Early next year, Penguin Classics will publish a Korean classic entitled The Story of Hong Gildong. Written in the late 18th or early 19th century, the story is about a boy who leaves home and becomes the leader of a legendary group of outlaws. Often compared with the English folk tale Robin Hood, The Story of Hong Gildong has been adapted countless times into television shows, animated films, video games and even a theme park. This new edition, translated by Minsoo Kang, is the first Korean classic to be published in the Penguin Classics series and is part of an effort by Penguin Classics to expand its list across cultures and genres.
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| Elda Rotor (photo: Kirby Calvario) |
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"It's an example not of us discovering a classic, but of us being mindful that there are classics around the world that are big, important works," said Elda Rotor, associate publisher and editorial director of Penguin Classics. "We want to be the publisher that provides the best translations of these works."
Another example of how Penguin Classics is broadening its list is also appearing early next year: it's a new, revised, black spine edition of Abolqasem Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, or "The Persian Book of Kings." Composed in the 10th century, it's the world's longest epic poem and tells of ancient Persia's mythic past as well as the Arab-Islamic invasion in the seventh century. This new edition, translated by Dick Davis, adds more than 70 pages of newly translated material and includes a foreword by Iranian-born Azar Nafisi, professor of English literature and author of Reading Lolita in Tehran and The Republic of Imagination, among other works.
Penguin Classics is also expanding its list in African literature and Buddhist texts. Next summer, Penguin Classics will publish an English translation of Devil on the Cross by Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o, written in secret on prison-issue toilet paper while the author was held in a maximum security prison. In February, Penguin Classics published Tenzin Chogyel's The Life of the Buddha, translated and with an introduction by Kurtis R. Schaeffer. On July 21, Penguin Classics published The All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat: The Life of Ra Lotsawa by Ra Yeshe Senge, translated and introduced by Bryan J. Cuevas. This marks the first time that the Tibetan classic, about the life of an enshrined Buddha and sorcerer, has been translated into English.
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"And on the other side of it, we're also reaching out more toward science fiction, fantasy and horror," said Rotor. To that end, Penguin Classics is publishing a "trifecta" of speculative fiction authors this fall.
Coming first on October 6 are two short story collections by horror writer Thomas Ligotti: Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe, together in one volume. Ligotti's work--supernatural horror in the tradition of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe--was a major influence on Nic Pizzolatto, author and the creator of the television show True Detective. This volume includes a foreword Jeff VanderMeer, the author of the Southern Reach trilogy.
On October 13 comes a collection of short stories from science fiction writer Charles Beaumont called Perchance to Dream. Beaumont was a prolific writer for The Twilight Zone; many of his short stories later became classic episodes. This edition contains an introductory essay by sci-fi legend and Beaumont contemporary Ray Bradbury; an essay by actor William Shatner serves as an afterword.
Also due out on October 13 is The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell. First published in 1962, this classic horror novel tells the story of a possessed high school girl and the two priests who try to save her. This new edition includes a foreword by horror writer Laird Barron. --Alex Mutter