Sun-mi Hwang

Sun-mi Hwang is a South Korean author best known internationally for The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly (Naneun Dalgyalda), a beloved allegorical novella about a hen named Sprout who longs to hatch her own chick and live freely, rather than laying eggs for humans. Translated into English by Chi-Young Kim and published internationally in 2013, the book — originally written for children but with an emotional range that resonates far beyond that audience — became a phenomenon in multiple countries.

The novella is a fable about maternal love, the hunger for freedom, and the cost of both, told with the economy and emotional directness of the best animal stories. Hwang is also the author of Princess Bari, which reimagines a traditional Korean folk tale as a story of a young refugee girl crossing to the spirit world.