Eunpyeong District Selects Colombian Vasquez for Lee Ho-cheol Tongillo Literature Award Grand Prize

Special Prize Awarded to Seo Sujin, Author of "Korean Teacher"

Seoul's Eunpyeong District (District Mayor Kim Mikyung) announced on the 18th that Colombian writer Juan Gabriel Vasquez has been selected as the Grand Prize winner of the 10th 'Lee Ho-cheol Tongillo Literature Award', and Korean writer Seo Sujin has been selected for the Special Prize.

Juan Gabriel Vasquez Photo by Benedicte Roscot. Provided by Eunpyeong District.

The award ceremony will be held on the 18th of next month at the Lee Ho-cheol Book Concert Hall. Starting with a press conference at the Korea Press Center on the 17th, a special event with the Grand Prize and Special Prize winners will take place on the day of the ceremony.

The Lee Ho-cheol Tongillo Literature Award is an international honor established in 2017 by Eunpyeong District to commemorate the literary legacy of the late author Lee Ho-cheol, who created works for over 50 years in Bulgwang-dong, Eunpyeong District. Lee Ho-cheol is regarded as a prominent writer who addressed issues of division and displacement. This year's winners were selected through eight rounds of judging by both the Grand Prize Selection Committee and the Administrative Committee, which consist of experts from the fields of literature, academia, and media, from January to June.

Juan Gabriel Vasquez, recipient of the Grand Prize, has explored themes of political violence and collective memory in modern Colombian history. With his 2011 novel "The Sound of Things Falling," he became the first Latin American writer to win the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2014. His novel "The Shape of Ruins" (2015) was shortlisted for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize. The selection committee cited his body of work, which deeply reflects on the wounds left by conflict and violence and considers the ethics of memory, as the reason for his recognition.

Seo Sujin, recipient of the Special Prize, debuted in 2020 after winning the 25th Hankyoreh Literature Award for her novel "Korean Teacher." Since then, she has published the short story collection "Gold Rush" and the novel "Even If I Am Not a Mother" (to be released in 2025). The Administrative Committee noted that her work addresses social themes such as gender, class, and the body within the hierarchies of borders and capital, and expressed expectations that she will carry on and expand the literary spirit of Lee Ho-cheol.

District Mayor Kim Mikyung stated, "Through the Lee Ho-cheol Tongillo Literature Award, we aim to broaden the cultural consensus for mutual understanding and solidarity beyond division and boundaries," adding, "We will continue to provide ongoing support so that writers can devote themselves to their creative work with conviction."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.