Seoul International Book Fair to kick off with theme of 'nonhuman'

Poster for the 2023 Seoul International Book Fair (Korean Publishers Association)

The Seoul International Book Fair, the country’s largest book event, will kick off on Wednesday at Coex in Gangnam-gu, southeastern Seoul.

Under the theme of “Nonhuman,” the five-day annual book fair aims to break away from anthropocentric perspectives, inviting engagement with and participation of the nonhuman, said the Korean Publishers Association.

Talks, exhibitions and events will take place to explore the multiple human-caused crises we find ourselves amidst -- including the climate crisis, extinctions and planetary ecological crises -- reflecting our changing perspectives amid these realities, and seeking a new balance among humans and the animals, plants and objects around us.

A total of 481 publishing companies, including 121 foreign publishers from around 30 countries, and over 200 speakers are expected to join the event.

The poster the shows the six promotional ambassadors for the 2023 Seoul International Book Fair: (from left) novelists Cheon Seon-ran, Pyun Hye-young, Oh Jeong-hui, Kim In-suk, Kim Ae-ran and Choi Eun-young. (Korean Publishers Association)

Six promotional ambassadors for this year – Korean writers-- Cheon Seon-ran, Pyun Hye-young, Oh Jeong-hui, Kim In-suk, Kim Ae-ran and Choi Eun-young -- will take part in the joint talk program, “Literature as Nonhumans,” on Sunday, delving into stories that explore the relationships between humans and nonhumans.

Internationally recognized literary figures including Viet Thanh Nguyen, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sympathizer,” Korean American novelist Kim Ju-hea of "Beasts of a Little Land," Anton Hur, the double-nominated translator for the 2022 Booker Prize, and Nicolaj Schultz, a Ph.D. fellow in sociology at the University of Copenhagen, will be participating at the book fair.

Also among notable Korean participants is author Cheon Myeong-kwan, whose novel “Whale” (translated into English by Chi-Young Kim) was longlisted for this year's Booker Prize and will give a talk on Saturday. Choe Jae-chun, a professor of behavior ecology at Ewha Womans University's College of Natural Sciences, will give a seminar Wednesday on animals as part of the discussion on the larger theme of nonhumans. Writers Kim Yeon-su, Kim Cho-yeop and Kim Keum-hee, as well as poet Lee So-ho are also taking part in the fair.

Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, has been selected as the guest of honor country at this year's Seoul International Book Fair. About 100 speakers from 17 organizations and companies will be attending the fair to introduce the literature and culture of the country.

Canada, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with Korea, has been chosen as the spotlight country. About 30 Canadian publishers will participate in the book fair.

Booker Prize-winning author Yann Martel of “The Story of Pi” will visit Korea for the first time, giving lectures on Wednesday and Thursday. Additionally, Martel is scheduled to take part in a talk hosted by The Daesan Foundation and Kyobo Book Center on Friday, which will be streamed online.

Ahead of the fair, the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea is hosting the K-Book Copyright Market on Monday and Tuesday at the Intercontinental Seoul Coex.

Designed as a B2B event, it aims to facilitate consultations between overseas publishers and agencies with domestic publishers on copyright exports. Some 50 buyers from 18 countries, including Taiwan and Vietnam, Norway, Italy and Canada will take part.

More information and a detailed schedule are available at SIBF's official website.

By Hwang Dong-hee(hwangdh@heraldcorp.com)