S. Korea's female author receives French literary award

SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean author Shin Kyong-suk, noted for her
autobiographical fiction on Korean women and laborers, has received an award from
French literary critics and journalists, a translation body here said Friday.

Shin's 1999 novel "'La Chambre solitaire (An Isolated Room)" which was published
by Philippe Picquier in France, shared the Prix de l'Inapercu with a fictional
work by French author Dominique Conil, the Korea Literature Translation Institute
said in a press release.
Jurors praised Shin's book as a "vast and in depth story reflecting the lives of
laborers and Korean society as well as the author's own life and family."
Born in 1963, Shin is considered one of the most influential female writers in
South Korea. An author of 13 published books, she has won several domestic awards
including the Yi Sang Literature Prize. It is the first time for the author to
receive an honor overseas.
The Prix de l'Inapercu was established last year by critics and journalists in
France to recognize "minority literary works" that have failed to earn the fame
they deserve. Winners are awarded 1,000 euros each.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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