Worlds of Colombia, where 'all colors are green,' showcased at the Seoul International Book Festival

Diplomacy

Published: 31 May. 2022, 15:28 Updated: 31 May. 2022, 17:47

Worlds of Colombia, where 'all colors are green,' showcased at the Seoul International Book Festival

Colombian author Andrés Felipe Solano, left, and Juan Carlos Caiza, ambassador of Colombia to Korea, discuss the Colombian participation at the Seoul International Book Festival at the embassy in Seoul on May 26. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Because authors, poets and novelists are often reliving their memories, impressions and observations to recreate a space, moment or time in their writing, a reader can almost always expect to be hit with not just words, but worlds within each sentence, said two Colombians in Korea who made it possible to showcase a dozen Colombian works unseen before in Korea at the Seoul International Book Festival (SIBF).

“There are seven worlds in Colombia: the Andean, Caribbean, Amazonian, Pacific, Orinoquían, to mention a few,” said Juan Carlos Caiza, ambassador of Colombia to Korea, in speaking at the embassy in Seoul on May 26. “The literary works presented at the festival will be a window to these worlds.”

Colombia’s participation as the guest of honor at the SIBF, which launches Wednesday at Coex, marks the first time for a Spanish-speaking nation to do so at the biggest book festival in Korea. Since 2008, the SIBF has annually been selecting a country as a guest of honor to highlight their authors and literary achievements.

A total of 11 works from Colombia were translated into Korean to be introduced at the festival, including classics such as Gabriel García Márquez’s “De viaje por Europa del Este [Journey through Eastern Europe]” which chronicles the Nobel-winning author’s journey through then-socialist countries in the region, as well as contemporary classics, graphic novels, children’s books and anthologies, one of which introduces poetry by León de Greiff and Aurelio Arturo among others. They join the existing 23 books from Colombia translated into Korean.

“In his poem ‘Morada al Sur [Abode in the South],’ Arturo introduces Colombia with just one sentence,” said Caiza.

The sentence, in translation, reads: “Colombia, a country where all colors are green.”

Poetry anthology ″Los vientos que cantaron,″ published by Sahoipyoungnon Academy with support of Colombia's Ministry of Culture, translated by Song Byeong-seon [SAHOIPYOUNGNON ACADEMY]

Although writers such as García Márquez and Arturo no longer walk the Earth, a number of award-winning and contemporary writers will be presenting on their writing experiences in person at the book festival in Seoul.

They include a group of female authors who will give a talk on the growing prominence of women writers in Colombia, including Catalina González, Laura Ortiz and Margarita García Robayo.

Some writers sharing their works at the festival would not be strangers to life in Korea, like Andrés Felipe Solano, who’s been living in Korea since 2013 and has been involved with the organization of the Colombian participation in the SIBF.

His book about life in Korea, “Corea, apuntes desde la cuerda floja [Korea: Notes from the Tightrope],” chronicles his first year of living in Korea, told with honesty and humor, including the experience of trying out for a gig at a radio program and casually reading out items on the news, from yellow dust winds and a boom in sales for massage chairs at homes to a threat from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un about bombing and reducing South Korea to a pile of dust.

The book received Premio Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana, or the Colombian Narrative Library Award, in 2016.

More recently, he published “Los días de la fiebre [From fever days].”

A diary-like account of the first three months of the pandemic in Korea, the book reads with a rather dystopian feel as a lot of what was considered the norm was turned upside down. Both of his books have been translated into Korean by his wife, Yi Soo-jeong.

“Colombians are curious about Korea, more so recently than before,” Solano said, speaking at the embassy on May 26. “My works are an account of what I saw and observed, but they shouldn’t be read as a judgement or generalization of what Korea is.”

Although Solano first came to Korea in 2008 on a cultural exchange program, his ties with the country date years back to when he interviewed Colombian veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War. His novel based on these conversations, “Cemeterios de neon [Neon cemeteries],” is yet to be translated into Korean.

Colombia’s participation at the SIBF follows Seoul’s participation at the Bogota International Book Fair in April, where some 100 Korean authors and artists, including Lee Suzy, the Hans Christian Andersen Award winning author, showcased their works.

Local readers like Jessica Alejandra Rodriguez Medina, a high school student in Bogota, found the festival to meet with their favorite authors.

“I have been interested in Korean culture for quite some time now. I wanted to know what is the perception of Koreans [through their writings], because for me literature is a very nice way for people to talk about themselves or things they like,” she told the paper, after visiting the booths for Korean books at the fair. “I follow the writer Jeong You-jeong because her writing and her stories are extraordinary for me.”

Korean author Jeong You-jeong, center, and Colombian writer Santiago Gamboa, right, speak at a book talk at the Bogota International Book Fair on April 28. [JESSICA RODRIGUEZ]

The agreement for the exchange was made between Colombian President Ivan Duque Márquez and former President Moon Jae-in during Duque’s visit to Korea in August 2021, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Colombia-Korea relations this year.

Works by indigenous writers from the Afro community, in addition to those from the Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Bolívar, Cauca, Nariño and Valle del Cauca regions, will be presented at the SIBF.

"We have worked to translate Colombian literature into the Korean language and to make an objective selection of writers who show the best of Colombian culture, with a diverse representation of the different regions of the country,” said Angélica Mayolo Obregón, minister of culture of Colombia, in a statement. “This is how we will be with a representation of great writers such as Santiago Gamboa, Rómulo Bustos, William Ospina, Laura Ortiz and Pilar Quintana, among others. Great authors of Colombian literature who will be representing our country.”

During the SIBF, which runs through the weekend, the Colombian Embassy in Seoul will be hosting a number of cultural events, including a screening of the film “Forgotten We'll Be” (2020) at Coex on Saturday and a performance by Julio Victoria Live Band, known for mixing electronic rhythms with indigenous instruments, on Sunday at the Ttukseom Han River Park, where a special mural project by Vertigo Graffiti art team will also be presented to commemorate the 60th anniversary in Colombia-Korea relations.

Details on the cultural programs and book talks can be found on the SIBF website.

Colombian writers whose works will be showcased at the SIBF include, from top row, left: Laura Ortiz, Margarita García Robayo, Fredy Chicangana, Pilar Quintana, Rómulo Bustos Aguirre, Santiago Gamboa, Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Miguel Rocha Vivas, Andrés Felipe Solano, Catalina Gonzalez, Óscar Pantoja and Gabriel García Márquez. [EMBASSY OF COLOMBIA IN KOREA/AP]

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]