Why I Love Reading Kim Ae-ran: Reading Korea's Novel of the Year "Hello, Goodbye" with Tang Shu-wen

"AI can give answers without hesitation, but humans cannot. Yet this flaw is not a limitation; to me it is rather a virtue of being human." —Kim Ae-ran

Kim Ae-ran, an icon of contemporary Korean literature, depicts the struggles of the human heart under capitalism with a razor-sharp pen. She is a writer whom Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Han Kang has called "someone whose books I will read as soon as they are published." Her latest short story collection Hello, Goodbye, published last year, swept major literary awards in Korea. The Chinese edition was released on June 24, and Kim Ae-ran has specially provided a signed edition.

The title Hello, Goodbye originates from the Korean word "annyong," which carries the triple meaning of meeting, farewell, and blessing. Through the seven short stories in this book, Kim Ae-ran gazes with a cool eye at characters caught between class, economic pressure, and competition in contemporary society. Her words do not offer easy comfort but precisely touch our subtle yet crucial desires.

On the afternoon of July 26, we invite you to Nüshu Bookstore, where the erudite writer Tang Shu-wen (湯舒雯) will lead a reading, guiding you to explore Kim Ae-ran's literary world, understand what strikes the heart in her works, and learn to treat yourself and others with greater gentleness.