Korean literature in Brazil: current status and challenges

Abstract

The starting point of this study is a report of what has been done in the field of Korean literature in Brazil – translations and research – in the last decades, seeking to reflect on some key issues that a re involved in its production. The initiatives on translating Korean literature into Portuguese date back to 80’s, but the field remains virtually unexplored, and the recent interest of some editors – boosted by the recent visibility of Korea in the world and the Man Booker International Prize given to The Vegetarian (Han Kang) in 2016, faces the lack of qualified translators. Past trials, almost totally financed by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), have been sparse and disparate. T hey were dissonant not only mutually but from a possible reading audience. For instance, some success has been reached by the Korean children literature in the Brazilian market, which is not, unfortunately, part of the mentioned Institute’s plans. The same happens to the young literature, with potential among K - pop fans. In addition, there are also day by day worsening conditions in Brazilian editorial market, the inexistence of qualified translations and a web of dissonant factors that hinder the initial s teps of Korean literature in Brazil.