Turkish Literature in South Korea: A Polysystem Approach to Translation Activities and Reception (1988-2024)
Öz
This study examines the transformation of Turkish literature within the Korean literary polysystem from 1988 to 2024, analyzing how it evolved from a peripheral to a more central position. Using Itamar Even-Zohar’s polysystem theory as its theoretical framework, this research investigates the mechanisms underlying this transformation through bibliographic and reception analyses. The study presents the most extensive compilation to date of Turkish literature translated into Korean, documenting 66 works spanning this period. The analysis reveals a dramatic shift following Orhan Pamuk’s 2006 Nobel Prize: the number of translations increased from 17 works (1988-2005) to 49 works (2006-2024). Three key agents facilitated this transformation: professional translator Nan-a Lee, who translated approximately 50% of all works; institutional support from TEDA and the Daesan Foundation; and strategic publisher positioning, particularly Minumsa’s exclusive focus on Orhan Pamuk’s works. A reception analysis of reader reviews reveals that Korean readers’ perception of translated Turkish literature evolved from exotic curiosity to cultural understanding, while academic discourse has expanded from literary analysis to encompass broader socio-cultural themes. This transformation exemplifies how translated literature achieves a positional shift through the literary authority conferred by prestigious recognition and systematic cultural mediation by coordinated networks of translators, institutions, and publishers.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Kaynakça
- Berk Albachten, Ö. (2014). Turkish literature in Italian: 1923-2012. IU Journal of Translation Studies, 3(5), 89-120. google scholar
- Even-Zohar, I. (1990). The position of translated literature within the literary polysystem. Poetics Today, 11(1), 45-51. google scholar
- Even-Zohar, I. (2002). The making of culture repertoire and the role of transfer. In S. Paker (Ed.), Translation(s): The (re)shaping of literature and culture (pp. 166-174). İstanbul: Boğaziçi University Press. google scholar
- Chae, W. J. (2019). Production of Korea’s world literature collections in the 1950s-1960s and cultural modernity: Analyzing field of publishing and translation. Media & Society, 27(3), 5-60. google scholar
- Lee, N. A. (2013). Turkish Literature: Research Trends and Translations in Korea. Asia Review, 3(2), 161-185. google scholar
- Sung, H. J. (2024). Status of Jose Saramago’s Traslation in Korea through Polysystem Thoery. Journal of Lusophone Area Studies, 21(2), 85-114. google scholar
- Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Türkiye. (n.d.). 공관개황 [Embassy overview]. Retrieved from https://tr.mofa.go.kr/tr-ko/wpge/m_9226/contents.do google scholar
- Korean Publishers Association. (2025a, April 28). 2024년 출판시장 통계보고서 [2024 Korean publishing market statistics report]. Retrieved from https://member.kpa21.or.kr/kpa_bbs/2024%eb%85%84-%ec%b6%9c%ed%8c%90%ec%8b%9c%ec%9e%a5-%ed%86%b5%ea%b3%84%eb%b3%b4%ea%b3%a0%ec%84%9c2025-4-28-%ec%88%98%ec%a0%95/ google scholar
Ayrıntılar
Birincil Dil
İngilizce
Konular
Çeviri ve Yorum Çalışmaları
Bölüm
Araştırma Makalesi
Yazarlar
Jiseon Kang
*
0009-0005-8332-7504
South Korea
Yayımlanma Tarihi
30 Haziran 2026
Gönderilme Tarihi
24 Ağustos 2025
Kabul Tarihi
16 Haziran 2026
Yayımlandığı Sayı
Yıl 2026 Sayı: 24