Your Utopia

by Bora Chung

Algonquin Books

Your Utopia

by Bora Chung

Algonquin Books

Synopsis

From the acclaimed author and translator of the National Book Award Finalist, Cursed Bunny, a fresh, uncanny, and utterly profound collection of stories set in near and distant futures that reflect our deepest fears—and deepest desires.

Bora Chung’s inimitable blend of horror, absurdity, and dark humor reaches its peak in these tales of loss and discovery, dystopia and idealism, death and immortality. In a thrilling translation by the acclaimed Anton Hur, readers will experience a variety of possible fates for humanity, from total demise via a disease whose only symptom is casual cannibalism to a world in which even dreams can be monitored and used to convict people of crimes.

In “The Center for Immortality Research,” a low-level employee runs herself ragged planning a fancy gala for donors only to be blamed for the chaos that ensues during the event in front of the mysterious celebrity benefactors hoping to live forever. In “A Song for Sleep,” an AI elevator in an apartment complex develops a tender, one-sided love for an elderly resident. “Seed” traverses the final frontier of capitalism’s destruction of the planet—but nature always creeps back to life.

If you haven’t yet experienced the fruits of Chung’s singular imagination, Your Utopia is waiting.

Translated by Anton Hur.

This book may also be available at the TIFA Festival Bookstore.

About the Author

Bora Chung translates modern literary works from Russian and Polish into Korean and writes generally unrealistic stories. Among her works, Cursed Bunny, a collection of short stories, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022 and was a finalist for National Book Awards in 2023. She is currently an active member of the Science Fiction Writers Union of Korea. Bora Chung’s Festival appearance is generously supported by WOW Culture Lab and KOFICE.

Read more about Bora Chung

Photo credit: Hyeyoung.

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