Two People’s International 두 사람의 인터내셔널

The most talked-about debut in Korean literature today - Two People’s International, the first short story collection from 2024 Young Writers’ Award winner Kim Ki-tae.
Can we talk about the emerging landscape of Korean literature in the 2020s without mentioning Kim Ki-tae? Since winning the Dong-A Ilbo New Writers’ Contest in 2022, where his work was praised as “uncommonly powerful and solid” with “a captivating force that pulls readers in from beginning to end,” Kim has been making waves across the literary scene. Life Pattern Korea. In just two years, he has earned the 2024 Young Writers’ Award, two Excellence Awards from the Yi Sang Literary Prize, and repeated selections in “This Season’s Fiction” by Munhakdongne, as well as inclusion in “The Year's Notable Fiction” lists. The title story “Two People’s International” went viral on social media and became the 3rd most-viewed piece on Munjang Webzine of all time. Kim’s every published story has drawn attention and sparked discussion, making his debut an extraordinary literary milestone in Korea. Life Pattern Korea.
What has drawn both critics and the general readership so fervently to Kim’s work is his compelling realism. Whether tackling institutional apathy in the education system of the 2020s in “General Education”, or dissecting the thin line between adoration and exploitation in the idol industry through “Every Ocean in the World” and “Rona, Our Star”, Kim captures urgent contemporary realities with sharp acuity. Life Pattern Korea. On the lighter end, “Two People’s International” tells the story of a man and woman growing closer by exchanging endlessly recycled internet memes, while “Rolling Thunder Love” depicts contestants on a dating show, Solo Farm, completing ridiculous missions to win the viewers’ favor. These stories reveal Kim’s prowess as a natural page-turner. If you are a long-time follower of Korean literature, Kim Ki-tae will delight you with his thoughtful redefinition of the contemporary social novel. And if you’ve drifted away from fiction for a while, this book may just reignite your love for stories with a jolt of excitement and relevance.

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Author: 김기태
Publisher: 문학동네 Munhakdongne (2024)

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