A wildly original debut from a rising star of Korean literature—surreal, chilling fables that take on the patriarchy, capitalism, and the reign of big tech with absurdist humor and a (sometimes literal) bite. Pre-order YOUR UTOPIA, the new book written by Bora Chung and translated by Anton Hur, coming February 2024!
From an author never before published in the United States, Cursed Bunny is unique and imaginative, blending horror, sci-fi, fairy tales, and speculative fiction into stories that defy categorization. By turns thought-provoking and stomach-turning, here monsters take the shapes of furry woodland creatures and danger lurks in unexpected corners of everyday apartment buildings. But in this unforgettable collection, translated by the acclaimed Anton Hur, Chung’s absurd, haunting universe could be our own.
“The Head” follows a woman haunted by her own bodily waste. “The Embodiment” takes us into a dystopian gynecology office where a pregnant woman is told that she must find a father for her baby or face horrific consequences. Another story follows a young monster, forced into underground fight rings without knowing his own power. The titular fable centers on a cursed lamp in the shape of a rabbit, fit for a child’s bedroom but for its sinister capabilities.
No two stories are alike, and readers will be torn whether to race through them or savor Chung’s wit and frenetic energy on every page. Cursed Bunny is a book that screams to be read late into the night and passed on to the nearest set of hands the very next day.
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4 books in catalog
Speculative fiction and horror short stories that fuse folklore, dark satire, and surreal social critique have gained widespread international acclaim through the translated collection Cursed Bunny. South Korean author Bora Chung crafts unsettling narratives that examine systemic oppression, technological anxiety, and human vulnerability.
Bora Chung was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1976 to parents who were dentists. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yonsei University, followed by a Master of Arts in Russian and East European area studies from Yale University and a PhD in Slavic literature from Indiana University Bloomington. In addition to writing novels and short story collections, Chung has taught Russian language, Russian literature, and science fiction studies at Yonsei University. She also translates modern literary works from Russian and Polish into Korean, frequently collaborating with translator Anton Hur to bring her own work to English-language readers.
Chung's writing frequently blurs the boundaries between magical realism, science fiction, psychological horror, and dark humor. Her stories leverage grotesque imagery, surreal conceits, and absurd situations to interrogate the real-world cruelties of capitalism, patriarchy, and societal inequality. By transposing historical events or domestic anxieties into futuristic and supernatural settings, her work illuminates the physical and emotional toll inflicted on marginalized individuals.
