Scribner snaps up two novels and a short story collection from Cho Nam-Joo

Scribner has scooped two novels and a collection of short stories from South Korean author Cho Nam-Joo. 

Editorial director of the Simon & Schuster imprint Chris White acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Georgina Capel on behalf of Gray Tan at the Grayhawk Agency.

The first novel, Saha, will publish this autumn and has been translated by Jamie Chang. A dystopian novel, it "nods to ’Blade Runner’ and 1984, while bravely and brilliantly giving us a chilling vision of where society may be heading while remaining firmly routed in South Korea’s recent history", the synopsis reads.

Scheduled for publication in the summer of 2023, Miss Kim Knows is a collection of linked stories and portrays the experiences of eight women at different stages of their lives who are enduring  domestic violence, online misogynistic hate mobs, gaslighting and inequality in the workplace.

Tangerine Green, which will publish in spring 2024, is a "spiritual prequel" to the author’s book Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982. "In this bittersweet Korean coming-of-age story, four girls decide not to pursue the more prestigious high schools in Seoul; they will stay local and stay together, best friends forever," the synopsis states. "Yet each girl has secret longings, family troubles, and personal sorrows. Why give up a brighter future? What’s the real story behind this seemingly incomprehensible decision?"

White said: "I am ecstatic to have another three books by Cho Nam-Joo on the list. Hers is one of the most urgent and important voices in world literature and it’s a great honour to be trusted to continue as her UK publisher. We have now sold well in excess of 100,000 copies of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 and it’s been so exciting seeing people continue to discover her work and the real impact her writing has made to their lives."

The author is a former television scriptwriter. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 was her third novel and has been translated into 18 languages, according to the publisher. The UK edition debuted at number six in the Original Fiction Chart and is now on its 12th printing.
Saha and Miss Kim Knows were originally published by Mimumsa Publishing in South Korea. Tangerine Green was originally published by Munhakdongne Publishing in South Korea. 

The author said: "I wrote the first words of Saha in 2012, so after 10 years it is going to meet readers in the UK. The world seems to have changed and turned upside down during these years. I want to believe the words that we write make progress through history instead of saying that history just repeats itself, and my novels are the record of that belief."