[Eye Interview] Charting remarkable year, Anton Hur's journey in literature continues

Acclaimed Korean-to-English translator and newly minted novelist, Anton Hur is navigating his busiest year yet.

Based in Seoul, Hur was born in Stockholm and raised in Hong Kong, Ethiopia and Thailand, "but mostly in Korea." So far this year, he has published six translated works, made his debut as a fiction writer, and embarked on a whirlwind international book tour -- with more to come in the remaining months.

“I've been traveling a lot this year,” Hur said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Oct. 10. “I’ve been to Seattle, Montreal, Dubai, Bhutan and the UK twice. By the second time, I was like, 'Why does this place feel so familiar?' And I must have spent nearly a month in the US.”

Reflecting on his packed schedule, Hur recalled his conversation with Daniel Hahn, the British writer, editor and translator with over a hundred books to his name.

“I remember thinking, ‘How does this guy, always on the move, find time to work?’ And he told me he does it in airports, on planes, on trains. I was so stunned. I thought, ‘How can you live like that?’”

But here he is, living that very life. Next on Hur’s itinerary is the Singapore Writers Festival, Nov. 8-17, where he’s been invited to speak, and he has one more book, the million-copy bestselling essay, “I Decided to Live as Me,” by Kim Su-hyun, set to hit the shelves on Nov. 19 with Penguin Random House.

From double nominations to International Booker judge

On top of everything, Hur has been appointed as a judge for next year’s International Booker Prize, becoming the first Korean national to serve on the panel since the prestigious prize introduced its international category in 2005. Hur joins a panel of five judges, chaired by Max Porter.

“It’s so fantastic. When I got the call, I was immediately, ‘Oh, I’m in.’”

He acknowledges the weight of the responsibility -- with a big obligation, a heavy reading load and all the work that goes into it.

“I’ve judged other prizes before, so I know what it’s like,” said Hur. “From my previous experience, I know that I have to keep an open mind and be absolutely open to books that I normally wouldn’t pick up on my own.”

He said it’s inspiring to see the work that other translators are doing.

“I love being surprised, and that’s been the best part of the judging process so far -- picking up a book from the batch and finding out that this could have existed until I picked it up. And, of course, the other judges are fantastic. I love just hanging out with them."

Hur has a significant connection to the International Booker Prize, which was a major breakthrough in his career. He was double-nominated in 2022 for Bora Chung’s “Cursed Bunny” and Park Sang-yong’s “Love in the Big City.” Since then, Korean novels have been nominated for the British literary award for three consecutive years.

“I think this speaks to the fact that Korean translators are now at a level where we can do this. We are such good translators as well as operators that it has made all the difference in the international market.”

Hur pointed out that many of the books being recognized now were published a long time ago. For example, Shin Kyung-sook's “Violets,” which he translated, was nominated for the US National Book Critics Circle's Barrios Book in Translation Prize in 2022; the book originally came out in 2001.

“So, over 20 years later, it gets nominated for a prize in translation. The books we’re translating have not changed. It’s the translators who have changed, and there’s so much proof of this," he said.

“I feel like Korean translators don’t get enough credit for changing the face of Korean literature. Everyone is like, ‘Oh, literature is so great!’ Yes, it has been great the whole time. It’s the translators who have learned to make daring choices, not just in what they translate, but also in the translation process itself," said Hur.

From star translator to debut novelist

In what has already been a busy year as a translator, Hur has added another title as a novelist, fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a fiction writer.

His debut novel, "Toward Eternity," written in English and published in the US and the UK in July by HarperVia, is speculative fiction set in the near future, where a groundbreaking technological therapy has begun to eradicate cancer, replacing the body's cells with nanites (android cells) that not only cure the afflicted but also leave them virtually immortal.

The narrative follows Yong-hun, a literary researcher who teaches an AI to understand poetry. After undergoing nanotherapy, he mysteriously vanishes, then reappears asking unsettling questions about his identity and existence. The book touches on the nature of intelligence and the unforeseen consequences of progress, delving deep into themes of personhood, humanity and love.

Hur first wrote the story as a short piece in 2013, sparked by a fleeting thought in the shower. After setting it aside, he returned to it this time, dedicating himself to transforming it into a full-fledged novel.

To his surprise, he wrote much of the book during his subway commutes, a setting he found that best suited him for entering into a "dream state.”

“A lot of people go to cafes to work because there’s ambient noise. The nice thing about the subway is that there’s both ambient noise and motion.”

Hur said it was Lee Seong-bok’s “Indeterminate Inflorescence,” a collection of aphorisms on poetry writing, that gave him the idea, where Lee says, "It's your hand that does the writing; it's not your head. You have to keep your head out of your writing."

“I think the same goes for prose. I've tried outlining before, but it didn’t allow for any discovery or a sense of freedom for me. You just have to find the method that works best for you.”

Hur noted that he found greater freedom in writing than in translation.

“I had more freedom than when I was translating. I just enjoyed the process so much. I don’t understand why some people complain about writing,” he said laughing.

Asked how he felt when he first received a copy of his novel, Hur said, “I really don't feel any particular way about it because I just feel so strongly about my translations as being ‘my work.’”

“This calendar year, I publish(ed) seven books, so to me, it feels like just one of them that I put (on a stack) over here,” he added.

In a humorous nod to the creative process, he quoted Jon Fosse’s quip about aliens telling him what to write through telepathy.

“So with ‘Toward Eternity,’ I feel like aliens wrote it and is it another translation? That’s what I feel like -- it’s another one of my books. It’s very precious. I love all of my authors, and that’s how it feels right now.”

“Toward Eternity” is set to be released in Korean in the summer of 2025, translated by none other than Bora Chung.

Hur is also working on his second novel about painters.

Building a sustainable literary ecosystem

Hur has a slew of high-profile projects ahead, including the translation of Kim Sung-il’s epic fantasy trilogy "Blood of the Old Kings," the first installment of which was released this month, Lee Yeong-do’s four-part epic fantasy saga "The Bird That Drinks Tears," two of Kim Cho-yeob’s bestselling books, and more works by Bora Chung.

Hur said that the breakneck pace of this year is unsustainable for both himself and the health of the literary ecosystem.

“I went through all sorts of things when I was starting out," said Hur. "I became determined that others shouldn’t have to go through what I did. So, I constantly tell them, ‘You can do this; this is how you do it.’ That’s why I put myself out for teaching at places like the Bread Loaf Translators' Conference.”

He emphasized the importance of knowledge-sharing in the translation community. “I think it’s really important that we have this flow of information, instead of having a cartel of translators trying to control everything and exclude others,” he said, explaining that letting the same people do all the work is not the solution.

“It’s not good for the health of the ecosystem. We need to provide security and as much opportunity as possible for emerging translators because we need a good, healthy pool to produce the best of Korean literature. I mean, you can't have Anton Hur translate every single Korean book in the world."