Smoking Tigers

The Smoking Tigers is a complaint of experienced literary translators working from Korean to English.

If you have a Korean literary translation to publish, we can help you get funding for it.

The Smoking Tigers have altogether won virtually every publication and translation grant available for Korean literature in translation, including funding from the Literary Translation Institute of Korea, the Daesan Foundation, the Korean Publication Industry Promotion Agency, English PEN, PEN America, GKL Ltd, and more.

Hire one of us as your translator for the book you wish to publish, and we will mobilize our network and collective know-how to get the support you need.

We have experienced the entire publication process from start to finish, including choosing a work to translate, obtaining the rights for it, getting funding, getting editorial assistance (no first draft manuscript you see from us is ever a real “first” draft), and promoting the work once it is published.

Do take a look at our pre-funded work below, each of which already has a guaranteed translator and publication subsidy. Samples are ready on demand.

Contact us using our contact form. We are also on Twitter: @smoking_tigers

Sophie Bowman

Victoria Caudle

Anton Hur

Agnel Joseph

Slin Jung

Stella Kim

Sandy Joosun Lee

So J. Lee

Sung Ryu

2021

Anton Hur’s translation of Ocean Vuong’s Night Sky with Exit Wounds (Korean edition) is published by Moonji—Dec

Anton Hur’s translation of Sang Young Park’s Love in the Big City is published by Grove Atlantic and Tilted Axis—Nov

Sophie Bowman’s translation of Baek Heena’s Magic Candles is published by Amazon Crossing Kids—Sep 7

Anton Hur and Sora Kim-Russell’s translation of Hwang Sok-yong’s The Prisoner is published by Verso—Aug 3

Anton Hur’s translation of Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny is published by Honford Star—July 15

Sung Ryu’s translation of Choi Eunyoung’s Shoko’s Smile is published by Penguin Random House—Jun 1

Soje’s translation of Choi Jin-young’s To the Warm Horizon is published by Honford Star—May 15

Soje’s translation of Lee Soho’s Catcalling is published by Open Letter—Apr 13

Sophie Bowman and Sung Ryu’s translation of Kim Bo-young’s I’m Waiting for You and Other Stories is published by Harper Voyager—Apr 6

Stella Kim is in conversation with Bae Myung-hoon at the Korean Cultural Centre, UK—Feb 23

Jack Jung’s translation of poetry by Jeong Ji-yong and Yun Dong-ju is published by Columbia Journal—Feb 19

Jack Jung opens the inaugural UCLA Kwajong series discussing his translation process—Feb 18

Sung Ryu’s translation of Bae Myung-hoon’s Tower is published by Honford Star—Feb 15

Anton Hur’s story “Fictional Notes toward an Essay in Translation” is published by Asymptote—Jan 28

Anton Hur is announced as a judge for the National Translation Award in Prose—Jan 20

Soje’s translation of Lee Hyemi’s Unexpected Vanilla are excerpted by The Margins—Jan 20

Sophie Bowman’s translation of Kim Bo-young’s “Whale Snows Down” is published by Future SF—Jan 6

2020

Jack Jung publishes his essay “Echoes in Historical Space” in Literatures—Dec 22

Jack Jung hosts the Poetry Centered podcast at the University of Arizona Poetry Center—Dec 17

Jack Jung is featured in the “Translator Relay” series in Words Without Borders—Dec 4

Jack Jung’s translation of Yi Sang’s “Tokyo Reeks of Gasoline” is published in The Paris Review—Dec 2

Soje hosts a reading and discussion with Lee Hyemi at the Korean Cultural Centre, UK—Nov 24

Jack Jung is in conversation with Alexander Chee at Prairie Lights Books—Oct 28

Jack Jung publishes essay “Jack Jung on Yi Sang” in the Poetry Society of America blog—Oct 23

Anton Hur’s translation of Jung Young Su’s “Tomorrow’s Lovers” is made available through the Seoul International Writers Festival—Oct 7

Jack Jung is announced as the American Literary Translation Association Korean poetry mentor—Oct 1

Jack Jung’s translation of Yi Sang’s “Self Portrait” is published by Peripheries—Oct 1

Soje’s translations of three Lee Soho poems are published in The Offing—Sep 30

Jack Jung’s translations of four Yi Sang poems are published in BOMB—Sep 26

Jack Jung’s translation of Yi Sang: Collected Works (with Don Mee Choi, Sawako Nakayasu, Joyelle McSweeney) is published by Wave—Sep 1

Anton Hur is announced as National Centre for Writing Literary Translator Mentorship Korean mentor—Jul 27

Soje’s translation of Lee Hyemi’s Unexpected Vanilla is published by Tilted Axis—Aug 20

Soje’s essay “Not Exactly a Sister” is published in Modern Poetry in Translation

Soje is Modern Poetry in Translation‘s 2020 Writer in Residence—May 27

Sandy Joosun Lee’s translation of Won-pyung Sohn’s Almond is published by HarperVia—May 5

Soje’s translations of three Heo Su-gyeong poems are published in Two Lines—May 1

Sandy Joosun Lee’s translation of Won-pyung Sohn’s Almond is named an Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best of the Month for May—May 1

Sora Kim-Russell’s translation of Pyun Hye-young’s Law of Lines is published by Arcade—April 7

Deborah Smith’s translation of Bae Suah’s Untold Night and Day is published by Penguin—January 30

Past news

*Smoking Tigers is not a “translation agency.” Please do not contact us about hiring translators for your project if you are not a literary publisher. Thank you!

You can also message us on Twitter.