Anton Hur's first English novel comes to Korea: 'I've always wanted to be translated'

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Anton Hur's first English novel comes to Korea: 'I've always wanted to be translated'

Published: 28 Jul. 2025, 19:52 Updated: 29 Jul. 2025, 18:43

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Anton Hur, bookwriter and translator, speaks at a press conference held on July 28 in central Seoul for the release of the Korean version of his 2024 novel ″Toward Eternity.″ [O'FAN HOUSE]

When Anton Hur, an author and a translator, read the Korean translation of his first novel, “Toward Eternity” (2024), the first thing he felt was relief — relief that it didn't seem like something he'd written.

“A good translation is one even the author can enjoy as if it were someone else’s work,” Hur said. “English and Korean are such different languages that this kind of transformation is not only expected, but welcome.”

Hur's remarks came at a press conference Monday morning at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, where he reflected on the experience of reading the Korean version of his debut English-language novel, “Toward Eternity,” translated by Bora Chung into Korean.

Hur is one of Korea’s most prominent literary translators. He gained international recognition for translating “Cursed Bunny” (2022), a short story collection by Chung that was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize. That same year, he also translated “Love in the Big City” (2019) by Park Sang-young — a rare case in which two works of a single translator made the Booker longlist in the same year.

“Toward Eternity” was published in the United States by HarperCollins in 2024. Its Korean translation is set for release on Wednesday by O'Fan House.

“Chung insisted on translating the book herself — and I was thrilled,” Hur said. “That’s how we ended up in this wonderfully strange situation where we’ve essentially translated each other’s work.”

The English version of Anton Hur's 2024 novel ″Toward Eternity″ [HARPERCOLLINS]

The Korean version of Anton Hur's 2024 novel ″Toward Eternity″ [O'FAN HOUSE]

In addition to “Cursed Bunny,” Hur also translated Chung’s science fiction collection “Your Utopia” (2024), which was short-listed for the Philip K. Dick Award, one of the top three honors in the genre.

“I’ve always wanted to be translated, because I know what it means to take on someone’s work — it’s both a sacrifice and an honor,” said Hur.

Hur, a Korean citizen born in Sweden, spent his childhood in Hong Kong, Ethiopia, Thailand and Korea, following his father, who worked for Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency.

“There were few young adult novels in Korean when I was growing up,” he recalled. “English literature, by contrast, offered many, which led me to start reading and then writing in English — almost obsessively.”

For him, literary translation was a stepping stone toward writing.

“Translation and interpretation felt easier to approach than writing fiction,” he said, adding that he had hoped literary translation would eventually connect him with English-language publishers.

Anton Hur, bookwriter and translator, speaks at a press conference held on July 28 in central Seoul for the release of the Korean version of his 2024 novel ″Toward Eternity.″ [O'FAN HOUSE]

The idea for “Toward Eternity” began in 2014. He wondered: What if we replaced cancer cells with nanobots? If every cell in someone’s body became a nanobot, would that person still be human? He initially shared a short story version of the idea with his spouse, who responded with suggestions for major revisions.

“That’s when I knew this had to be a novel.”

The project took off after he read “Indeterminate Inflorescence,” a 2015 collection of literary essays by poet Lee Seong-bok. Hur credits the book’s message — not to force the words, but to let the language write the story — with helping him find his voice.

“I let the English language write the novel, and it came out, like magic, on the subway,” he wrote in the book’s note to Korean readers.

Set in a future shaped by nanomedicine and AI, “Toward Eternity” follows the story of Dr. Mali Beeko through journal entries spanning centuries. The novel explores the boundaries of humanity and what it means to be human in a world of immortal beings.

“Humanity isn’t something we create ourselves — it’s something that exists between us,” Hur said. “The word ‘human’ in Korean literally means ‘between people.’ I hope this novel helps us see how we can affirm each other’s humanity.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHOI HYE-RI [[email protected]]