The Memory of the Sad Times, written by Won-Il Kim , 2001
The Memory of the Sad Times shows the transfiguration of an author who had developed his own unique literary world of big scale works. This novel series tells the story of the unfortunate generation – whose youth had to go through Japanese Imperialism and war – with a new literary style of reiterating the conscious and the unconscious. The author compiles the tails of four elderly men who are awaiting their deaths in a nursing home in this series.

A Wonderer in History 1-3, written by Geo-Il Bok , 1991

The story starts with the protagonist Oun-Oh Yi, the 21st century science magazine journalist, riding a “Time Sack”. After a forced landing in Choongchung-do in the 16th century, just a few years before “Japanese Invasion”, the protagonist first tries to adapt to the people of the past. Gou-Il Bok displays the process of Oun-Oh first trying to fit in, but gradually discovering the absurd irrationality suppressing that era, and finally trying to amend them.

South and North 1-6, written by Seong-Won Hong , 2000
There were neither heroes nor winners in the Korean War. It mass-produced only the defeated. The author believes only through the eyes of the “defeated” can the desolate ruin as a whole be exposed. He also shows that Koreans can be freed from the suffering spirit only when the whole aspect of the Korean War is understood in this way.

Bird, written by Jeong-Hui Oh , 1996
In this gloomy yet beautiful story about an exhausting reality of a young brother and sister who were abandoned by their parents, the gaudy and dark side of the world is revealed through the eyes of a little girl with a pure soul, sorrowfully and intensely revealing the devastating dead-ends of life.

An Island at the Mouth of the River, written by In-Seong Yi , 1999
This is the fourth collection of stories from a writer, who presented a powerful and fresh shock to the Korean literature with experimental and avant-garde works. The author maintains this unique world with an intense writing style while experimenting on literary form. He continuously throws questions at what a novel is and what the act of writing a novel is.

Searching for the Lost Words, written by Cheong-Jun Lee , 1981
The author explores the corruption of “language” and the hidden truth of it with the consecutive novels “An Introduction to Sociology of Language” and “The Southern Man”. He pursues the peaceful order of language here.

The Lighthouse, written by Cheol-U Lim , 2002
A badly-off family with an indifferent father who is preoccupied with his “second” family leaves their hometown, Wan-do and settles in a remote mountain village – away from any relatives – in order to make a living. The family’s hard life of the past is told with a retrospective mode in this coming-of-age story.

The Train Leaves at Seven, written by Kyung-Sook Shin , 1999
This book was the turning point into a new literary world for the author. A profound introspection on human and life is shown through a journey in search of the memory of a lost love. The sensitive style is connected with the irrational one in an attempt to construct a new writing style, which creates fascination and tension for the readers.

Succession, written by Hui-Kyung Eun , 2002
Ordinary images of life become vivid tragicomedy in the able hands of Hui-Kyung Eun. Out of her abilities, “eccentric view” is rare among Korean writers. Through her talented point of view, the wretched story becomes humorous and the banal scene gives off a scent of bitter sorrow.

Temptation, written by Seok-Jae Sung , 1999
The author who secured a considerable number of readers with his original humor, innuendo, innocent exaggeration and drollery, shows off his volubility and wit again in this collection of stories.
Various comedies and tragedies that exist in the human life and the diverse attributes of human nature that ooze out of life representing dance parties, gambling tables, and drinking bouts are buoyantly described by Seok-Jae Sung with the use of his free literary style and not-so-light humor.

Lots of shit in Nokcheon, written by Chang-Dong Lee , 1992
Questioning the not-questioned actual events and facts of the Korean society, the author reveals that these are mere illusions which have been hiding under layers of misrepresentation by paradoxically portraying the genuine life as being idiotic.

The Pacific Crossing Express, written by DJUNA , 2002
In the year 2002, readers can enter a totally new world of science fiction thanks to Djuna. The author aggressively adopts various themes from the online world and spews out these stories through a unique and lucid voice. In this third collection of stories Djuna presents us with an exceptional paradigm, a new machine civilization, free from “human-centralism”.

Searching for the Elephant, written by Kyung-Ran Jo , 2002
“A place where people live, birds sing, trees grow and friends visit is your home”, says the mature writer, Kyung-Ran Jo. The author who has been seeking after the ontology of self with delicate sensibility and elaborate style, has published her third collection of seven short stories and novels including a unique autobiographical novel.

Your Cold Hand, written by Gang Han , 2002
Nobody brought out the existential proposition, “life is a wound”, like Gang Han in the 1990’s. The author invites us to yet a deeper and broader literary world engraved with the fatigue of life and the burning pain of deep wounds.

Death in Venice, written by Chan Jung , 2003
The author, Chan Jung is never swept away by the latest trends in literature, and maintains his own literary world with a consistent strict attitude, instead of criticizing violent power. Also he studied the rear of existence, with all his efforts directed to time and memory. Through the eleven volumes diverse contemplation and imagination of time are expressed.

All the Beautiful Children, written by Shi-Han Choi , 1996
This coming-of-age five volume series is an excellent diary format novel on education that tracks the agony and unrest of the sensitive and young souls set in the still insufficient education system.

Arang, Why?, written by Young-Ha Kim , 2001
This is a novel from a “closely watched next-generation writer” with the greatest expectations of leading the future of Korean literature. Using the legend of “Arang” which already has innumerable versions as the subject matter, the buoyant and wild imagination of Yeong-Ha Kim, while jumping back and forth from the 16th century to the 20th century, takes off.