Another Celebration... Kim Juhye Wins Russia Tolstoy Literary Award

Awarded with translator for 'Jageun Ttang-ui Yaseudeul'
"Well written, transparent, and mature work" praised
"An honor to introduce the tiger as a symbol of Korean independence"

Korean-American writer Kim Juhye has become the recipient of Russia's most prestigious literary award.

On the 10th of this month (local time), at the 2024 Tolstoy Literary Award (Yasnaya Polyana Award) ceremony held at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, Kim Juhye was selected as the winner of the Overseas Literature Award along with Kirill Batygin, who translated her work Beasts of a Small Land into Russian. She was honored among the final 10 nominees in the overseas literature category, surpassing Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk and others. This recognition comes amid evaluations that Korean literature has expanded its global reach following Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature, marking a significant achievement as a novel by a Korean writer set in the Japanese colonial period on the Korean Peninsula was acknowledged in Tolstoy's homeland, Russia.

Kim Juhye's debut novel, Beasts of a Small Land, is a full-length novel depicting the tumultuous lives of ordinary people who struggled on the small land of the Korean Peninsula during the Japanese colonial era. It was published domestically in 2023 through Dasan Books. In Russia, it was released by Inspiria following Batygin's translation. According to Dasan Books, jury member Pavel Vasinsky stated at a press conference, "There are beasts here. Among them, the tiger is a symbol of Korean independence. I would compare this work to Alexei Tolstoy's The Road to Calvary," adding, "It is very well written, transparent, mature, and an astonishing work for such a young writer."

Before the award announcement, Kim Juhye expressed to Dasan Books, "I am honored. Personally, I have always felt indebted to the philosophy of Russian literature," and added, "I believe this was an opportunity to globally promote the tiger, our heritage, as a symbol of Korean independence, and more broadly, to elevate pride in our culture and history," sharing her thoughts on being nominated.

Meanwhile, the Tolstoy Literary Award was established in 2003 by Samsung Electronics' Russian branch in collaboration with Russia's Lev Tolstoy Museum to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Tolstoy's birth, and it is regarded as Russia's most prestigious literary prize.