2018 Man Booker International Prize Q&A—Deborah Smith

Deborah Smith is shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker International Prize for her translation of Han Kang’s The White Book.

Words Without Borders (WWB): What drew you to Han Kang’s work?

Deborah Smith (DS): Well, I first encountered her writing through The Vegetarian, and what drew me to that was the structure, the imagery, the tonal variation, the ferocity of the emotions, the restraint of the language . . . everything it’s been praised for. ...

"Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good"

Samuel Johnson

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