Hwang Seon-mi (; born 1963) is a South Korean author and professor who is best known for her fable ''

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly ''The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly'' () is a 2000 novel by Hwang Seon-mi. Plot Sprout, a hen who lay eggs on a barn longs to be free from her cage. Sprout becomes depressed and eventually stops eating and is taken out of the farm by the owner ...

'', which has also been made into a successful animated film in South Korea, '' Leafie, A Hen into the Wild''.

Life

Born in 1963 as the second of five children, Hwang Seon-mi was unable to attend middle school due to poverty but, thanks to a teacher who gave her a key to a classroom, she was able to go to the school and read books whenever she wanted. She enrolled in high school by taking a certificate examination and she graduated from the creative writing departments at

Seoul Institute of the Arts Seoul Institute of the Arts () is an arts university in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The Namsan campus in Seoul is used for presentation of arts productions and convergence with industry. The Ansan Campus opened in 2001 and is used for ...

and

Gwangju University Gwangju University () is a university in Gwangju, South Korea. It began in 1981 as a four-year college in Jinwol-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, named Gwangju Gyeongsang Jeonmun Daehak (). It now has three graduate schools and four colleges with more t ...

, and from graduate school at

Chung-Ang University Chung-Ang University (CAU; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. The university operates two campuses: main campus located in Dongjak District, Seoul, and an additional campus in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. CAU consists of 1 ...

. She lives in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. Hwang is an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Literature in the

. Hwang's career as a writer began in 1995, and since then she has published nearly 30 books over various genres. She is most famous for her work ''The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly'', which was also made into a movie that broke Korean box office records for animated films, earning nearly 7 billion won in its first month of release.

Work

Upon its publication in 2000, ''The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly'' became an instant classic, remaining on bestseller lists for ten years, selling over 2 million copies, and inspiring the highest-grossing animated film in Korean history. It has also been adapted into a comic book, a play, and a musical, and has been translated into 27 languages. The author said in an interview that she had based her book around her farmer father's sad and struggling life. Hwang's work addresses the intersections between tradition and modernity, ecology, and the search for freedom. She is most known for her fantasy work and has won the SBS Media Literary Award (2001) and the 36th Sejong Children's Literature Prize (2003).

Awards

* Nong-min Literary Award (1995) * Tamla Literary Award (1997) * SBS Media Literary Award (2001) * Sejong Children's Literature Prize (2003) * The Best Book of the Year in Poland (2012)

Works in Translation

* ''The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly: A Novel'', translated by

Chi-Young Kim Chi-young Kim is a Korean-to-English literary translator who lives in the United States. Originally having trained as a lawyer and translating as a hobby helping her mom, Kim became a professional literary translator after graduation, when sh ...

(Penguin Books, 2013) * ''The Dog Who Dared To Dream'', translated by Chi-Young Kim (Abacus, 2016)Little, Brown, https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9780349142098

Works in Korean (Original)

* ''

'' (). Paju: Sakyejul, 2000. . * 'Occupy the Orchard' () Paju: Sakyejul, 2003. . * ''Friends in Sun-rising Valley'' (2002, Sakyejul) * ''The Bad Boy Stickers'' (). Woongjin Junior, 2007 * “invited children”2001, (Woongjin Junior) * ''The Secret I’m Proud of'' (2001, ChangBi) * ''The Day of Hiding My Diary'' (2003, Woongjin Junior) * ''The Blue Hairy Dog'' (2005) * ''The Joy of Writing Children's Books'' (2006, Sakyejul) * ''The Beanpole House Where Wind Stays'' (2010)

External links

An interview with the author (in Korean and English) can be found here

List of her books

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hwang, Seon-mi 1963 births Living people People from Hoengseong County Academic staff of Seoul Institute of the Arts South Korean novelists South Korean women writers South Korean women children's writers