VOL.97/2026.08

 

Jane Lawson, Publishing Director at Doubleday,
Talks About Korean Literature

 

2025.11.03

 

Just a decade ago, there was a prevailing belief that Korean literature could not be globalized because of linguistic and translational barriers. However, with the improvement of translation and global readers’ growing eagerness for a wider range of stories, Korean content began to draw closer to them. It eventually settled in as its own genre under the name “K-content,” now recognized worldwide. Korean literature, in particular, proved this trend with Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature. Yet, many Korean works remain undiscovered internationally. At the “2025 Copyright Export Support Program,” organized by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI) this past September, we met Jane Lawson, publishing director at Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK, and discussed Korean literature.

 

 

Could you please tell us about your career and the global literature that you have edited?

 

Early on in my career as an editor, I published Chinese fiction. Some of the notable works I have published include those by Su Tong (蘇童), who was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize, and The Fat Years by Chan Koon Chung (陳冠中), which was banned in China. I also followed my mother’s roots and published Latin American fiction. About ten years ago, at the Frankfurt Book Fair, I met a Japanese publisher and kept in touch over the years, and as a result, I published The Travelling Cat Chronicles. That book was a huge success, selling more than half a million copies worldwide. After that, I began to take an interest in Korean fiction. When I came across titles like Dallergut Dream Department Store (Sam & Parkers), I wondered why they hadn’t yet been translated and published. Then, through online networks, I came into contact with BC Agency and Jackie Yang, and subsequently signed several titles. More recently, I have been working closely with sub-agents such as the New River Literary Agency in London, and I am now actively running the East Asian program at Transworld, part of Penguin Random House.

 

 

How would you define “good literature” as an editor?

 

To me, good literature is ultimately a work that sets a strong example within its genre or field. A great story with historical depth and strong emotions that introduces readers to new cultures and worlds, while keeping them turning the pages, is certainly good literature. Books with believable characters that leave readers deeply moved can also be considered good. Above all, however, the best works are those that endure - books that change how readers see the world and expand their understanding of humanity.

 

What kind of Korean literature are UK readers most interested in?

 

I am not entirely certain what UK readers specifically expect from Korean literature. However, thanks to Korean pop culture, younger generations view Korea as “cool.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gen Z spent a significant amount of time online, where they discovered K-dramas. This naturally led them to try reading Korean books. Even so, I don’t think they clearly know what constitutes a “Korean book that’s most Korean.”
What UK readers fundamentally look for are strong characters and compelling themes. What they find in Korean literature are universal human stories - family, food, good and evil - presented through a distinct and sophisticated aesthetic. For example, though it may sound like a clich?, Western readers often expect that a Korean novel with a female protagonist will deal with themes of alienation and resistance against patriarchal traditions.

 

Deborah Smith, translator of Han Kang’s The White Book (Munhakdongne Publishing), once said that translating the Korean term “han (한; 恨)” as “grief” was a choice to make it accessible to English readers, but did not fully capture the nuance. Writer Han herself remarked that “translation is like following the shadow of the original,” pointing to both the loss and creation of new meaning across languages. What do you find most challenging when conveying Korean literature to English readers, and how do you address it?

 

Deborah Smith has described Korean as a language marked by ambiguity, repetition, and simplicity of style. In contrast, English is a much more ornate language, one that values precision, concision, and lyricism. If a Korean work were translated very literally, staying strictly faithful to the original, it could easily come across to English readers as overly repetitive and monotonous. However, translators, especially those who are native English speakers and also writers themselves, reshape the work in a way that preserves the value of the original while adapting it to the precision, concision, and lyricism of English. This is exactly what Deborah Smith said she was doing, and Han Kang supported her in this view.
When I edit translations, I don’t edit the original text - I edit the translation. When necessary, I discuss verbs or adjectives with the translator. If the original text has not been edited in Korea, it may contain a lot of repetition, and in that case, I sometimes reduce the repetition with the author’s permission. But, when I edit a translation, I don’t change the structure or flow of the book - I only look at it line by line, word by word. In contrast, when I edit an English manuscript, I work directly with the author on structure, development, and flow.

 

What is the first element that you look for when reviewing a Korean literary work at Doubleday?

 

I look at two main criteria. The first is the same for any book, regardless of its culture - originality. A work has to move readers while also offering something new. This, along with the quality of the writing, is the most important standard. The second is specific to Doubleday. Right now, the literary market is full of so-called “healing fiction,” and other editors within Penguin Random House have already secured many of those titles. But, I would rather like to discover something new, rather than following the trend.
So, what a publisher should emphasize in negotiations is originality and high concept. If a book can be summarized in three lines and it sounds distinctive and fresh, that would be a key strength. Whether the book is a bestseller at home or if it has won prizes is, of course, important as well. But, that is not everything. If a publisher believes that “this book is special,” and is convinced that it is of a really high quality, then that book has value. We are always looking for something different. It must always contain a new attempt.

 

What do you think are the genres or topics that will draw attention in the English-language market in the next 5 years? And, how might Korean literature stand out within those trends?

 

Right now, publishers are looking for horror. This genre appeals to Gen Z readers who enjoy things that are strange and unfamiliar. Horror also has a well-defined readership, it is closely connected to media, and its readers are usually heavy readers. For publishers, it is a category where sales strategies are relatively straightforward.
I also think that there will be more merging of genres. For example, healing fiction may combine with science fiction, murder thrillers with fantasy, or horror with other elements. I think this trend will offer real opportunities for Korean literature as well. I believe Korean literature has already built a distinctive identity more clearly than any other culture. International publishers find it very compelling, and if this continues, there will be strong results. It’s because there are already many active agents, and translation support is in place as well.
Finally, one more point I would like to add is a characteristic of Korean culture as a whole. Korea is deeply Korean yet highly Westernized. It absorbs global trends while maintaining its own identity. This makes it much easier for international publishers to understand and accept Korean works. I believe this is why Korean literature resonates so widely around the world.

 

Last but not least, please share a few words with the Korean publishing industry.

 

We all think that we are indebted to the efforts of Korean publishers. Discovering, nurturing, and promoting authors for international publication is a remarkable endeavor. We are also grateful for the dedication invested in bringing Korean literature to global readers.

 

 

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Interviewer: Kim Se-Na (CEO of Publilancer)