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

2020

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

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

2019

Anton Hur wins PEN/Heim Translation Fund grant—December 23

Slin Jung wins PEN Translates award from English PEN—December 20

So J Lee’s translation of “Cohabitation” by Lee Soho is published by Black Warrior Review—Winter 2019

So J Lee is nominated for a 2019 Pushcart Prize by Vagabond City—December 9

So J Lee’s translation of poems by Heo Su-gyeong are published in Vagabond City—December 9

So J Lee hosts Chogwa Issue 2 reading!potluck!gabfest!—December 7

Sora Kim-Russell’s translation of Kim Un-su’s The Plotters is longlisted for a 2020 International Dublin Literary Award—December 5th

So J Lee is December 2019 resident at the Yonhui Writers Residency—December 1–31

Sora Kim-Russell guest-edits Jaeum & Moeum with Sophie Bowman, Victoria Caudle, So J Lee, Slin Jung, Stella Kim, and Sung Ryu participating—December 1

Anton Hur is interviewed by Korea24 on KBS World Radio—November 19

Sophie Bowman, Sung Ryu, and So J Lee present at the 42nd American Literary Translators Association —November 7–10

Sung Ryu is fall 2019 resident at Art Omi Translation Lab—November

Sora Kim-Russell gives a talk at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop (video)—November 5

Sora Kim-Russell gives a talk at the Toronto International Festival of Authors—October 28

So J Lee’s translation of Lee Hyemi’s “No Panties” is published in The Margins by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop—September 17

Sora Kim-Russell wins 17th LTI Korea Translation Award for Kim Un-su’s The Plotters—September 12

Anton Hur interviewed with Jeremy Tiang for the National Centre for Writing podcast—September 11

Anton Hur’s translation of Bora Chung’s “The Head” is published by Samovar—September 2

Sung Ryu and Agnel Joseph win Daesan Foundation grants—August 6

So J Lee launches Chogwa, a poetry translation zine—August 5

Sora Kim-Russell is interviewed by Books and Bao—August 3

Sophie Bowman’s translation of Djuna’s “The Second Nanny” is published by Clarkesworld—August 1

Anton Hur’s translation of Jung Young Su’s The Joy of Music” is published by Queen Mob’s Teahouse—July 29

Anton Hur is translator-in-residence at the Norwich Centre for Writing—July 1–30

So J Lee produces and hosts the “Smoking Tigers x Words Without Borders Queer Bilingual Reading” featuring Lee Hyemi, Kim Bonggun, Kim Hye-jin, and Lee Jong-san and their translators So J Lee, Kyoung-lee Park, Anton Hur, and Victoria Caudle.—June 14

Victoria Caudle’s translation excerpt from Lee Jong San’s Customer is published by Words Without Borders—June 3

So J Lee’s translation of Lee Hyemi’s “The Cupboard with Strawberry Jam” is published by Words Without Borders—June 3

Anton Hur’s translation excerpt from Kim Hye-jin’s About My Daughter is published by Words Without Borders—June 3

Deborah Smith and Sora Kim-Russell’s translations are published in the YEOYU series by Strangers Press—May 30

Anton Hur’s translation of Jung Young Su’s “Nights in Lebanon” is published in Columbia Journal—May 18

So J Lee’s translation of selections from Lee Hyemi’s Unexpected Vanilla is published by Asymptote Journal—May 1

Sora Kim-Russell is longlisted for the Man Booker International with Hwang Sok-yong for At Dusk—March 13

Sora Kim-Russell’s translation of Kim Jung-hyuk’s “Where Boats Go” is published in Readymade Bodhisatva by Kaya Press—March 1

Sophie Bowman’s translation of Soyeon Jeong’s “Home” is published in Guernica—February 28

So J Lee wins LTI translation grant—February 28

Sandy Joosun Lee’s translation of Won-pyung Sohn’s Almond is announced for publication by HarperVia—February 23

Deborah Smith’s translation of Han Kang’s The White Book (Crown) is published in the US—February 19

Smoking Tigers is featured in an ALTA interview—February 7

Anton Hur’s translation of Sang Young Park’s “The Tears of an Unknown Artist, or Zaytun Pasta” begins serialization in Words Without Borders—February 1

Sora Kim-Russell’s translation of Un-su Kim’s The Plotters (Doubleday) is published in the US—January 29

Victoria Caudle’s translation of Kim Seong Joong’s “Mars Child” is published in Nabillera—January 25

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.