About Me
“A little too fluent”—South China Morning Post
I am a writer and translator working in Seoul.
I was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and raised in British Hong Kong, Ethiopia, and Thailand, but mostly in Korea, where I’ve lived for thirty years. I was awarded the title of Person of Distinguished Service to the Nation after serving in the Korean Army.
Book translations
- A Manual for Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park (Tilted Axis Press, 2021)
- The Prisoner by Hwang Sok-yong, co-translated with Sora Kim-Russell (Verso UK & US, 2020)
- The Underground Village by Kang Kyeong-ae (Honford Star, 2018)
- The Court Dancer by Kyung-Sook Shin (Pegasus Books, 2018)
Publications
- Words Without Borders : “Genesis” by Jeon Sam-hye, “A Lunar Sorority” (essay), “The Tears of an Unknown Artist, or Zaytun Pasta” by Sang Young Park, “The Emerging Literary Translator Valley of Death” (essay), “About My Daughter” by Kim Hye-jin
- Asymptote Journal : “Aficionados” by Jung Young Su
- Litro Magazine : (Essays) “How to Write Queer Korean Lit: A Manual,” “Silence,” “Exile,” “Cunning”
- Anomaly : “A Spell to Invoke the White Dolphin” by Jeon Sam-hye
- Columbia Journal : “Nights in Lebanon” by Jung Young Su
- Westerly Magazine : Poetry by Shim Bo-seon and others
- Slice Magazine : Exquisite corpse project by Jeon Sam-hye
- Queen Mob’s Tea House : “The Joy of Music” by Jung Young Su
- Korean Literature Now : Poetry by Kim Un and others
- Cordite : “Was” (poem)
Interviews
- Shondaland interview
- Books & Bao: Meet the Translator
- Arts Council Korea, Music of the Sentences (Korean): Part 1, Part 2
- EBS Morning Date: Part 1, Part 2
- Matthew Sciarappa’s YouTube channel
Grants and Awards
- PEN Translates winner (2017)
- Daesan Foundation literary translation grant (2017)
- GKL Korean Literature Translation Award (2018)
- Multiple grants from the Literary Translation Institute of Korea
- Multiple grants from the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea
- Multiple grants from Arts Council Korea
Taught at
- Yonsei University Department of Korean Language and Literature
- Literary Translation Institute of Korea Atelier Program
- Ewha University Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation
- Seoul National University College English Program
Education
- MA (English), Seoul National University (under Dr. Nancy Jiwon Cho)
- LLB, Korea University College of Law
- BA (Psychology), Korea University
- BA (French), Korea National Open University
Other
- Member of the Author’s Guild (US)
- Member of the Translators’ Association of the Society of Authors (UK)
- Manages Korean literary translation group Smoking Tigers
- Korean literature critic on TBS eFM’s The Bookend (2015-2017)
