Narrative Distance in Literary Translation

Public Lecture by Anton Hur, Korean literary translator and author.  

#1 New York Times bestselling translator Anton Hur is one of the most prolific, well-known Korean literary translators of our time, as well as an author of two published books. His unique, at times provocative voice (as translator, author, and speaker) seamlessly jumps between English and Korean and has made a splash wherever it travels. A few highlights include Hur’s translation of Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny, which was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize, his translations of Kyung-Sook Shin’s Violets and Lee Seong-bok’s Indeterminate Inflorescence, which were longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Awards, his co-translation of #1 New York Times bestseller Beyond the Story: 10-Year History of BTS, and his first work of science fiction Toward Eternity. He is also an International Booker Prize 2025 judge.

Literary translators such as Anton Hur have long been introducing Korean literature to English-reading audiences and have undoubtedly played a role in Korean literature gaining global recognition, culminating in Korean writer Han Kang being awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. Offering us an insider’s perspective in this fresh new lecture, Anton Hur will discuss the problem of translator intervention and the problems of not enough intervention sometimes being too much.

Dinner will be provided half-hour before event

Hosted by the ANU Korea Institute

Follow Anton Hur on social media 

Instagram: antonhur 

Bluesky: @antonhur.com 

TikTok: antonhur