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Asking Questions About Human Dignity Through a Survival Drama
Total prize money of 60 million KRW awarded, ceremony to be held on November 23 in Bucheon Art Center
The Bucheon Diaspora Literary Award (BUDILIA) is an international literature prize launched by Bucheon in partnership with the UNESCO Creative Cities of Literature Network with the goal of building global solidarity and creating a world filled with hospitality and cooperation through the medium of literature. The shortlist of eight finalists was released in July 2022 after a year-long process that began in May 2021. After a preliminary review by the Nomination Committee (eight members), final review by the Judging Committee (five members) and approval from the Steering Community, one novel was selected as the prize winner.
The Judging Committee for the second BUDILIA was chaired by Kwa-Ri JEONG(Yonsei University professor), with Hae-Hyun PARK (former The Literature Reporter & Columnist), Ki-Hyung SONG (former professor in Konkuk University), Ha-Yun JUNG (professor at the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation at Ewha Womans University) and Son-Jeong CHO (professor at Seoul National University) as members. The Nomination Committee consisted of literature experts representing eight languages (Korean, English, German, Russian, French, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese), and the names of the members are not released.
This year’s award winner Pachinko is a well-known work of literature that was originally published in the US in 2017 and later turned into a drama on Apple TV. The novel has been touted as painting a dignified picture of one family’s history of suffering across four generations from the Japanese colonial period to the 1980s. The fast-paced narration, shifts between time periods and objective and refined sentences describe an elaborate story of Zainichi Koreans in Japan. It is even more meaningful that this work was nominated by the Bucheon branch of the Korean Writers Association.
With respect to the reason for selecting LEE’s novel, the Judging Committee stated “The desperate story of survival in Pachinko hints at the trouble experienced by Joseon, the family’s home country, in the late 19th century. At the same time, it speaks to the diaspora of displaced people around the world who find themselves facing the misfortune of drifting in a foreign land after losing their roots. From start to finish, the author poses the question ‘What makes humans human?’, reminding readers that when you take on a valuable existence in life, life also has value to you. In this respect, Pachinko is a novel about honor.”
The BUDILIA translator’s prize is awarded with a view to introducing Korean readers to literature from different countries and making Korean literature known around the world. This year’s award will be shared between Mi-Jung LEE, who contributed to popularizing Pachinko in Korea as the translator of the now out-of-print edition, and Seung-Mi SHIN, who will carry the torch in translating the revised edition of Pachinko.
Bucheon Mayor Yong-Eek CHO also issued a congratulatory message, stating “I have always expressed my belief that culture makes a city more competitive and boosts civic pride and quality of life among the people. I hope the BUDILIA will serve as a foundation for this, and I welcome LEE Min Jin on her inaugural visit to Bucheon.”
Kee-jae JUNG, president of the Bucheon branch of the Korean Writers Association, stated “We are delighted that the novel nominated by the Bucheon branch of the Korean Writers Association has been honored with this award. Congratulations to both of the translators.”
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