judging committee praised the novel as a fascinating work that vividly expands on the imaginative realm of a post-pandemic society.

“This was something we all witnessed firsthand,” said Kim, who had traveled from her hometown of Wonju in Gangwon Province to attend the press conference in Seoul.

A pharmacist by profession, Kim reflected, “I once worked in a nursing hospital. My main task was handling medications, so I rarely interacted with patients. But as I walked down the hospital corridor, I’d catch glimpses of the rooms through windows. Inside those quiet, seemingly frozen rooms lay people -- elderly, frail, unable to move, yet undeniably alive, breathing and human.”

When the pandemic broke out in late 2019, Kim’s mind went immediately to the faces of those patients she had seen in the nursing hospital -- the ones most vulnerable to infection, yet confined to their beds.

"We always say that every life is precious when times are peaceful. But during past plagues, like the Black Death, there are stories of people infected being locked in their homes with doors nailed shut, buried alive or cast into the sea. We used to think, ‘How barbaric.’"

"But when COVID-19 struck, it seemed we slipped back into barbarism all too easily,” said Kim, referring to the cohort isolation of hospitals and labeling or “demonizing” of people with super spreaders.

“Those who became the targets of hatred and fear had no voices. From the moment I began writing, I believed a novelist’s duty is to listen to those without voices. As I arrived here today, the faces of those people were the first thing that came to my mind.”

The Daesan Foundation announced four winners for its 32nd annual awards, including Kim, poet Kang Eun-gyo, literary critic Seo Young-chae and Korean-to-Spanish translator Alvaro Trigo Maldonado.

The foundation awards prizes in four categories: poetry, fiction, drama or literary criticism, and translation. Each winner receives 50 million won (about $36,300), and the three winning works in Korean will be considered for translation and overseas publication.

Poet Kang won with her poetry collection “The Fantasy Shop by Future Mart” (a direct translation of the Korean title).

The judging committee described her work as “a breath of life into the weary, lonely lives of countless women.”

In recent years, Kang’s poetry has focused on the theme of “Dango-maegi,” a figure drawn from Korean shamanic mythology. Also known as “Danggeum-aegi,” she is a woman who, after successfully bearing and raising three children, is transformed into Grandmother Samshin, the goddess of childbirth and fate who bestows upon humans the gift of new life.

Reflecting on the journey, Kang said, “After publishing my collection this July, I was overwhelmed by a sense of despair. For the first time, I wondered if it was time to stop writing poetry. I even cried, thinking it might be my last. But through my tears, I resolved to write again and never let my poetry pollute the world.”

The award for drama or literary criticism alternates annually, while the translation award rotates through English, French, German and Spanish. This year’s awards honored literary criticism and Spanish translation.

Literary critic and Korean literature professor Seo of Seoul National University received the criticism award for his fourth collection, “The Garden of Friendship,” exploring the works of contemporary Korean authors like Eun Hee-kyung, Choi Eun-young, Baik Sou-linne and Lee Seung-u.

Spanish translator Maldonado won for his translation of Bora Chung’s “Cursed Bunny” (“Conejo Maldito” in Spanish). The judges commended his translation for “preserving the tone and style of the original work.”

Based in Salamanca, Maldonado has translated 12 Korean novels, including “Because I Hate Korea” by Chang Kang-myoung, “Fortress on Mt. Namhan” by Kim Hoon and "Summer Outside" by Kim Ae-ran.

“Translation is a solitary pursuit, so an award like this carries even more meaning. People often say translators are perfect readers because we meticulously examine every detail of a work,” said Maldonado through a statement, unable to attend the press conference.

“Because it’s such an isolated process, it’s also lonely. Knowing my translations have reached readers across Spain, Mexico, Argentina and beyond has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. It’s incredibly fulfilling to know readers exist on the other side of the globe.”

The awards ceremony will be held on Nov. 28 at the President Hotel in central Seoul.