[Latest Read] Feeling stressed? Shanna Tan translates 'healing' Korean books

SINGAPORE -- A wave of "healing" Korean literature has gained momentum this year, with a growing number of titles winning hearts and more to come just over the horizon.

At the center of the wave stands Shanna Tan, the Singaporean translator who debuted with runaway bestseller "Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop" by Hwang Bo-reum, followed by bestseller after bestseller, including "Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat” by Kim Ji-yun and the latest, “Marigold Mind Laundry” by Yun Jung-eun, bringing these comforting reads to global audiences.

The missionary of healing fiction sat down with The Korea Herald and discussed why these stories resonate so profoundly with readers.

Allure of universal themes, slower pace, intimate spaces

Tan’s translations have struck a chord in her home country, consistently earning her a spot on bestseller lists. She credits the success to cultural parallels and universal themes that address everyday issues such as family relationships, friendship, career struggles and self-identity.

"In Singapore (and in Asia), we grow up in a competitive society, with a strong sense of competition and a strict definition of success," said Tan, speaking in English. “So I would say that many Singaporeans, as well as global readers, do relate to the issues and the questions that the characters are asking themselves.”

What she finds special is the "deliberate" pacing of these books, which encourages readers to slow down, creating space for introspection.

“I like how Korean healing fiction tends to feel a little slower, but I think that's intentional. They are about life’s small movements. Sometimes people say it doesn’t seem like there’s much plot but I think that’s precisely the point. Our lives aren’t always dramatic.”

At a slow pace, the writers naturally weave in important values we've forgotten or things that are very obvious but often overlooked in the rush of life, like little reminders of what truly matters.

"And you connect with the characters’ journeys seeing how they handle their struggles. I love this active engagement with the books -- it feels like a friend telling you, 'It's OK, it's fine.'"

Another charm of the books, says Tan, is their focus on space and community. Their settings are often confined to places like bookstores, laundromats, convenience stores or workshops. Readers are moved to rethink the spaces and communities around them.

"A lot of the time, these stories are rooted in a particular place, and how it ties into the idea of community is important," she explained. "It’s about those unexpected friendships or experiences you might never think you'd have -- like, who would think to meet friends while doing laundry?"

Different flavors for every taste

Each of Tan’s translated works has its own flavor.

Her latest translation, “Marigold Mind Laundry,” incorporates elements of magic and fantasy, following the enigmatic owner of a laundromat who erases people’s painful memories.

“I loved the idea of washing away the stains on your heart,” Tan said. “The author delves deeply into grief, pain and loss. And you also begin to contemplate these emotions; are they something we can live with, rather than something we need to erase?”

What stood out to Tan in “Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat” was its unique structure of interconnected stories where each character’s journey stands alone, before ultimately converging around one central event.

“I find that amazing because that is exactly what a community looks like. Everyone has their own stories and when she (the author) chooses this structure it feels like everyone's story gets the spotlight. No one is a side character. We learn that everyone is the main character of their own life.”

“Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop,” Tan says, offers a “more philosophical” approach.

“The dialogues can be quite deep at times. And they give readers much to think about. The author mentioned wanting the characters to have conversations that, in real life, might be difficult to have.”

When asked about her own form of healing, Tan’s immediate response was the joy of translation. Her passion has always been in languages. A self-taught speaker of Korean and Japanese, she is now learning Thai and Danish.

“To me, that definition has never changed,” she said. “I love learning languages, I love doing things related to languages, and that is how I explore myself.

“Also as a translator, we are very close readers of the book. So as a reader, I really connected with the themes, and I love how I can bring these stories to English readers.”

Revisiting Singapore's history while more Korean works await

While Tan continues to focus on Korean literature, she’s also turning her attention to her roots. In April, she published her Chinese-to-English translation of “Dakota” by Wong Koi Tet.

“This is what I would call my passion project because I pursued it myself. It’s very important to me, and it’s very close to my heart,” said Tan.

Tan came across the book as she began to revisit local literature after embarking on literary translation. The nonfiction work is a coming-of-age story set in the 1970s and 1980s in Dakota Crescent, an iconic Singapore neighborhood lost to urban renewal.

“It’s important to me because I was born in the late 1980s, so what the author describes isn’t something ancient,” Tan said. “Singapore is a place that develops very rapidly, and we don’t remember these things anymore, but they’re part of our heritage.”

She said this would be a trip down memory lane for older Singaporeans and a window into history for younger ones. Tan hopes to publish her translation in the US and UK, bringing Singaporean stories to a broader audience.

More Korean books are on the way as well. The upcoming release, Ha Tae-wan’s "Every Moment Was You," a million-selling Korean essay and poetry collection about love, breakups, relationships and life, is set for release in May 2025.

Tan said this would be a personal departure from her usual focus on novels, but that she really enjoyed working on it.

The book appeared several times in the 2018 hit rom-com series "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim."

---

In this series, The Korea Herald introduces Korean literature through translated works, offering interviews with authors or translators as well as reviews, inviting readers to explore the vibrant literary landscape of Korea. -- Ed.