The Arab world is witnessing a growing interest in Korean literature – in particular fiction writing – with the translated works of Korean novels being added to the shelves of Arab libraries.
The Arabic Scientific Publisher, a Beirut–based publishing house, recently released the novel ‘Princess Bari’ written by South Korean writer Hwang Sok-Yong and translated into Arabic by Iraqi translator Ali Abdul Amir Saleh. Inspired by the ‘Abandoned Princess,’ a mythological Korean tale, the story interweaves the Korean myth of Princess Bari, blending contemporary London with ancient Korea.
At 320 pages, Yong’s novel takes readers on a journey to save the world from evil and widespread hostility. Through the work, Yong underlines the importance of peace and stability in achieving human communication between all peoples and cultures.
Before publishing Princess Bari as a book, Yong published it as a serial story in the Korean newspaper Han Kyu-Rhee in 2007 on the sidelines of his visit to North Korea and China. The subsequent novel has been translated into several languages, with its English language version published in 2015.