Four world classics translated into Korean for 1st time

Four foreign literary works that have not made the jump to Korean due to difficulty in translation or lack of commercial interest have been selected for the 2022 Translation of World Classics.

The Daesan Foundation announced Monday four novels to be translated and introduced for the first time in the country.

The selected novels were: “Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life” (1848) by Elizabeth Gaskell, “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh” (1933) by Franz Werfel, “Reeds in the Wind” (1913) by Grazia Deledda and “The Millennial Rapture” (1982) by Kenji Nakagami.

Gaskell’s first novel set in northwest England in the 19th century depicts the structural conflicts of the working-class community through the love story of a factory worker's daughter.

Werfel’s war novel in German portrays the 1915 Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

Meanwhile, Italian Nobel Prize winner Deledda explores the theme of universal human pain through poverty, honor and superstition, set on the island of Sardinia, Italy.

Nakagami's novel revolves around brothers of a clan living in a small community who commit evil deeds.

A total of 39 million won ($29,900) will be provided for the project, with each translator receiving a subsidy of 7 million to 14 million won.

The Daesan Foundation has supported the translation of foreign literary works into Korean since 1999 to expand the exchange of world literature and to enrich Korean literature. Through its initiative, 179 works have been published in Korean under the “Daesan World Classics” series by Moonji Publishing Co.