South Korean author Cheon Myeong-kwan’s novel “Whale” has been longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world.
The Booker Prize Foundation unveiled the list of 13 novels on its website on Tuesday that included “Whale,” translated by Kim Chi-young.
The panel of judges described “Whale” as “an adventure-satire of epic proportions, which sheds new light on the changes Korea experienced in its rapid transition from pre-modern to post-modern society.”
Cheon previously won South Korea's top literary prize, the Munhakdongne Novel Award, for the novel in 2004.
Back in 2016, South Korean author Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” was named the winner of the Man Booker International Prize, which was later renamed the International Booker Prize.
The shortlist of six candidates for this year’s award will be revealed on April 18, before the winner is named in a ceremony in London on May 23.