Mirinae Lee becomes first Korean to win William Saroyan for debut novel

South Korean author Mirinae Lee has won the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing for her debut novel, “8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster.”

This biennial prize, jointly established in 2003 by Stanford University Libraries and the William Saroyan Foundation in honor of the novelist, playwright and short-story writer William Saroyan, recognizes one fiction and one nonfiction book to “encourage new or emerging writers, rather than to recognize established literary figures.”

This is the first time a Korean author has been selected for the award.

"Most American literary awards are not open to foreign writers. So it's amazing to be the first non-American to receive this award, and it feels particularly significant because it's a new writer award that can only be won once in a lifetime," said Lee in an email with The Korea Herald on Sunday.

Lee’s genre-defying novel follows Mrs. Mook, portrayed as a multifaceted storyteller who embodies various identities: at times a slave, an escape artist, a murderer, a terrorist, a spy, a lover and a mother. The novel unfolds through eight dark yet captivating chapters, each representing a different phase of Mrs. Mook's life. Her story begins by stating that she was born Japanese (during the colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula), lived as a North Korean and is now dying as a South Korean.

The judges praised Lee's work, remarking, "Lee's characters are so fascinating and complicated that the need to decipher them and unravel their mysteries generates unexpected suspense and a desire to rush toward the answers, but her lyrical and evocative prose simultaneously demands a slow savoring of each page. A beautifully complex story of human frailty and strength.”

In the previous interview with The Korea Herald in October 2023, Lee said her great aunt, one of the oldest women to escape North Korea alone in her 60s after the Korean War, was the inspiration for the complex character of Mrs. Mook.

Lee recalled her great aunt was “quite fierce, (and) had her own strong opinions and was very different from the other women of her generation.”

Although Korean is her first language, Lee wrote the novel in English. Born and raised in South Korea, she left home at 20 to study English literature in the US. She has since lived in Hong Kong, enrolling as a student in creative writing programs occasionally, and writing in both Korean and English.

Initially, she began writing the book in Korean, but later rewrote it in English. She said she felt more comfortable writing in English, saying it “somehow worked better for my fiction.” The Korean translation of the book was just released last month.

"I'm so excited and thrilled that now I can finally share my book in Korean. When it first came out in English last year, my family and Korean friends couldn't read it, but now they can. It feels incredibly special to reach them in this way," said Lee.

In addition to Lee's win in the fiction category, Fae Myenne Ng's memoir “Orphan Bachelors” won the nonfiction prize. Lee and Ng will each receive $5,000.