Djuna (Korean듀나) is a South Korean pseudonymous science fiction writer and film critic. Djuna is managed by Greenbook Agency.[1]

Djuna
Pen nameLee Youngsoo
OccupationWriter
LanguageKorean
NationalitySouth Korean
Period1994~
Genrescience fiction
Notable worksThe Pacific Express

Life edit

The identity of Djuna is unknown, and Djuna prefers the personal pronoun "they."[2] They publish all their works under the name Djuna, and interviews are done by e-mail correspondence or online chats.[3][4] For some of their early works, they used the name Lee Youngsoo, but it is generally taken as a pseudonym, because Lee Youngsoo is one of the most common names in Korea.[5]

They explain the name Djuna as follows: "We just took the name for our ID for HiTel, as we were reading the book of Djuna Barnes.[6] The capitalization was due to the Caps Lock key, and we felt it would be a bit strange not to capitalize a name."[citation needed]

In 2020, Djuna succeeded Soyeon Jeong as the second President of the Science Fiction Writers Union of the Republic of Korea, leaving office in 2021.

Works edit

Djuna debuted in 1997 with the anthology Butterfly War.[6]

In 2023 their first major work has been translated to English (the novel Counterweight).[6][7]

Reception edit

Since the 1990s, Djuna has been one of the most prolific and important writers in the South Korean science fiction field.[8][9] Djuna been described as "a literary giant in Korea".[6]

Selected works edit

They have published seven short story collections, six novels, and two essays.

Short story collections edit

  • Butterfly War (나비전쟁) 1997
  • Duty Free Area (면세구역) 2000
  • Pacific Express (태평양 횡단 특급) 2002
  • Proxy War (대리전) 2006
  • Teeth of the Dragon (용의 이) 2007
  • Bloody Battle on the Broccoli Field (브로콜리 평원의 혈투) 2011
  • Not Yet a God (아직은 신이 아니야) 2013

Novels edit

  • Molok (몰록) 2001
  • The Shadow of Spiderweb (거미줄 그늘) 2009
  • Jezebel (제저벨) 2012
  • The World of Mint (민트의 세계) 2018
  • There I Existed In Arcadia (아르카디아에도 나는 있었다) 2019
  • Counterweight (평형추) 2021.

Film criticism edit

  • Complaining over the Screen (스크린 앞에서 투덜대기) 2001
  • Film Shakespeare (필름 셰익스피어) 2005
  • Genre Encyclopedia: SF Film (장르백서 2: SF영화) 2015

Non-fiction edit

  • Possible Spaces of Dreams: Djuna Essay (가능한 꿈의 공간들:듀나 에세이) 2015

References edit

  1. ^ "Greenbook Literary Agency: Djuna". dgugspress.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  2. ^ "정체불명의 가면을 쓰고 이야기하는 듀나 – 동국대학교 대학원신문". dgugspress.com. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  3. ^ "[촉ㆍ감] 얼굴 없는 평론가 듀나…문학 갈등 사이에 끼다". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). 22 February 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  4. ^ www.etnews.com (14 July 2010). "[박성원의 미래사회]한국에 과학소설이 희귀한 이유". 대한민국 IT포털의 중심! 이티뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  5. ^ "얼굴없는 사이버 작가 DJUNA". Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d Knibbs, Kate (11 July 2023). "Djuna, South Korea's Enigmatic Sci-Fi Legend, Opens Up About Their New Book". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  7. ^ Kunzru, Hari (9 July 2023). "In Djuna's Space-Elevator Sci-Fi, Corporate Conspiracies Abound". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  8. ^ "[커버스토리]21세기 상징 대중문화분야 SF소설가 듀나". Weekly Kyunghyang (in Korean). 23 September 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  9. ^ "듀나 | 문학과지성사". moonji.com. Retrieved 3 April 2019.

External links edit