Picture a South Korean storyteller who spins tales so eerie and enchanting they linger like a strange dream—meet Bora Chung! Born in Seoul in 1976, Chung has carved a niche in global literature with her genre-defying short story collection Cursed Bunny, shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize. Her stories, blending Korean folklore with horror, fantasy, and science fiction, tackle the absurdities of modern life with a wickedly playful edge.
With a PhD in Slavic literature and a knack for translating Russian and Polish works, Chung brings a unique lens to her writing. Her tales are both haunting and humorous, exploring revenge, patriarchy, and capitalism through surreal lenses—like a toilet-dwelling head or a cursed rabbit fetish. Ready to dive into her bizarre, brilliant world?
The Making of Bora Chung
Bora Chung’s journey began in Seoul, where she grew up in her parents’ dental clinic, surrounded by model skulls—a quirky backdrop for a future horror maestro. After earning a BA in Russian and English Literature at Yonsei University, she pursued an MA in Russian and East European Studies at Yale and a PhD in Slavic Literature at Indiana University. Her academic focus on writers like Andrei Platonov and Bruno Schulz shaped her fascination with existential themes and surreal storytelling.
Chung’s early career saw her teaching Russian language, literature, and science fiction at Yonsei University while translating modern Russian and Polish literature into Korean. Her writing career kicked off with a bang in 1998, winning the Yonsei Literature Prize for her short story “The Head,” a tale that foreshadowed her knack for the unsettling.
Bora Chung’s Unforgettable Stories
Chung’s breakout work, Cursed Bunny (2017, translated by Anton Hur), is a collection of ten short stories that defy categorization. From “The Head,” where a woman confronts a creature born from her waste, to the titular “Cursed Bunny,” which unravels a family cursed by a magical fetish, these tales weave Korean folklore with modern horrors. Her stories are visceral, often gruesome, yet laced with wry humor and philosophical depth.
Her follow-up, Your Utopia (2024), explores loss, dystopia, and the quest for immortality through science fiction lenses, like a smart elevator grappling with love in “A Song for Sleep.” Chung’s early works, published under the pen name Chung Do-gyung, include stories like “Mask” and “Tree,” showcasing her obsession with characters trapped by societal norms. Her upcoming novel, Red Sword (2025), promises more dark, genre-bending brilliance.
Influenced by Korean folktales like Samguk Yusa and Slavic writers, Chung’s style is a kaleidoscope of magical realism, horror, and fable. Her narratives tackle heavy themes—misogyny, greed, and societal pressure—through absurd, unforgettable imagery, earning comparisons to Kafka and Grimm’s fairy tales.
Why Bora Chung Matters
Bora Chung’s impact lies in her ability to make the bizarre feel universal. Her stories resonate globally, riding the wave of South Korean cultural exports like Parasite and Squid Game. By blending literary fiction with genre elements, she challenges the elitism of South Korea’s literary scene, where her work was once dismissed as “not pure.” Her Booker nomination and National Book Award finalist status for Cursed Bunny have cemented her as a trailblazer in speculative fiction.
As a social activist married to a labor rights advocate, Chung infuses her work with empathy for the marginalized. Her stories amplify the voiceless, from exploited workers to women trapped by societal expectations, making her a vital voice in contemporary literature.
- Born: 1976, Seoul, South Korea
- Key Works: Cursed Bunny, Your Utopia, Red Sword
- Awards: Yonsei Literature Prize (1998), International Booker Prize shortlist (2022), National Book Award finalist (2023)
Snag Cursed Bunny and dive into Bora Chung’s wild, weird world of speculative fiction!