Kim Ae-ran

Ae-ran Kim is one of South Korea's most acclaimed short story writers, known for prose that moves between the lyrical and the stark with uncommon grace. Born in 1980, she made her literary debut at twenty-four and has since established herself as a writer of profound emotional intelligence, particularly when mapping the interiorities of people who exist just outside the charmed circles of prosperity and recognition.

Her story collection My Brilliant Life — the title story of which was adapted into a celebrated film — brought her work to international attention. Kim writes about ordinary lives with the kind of attention that transforms them: a dying father, a lonely child, a marriage quietly unravelling. She has received the Kim Yujeong Literary Award and the Dong-in Literary Award, and her work has been translated into multiple languages.