International Literary Exchanges

HISTORY

2009
In 2009, the Foundation supported the International Literary Exchange program in the following manner:
Daesan-U.C. Berkeley Korean Writer-in-Residence Program
In order to offer talented young writers a meaningful creative experience, as well as to further literary and cultural exchanges between Korea and the United States, the Foundation finished its fourth collaboration of the Korean Writer-in-Residence Program with the prestigious University of California at Berkeley. Applications were received from recognized writers in the fields of poetry, fiction or drama; eligible writers had to be less than fifty years old, and after screening, the poet Seongho Ham was selected. The program consists of English classes, Korean translation and Korean literature lectures, attendance at literary events on- and off-campus, exchanges with noted American writers, the planning of special cultural events, and visits to various parts of the United States. The program lasted for three months starting in April 2009.
UC Berkeley’s Invitation of Korean Women Poets— “Strong Voices: Korean American Women Poets”
The Foundation supported the UC Berkeley Center for Korean Studies’ “Strong Voices: Korean American Women Poets,” which was held for six days, starting from April 1 (Wednesday) at UC Berkeley and nearby San Francisco. Poets Hee-duk Ra, Chung-hee Moon, Youngmi Choi, Jeongrye Choi, and Insuk Hwang participated in the event which included a series of readings and symposiums along with other diverse programs. This event introduced Korean poetry to the greater California region surrounding Berkeley; it also helped to promote exchange between Korean poets and writers living in the United States including Korean American poets.
Europe’s Plan to Feature Korean Novels
The Foundation supported Europe magazine’s (headed by Jean Bellemin-Noel, Professor Emeritus of University of Paris VIII) plan to publish a special edition focusing on Korean novels. Europe is an influential French literary magazine founded in 1923 that mainly publishes features on authors, literary trends, and literature from specific countries around the world. The special edition to be published in the beginning half of 2010 will feature the translated writings of Gyeonguk Gim, Yeonsu Gim, Seungu Lee, Inseong Lee, Ihyeon Jeong, Hyeyeong Pyeon, and Yuju Han among others, as well as translated interviews and book reviews.