By the internationally acclaimed author of Cursed Bunny, in another thrilling translation from the Korean by Anton Hur, Your Utopia is full of tales of loss and discovery, idealism and dystopia, death and immortality. "Nothing concentrates the mind like Chung's terrors, which will shrivel you to a bouillon cube of your most primal instincts" (Vulture), yet these stories are suffused with Chung's inimitable wry humor and surprisingly tender moments, too--often between unexpected subjects. In "The Center for Immortality Research," a low-level employee runs herself ragged planning a fancy gala for donors, only to be blamed for a crime she witnessed during the event, under the noses of the mysterious celebrity benefactors hoping to live forever. But she can't be fired--no one can. In "One More Kiss, Dear," a tender, one-sided love blooms in the AI-elevator of an apartment complex; as in, the elevator develops a profound affection for one of the residents. In "Seeds," we see the final frontier of capitalism's destruction of the planet and the GMO companies who rule the agricultural industry in this bleak future, but nature has ways of creeping back to life. Chung's writing is "haunting, funny, gross, terrifying--and yet when we reach the end, we just want more" (Alexander Chee). If you haven't yet experienced the fruits of this singular imagination, Your Utopia is waiting.
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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.
