Min Jin Lee (; born November 11, 1968) is a Korean American author and journalist based in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

; her work frequently deals with the

Korean diaspora The Korean diaspora consists of around 7.3 million people, both descendants of early emigrants from the Korea, Korean Peninsula, as well as more recent emigrants from Korea. Around 84.5% of overseas Koreans live in just five countries: the Unit ...

. She is best known for writing '' Free Food for Millionaires'' (2007) and ''

Pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Gambling in Japan, Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of l ...

'' (2017), a finalist for the

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

, and runner-up for the

Dayton Literary Peace Prize The Dayton Literary Peace Prize is an annual United States literary award "recognizing the power of the written word to promote peace" that was first awarded in 2006. Awards are given for adult fiction and non-fiction books published at some point ...

. In 2019, Lee became a writer-in-residence at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

in Massachusetts.

Early life and education

Lee was born 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 South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1976, when she was seven years old. She was raised in Elmhurst,

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, in

. Her parents owned a wholesale jewelry store on 30th Street and Broadway in

Koreatown, Manhattan Koreatown (), shortened to K-Town, is a Korean enclave in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, centered on 32nd Street between Madison Avenue and the intersection with Sixth Avenue and Broadway, which is known as Greeley Square. The neighborho ...

. As a new immigrant, she spent much time at the

Queens Public Library The Queens Public Library (QPL), also known as the Queens Borough Public Library and Queens Library (QL), is the public library for the borough of Queens, and one of three public library systems serving New York City. It is one of the largest li ...

, where she learned to read and write. After attending the

Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science is a State school, public Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school in the Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science ...

, Lee studied history and was a resident of Trumbull at

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. While at Yale she attended her first writing workshop, as part of a non-fiction writing class she had signed up for in her junior year. She studied law at

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

, later working as a

corporate lawyer A corporate lawyer or corporate counsel is a type of lawyer who specializes in corporate law. Corporate lawyers working inside and for corporations are called in-house counsel. Roles and responsibilities The role of a corporate lawyer is to e ...

in New York from 1993 to 1995. She quit law due to the extreme working hours and her chronic liver disease, deciding to focus on her writing instead. She has since recovered from liver disease.

Personal life

From 2007 to 2011, Lee lived in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan. Since 2012, she has resided in

. She is married to Christopher Duffy, with whom she has a son. Duffy is of European and Japanese descent; his great-great grandfather is

Kabayama Sukenori Count was a Japanese samurai military leader and statesman. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Kabayama Sukenori"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 441. He was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. H ...

. Lee is a cousin of actress

Kim Hye-eun Kim Hye-eun (; born March 1, 1973) is a South Korean actress. Kim began working as an announcer for the MBC network in 1997, first at a local affiliate in Cheongju, then later as a weathercaster of the main news desk in Seoul. After eight year ...

. In 2018, Lee stated that the works that most influence her as a writer are ''

Middlemarch ''Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life'' is a novel by English author George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It appeared in eight installments (volumes) in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midlands town, in 1829 ...

'' by

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...

, '' Cousin Bette'' by

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...

, and the Bible.

Fiction

Short fiction

Lee's short story "Axis of Happiness" won the 2004 Narrative Prize from ''Narrative Magazine''. Another short story by Lee, "Motherland", about a family of

Koreans in Japan () are ethnic Koreans who immigrated to Japan before 1945 and are citizens or permanent residents of Japan, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South Korean nationals who have immigrated to Japan since t ...

, was published in ''

The Missouri Review ''The Missouri Review'' is a literary magazine founded in 1978 by the University of Missouri. It publishes fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction quarterly. With its open submission policy, ''The Missouri Review'' receives 12,000 manuscrip ...

'' in 2002 and won the Peden Prize for Best Short Story. A slightly modified version of the story appears in her 2017 novel ''Pachinko''. Lee's short stories have also been featured on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

's ''

Selected Shorts Selected Shorts is an event at New York's Symphony Space on the Upper West Side, in which screen and stage actors read classic and new short fiction before a live audience. The stage show began in 1985 and continues today at Symphony Space's Pete ...

''.

''Free Food for Millionaires''

Her debut novel '' Free Food for Millionaires'' was published in 2007. It was named one of the Top 10 Novels of the Year by ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' of London,

's ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's hosts are Terry Gross and Tonya Mosl ...

'', and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

''; a notable novel by the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

''; and a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' Editor's Choice. It was a selection for the ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' Juggler Book Club, and a No. 1

Book Sense The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and to ...

pick. The novel was published in the U.K. by

Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...

in 2007, in Italy by

Einaudi Einaudi is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Luigi Einaudi (1874–1961), Italian politician * Mario Einaudi (1904–1994), Italian political scientist, son of Luigi * Giulio Einaudi (1912–1999), Italian publisher, s ...

and in

by Image Box Publishing. The book has also been featured on online periodicals such as the '' Page 99 test'' and ''Largehearted Boy''. A 10th Anniversary edition of the novel was released by Apollo in 2017. It was announced in January 2021 that Lee and screenwriter

Alan Yang Alan Michael Yang ( zh, t=楊維榕; born August 22, 1983) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He was a writer and producer for the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received his first Emmy nomination. With Aziz Ans ...

had teamed up to bring ''Free Food for Millionaires'' to ''

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

'' as a TV series.

''Pachinko''

In 2017 Lee released ''Pachinko'', an epic historical novel following characters from Korea who eventually migrate to Japan. The book received strong reviews including those from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'',

, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'', ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'', and ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' and is on the "Best Fiction of 2017" lists from ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'', the ''

Chicago Review of Books The ''Chicago Review of Books'' is an online literary publication of StoryStudio Chicago that reviews recent books covering diverse genres, presses, voices, and media. The magazine was started in 2016 by founding editor Adam Morgan. It is consi ...

'',

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...

, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'', the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, ''

'', and ''Book Riot''. The book was named by ''

'' as one of the 10 Best Books of 2017. In a ''Washington Post'' interview, writer

Roxane Gay Roxane Gay (born October 15, 1974) is an American writer, professor, editor, and social commentator. Gay is the author of ''The New York Times'' best-selling essay collection ''Bad Feminist'' (2014), as well as the short story collection ''Ayiti ...

called ''Pachinko'' her favorite book of 2017. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

recommended ''Pachinko'' in May 2019, writing that Lee's novel is "a powerful story about resilience and compassion." ''Pachinko'' was a 2017 finalist for the

National Book Award for Fiction The National Book Award for Fiction is one of five annual National Book Awards, which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987, the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, bu ...

. In August 2018, it was announced that

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

had obtained the screen rights to the novel for development as a television series for

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

. The series, consisting of eight episodes, premiered in March 2022. As of 2023, ''Pachinko'' has been published in over 35 languages.

''The Best American Short Stories''

In 2023, Lee was chosen as the guest editor for ''

The Best American Short Stories ''The Best American Short Stories'' is a yearly anthology that's part of ''The Best American Series'' published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the ''BASS'' has anthologized more than 2,000 short stories, including works by some of the ...

,'' an anthology of the best 20 short stories in fiction published the previous year.

Non-fiction

Lee has published non-fiction in periodicals such as ''

'', the ''

New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazin ...

'', ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

,'' ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', ''

Times of London ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...

'', ''

Condé Nast Traveler ''Condé Nast Traveler'' is a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine published by Condé Nast. The magazine has won 25 National Magazine Awards. The Condé Nast unit of Advance Publications purchased ''Signature'', a magazine for Diners Club me ...

'', ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'', ''

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Co. (formerly Wyndham Destinations, Inc., and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation) is an American timeshare company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It develops, sells, and manages timeshare properties under several vacation owners ...

'', and ''

Food & Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and sea ...

''. For three consecutive seasons, Lee was an English-language columnist of South Korea's newspaper ''

Chosun Ilbo ''The Chosun Ilbo'' (, ), also known as ''The Chosun Daily,'' is a Korean-language newspaper of record for South Korea and among the oldest active newspapers in the country. With a daily circulation of more than 1,800,000, ''The'' ''Chosun Ilbo ...

s "Morning Forum" feature.

Reviews

Lee has written a number of reviews. In 2012 she wrote a review of

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically accl ...

's ''Home'' in ''

'' of London, and also a review in ''

'' of ''March Was Made of Yarn'', edited by David Karashima and Elmer Luke, a collection of essays, stories, poems and manga made by Japanese artists and citizens in the wake of the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

. She also wrote ''

'' reviews of

Cynthia Ozick Cynthia Ozick (born April 17, 1928) is an American short story writer, novelist, and essayist. Biography Cynthia Ozick was born in New York City. The second of two children, Ozick was raised in the Bronx by her parents, Celia (née Regelson) and ...

's ''Foreign Bodies'' and

Jodi Picoult Jodi Lynn Picoult (; born 1966) is an American writer. Picoult has published 28 novels and short stories, and has also written several issues of ''Wonder Woman''. Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide and have been t ...

's ''Wonder Woman: Love and Murder''. In 2018, Lee wrote a

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...

for Hang Kang's ''

Human Acts ''Human Acts'' () is a South Korean novel written by Han Kang. The novel draws upon the democratization uprising that occurred on 18 May 1980, in Gwangju, Korea. In the novel, one boy's death provides the impetus for a dimensional look into th ...

,'' the essay is titled
Korean Soul
''.

Interviews

In her interview with ''

The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the third-largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the Americas. With 5.36 million v ...

'', Lee said part of her intention with her writing is to create a sense of directed thinking out of chaos and develop some form of a unified order. In March 2023, the Association of Writers & Writing Program (AWP) invited Lee as the 2023 AWP Conference & Bookfair Keynote Speaker. The Writer’s Chronicle published Lee’s fire chat conversation with librarian

Nancy Pearl Nancy Pearl (born January 12, 1945) is an American librarian, best-selling author, literary critic and the former executive director of the Washington Center for the Book at Seattle Public Library.Rebekah DennNancy Pearl trading the quiet confin ...

in Volume 56, September 2023.

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

released an ''Arts Talk'' conversation between Lee and

Ann Curry Ann Curry (born November 19, 1956) is an American journalist, who has been a reporter for more than 45 years, focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters. Curry has reported from the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palest ...

in July 2023, where they discussed Lee’s artistic process, religion, and tenacity in the fight against anti-Asian racism.

Korean Broadcasting System The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS; ) is the public broadcasting, national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters under the government of South Korea. The KBS ope ...

(KBS) released a documentary in August 2023 on Lee that covered biographical details and the inspiration for ''

.''

Essays

Her essays include "Will", anthologized in ''Breeder – Real Life Stories from the New Generation of Mothers'' (Seal Press Books, 2001) and "Pushing Away the Plate" in ''To Be Real'' (edited by

Rebecca Walker Rebecca Walker (born Rebecca Leventhal; November 17, 1969) is an American writer, feminist, and activist. Walker has been regarded as one of the prominent voices of Third Wave Feminism, and the coiner of the term "third wave", since publishing ...

) (

Doubleday Doubleday may refer to: * Doubleday (surname), including a list of people with the name Publishing imprints * Doubleday (publisher), imprint of Knopf Doubleday, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House * Doubleday Canada, imprint of Penguin Random ...

, 1995). Lee also published a piece in the ''

'' entitled "Low Tide", about her observations of the survivors of the

. She wrote another essay entitled ''Up Front: After the Earthquake'' in ''

'', reflecting upon her experiences living in Japan with her family after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. Lee has also written two other essays in ''

'', including ''Weighing In'' (2008) and ''Crowning Glory'' (2007). An essay entitled "Reading the World" that Lee wrote appears in the March 26, 2010, issue of ''

''. She also wrote an article profiling the cuisine and work of Tokyo chef Seiji Yamamoto in ''

''. She has also written a piece for the

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

review entitled ''Sex, Debt, and Revenge: Balzac’s Cousin Bette''. Her interviews and essays have also been profiled in online periodicals such as ''Chekhov's Mistress'' ("My Other Village: Middlemarch by George Eliot"), ''Moleskinerie'' ("Pay Yourself First"), and ABC News ("Biblical Illiteracy or Reading the Bestseller"). Other essays by Lee have been anthologized in ''The Mark Twain Anthology: Great Writers on His Life and Works'', ''Why I'm a Democrat'' (Ed. Susan Mulcahy), ''One Big Happy Family'', ''Sugar in My Bowl'' and ''Global and the Intimate: Feminism in Our Time''.

Lectures

Lee has lectured and spoken about writing, literature, and politics at numerous institutions. When Lee was a Fiction Fellow at Harvard's

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, is an institute of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts ...

, she gave the 2018–2019 Julia S. Phelps Annual Lecture in the Arts and Humanities. Her talk was titled ''Are Koreans Human?,'' which touched on writing her new novel and writing about the Korean diaspora. In September 2019, Lee gave

's annual DeMott lecture, a welcome address for incoming students. The DeMott Lecture seeks "to expose incoming students to an engagement with the world marked by originality of thought coupled with direct social action, and to inspire intellectual participation in issues of social and economic inequality, racial and gender bias, and political activism."

Bibliography

Short stories

*''The Best Girls'' (2004/2019) – Originally published in 2004, was re-issued in 2019 as a part of

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

's ''Disorder Series'' * ''Axis of Happiness'' (2004) – 2004 Narrative Prize from ''

Narrative Magazine ''Narrative Magazine'' is a non-profit digital publisher of fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and art founded in 2003 by Tom Jenks and Carol Edgarian. ''Narrative'' publishes weekly and provides educational resources to teachers and students; sub ...

'' * ''Motherland'' (2002) – William Peden Prize for Best Short Story, ''

Novels

* '' Free Food for Millionaires'' (2007), Grand Central Publishing, . *''

'' (2017), Grand Central Publishing,

Editor

*''

'' (2023), Mariner Books, .

Accolades

While at Yale, she was awarded the Henry Wright Prize for Nonfiction and the James Ashmun Veech Prize for Fiction. She received the NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts) Fellowship for Fiction, the Peden Prize from

for Best Story, and The Narrative Prize for New and Emerging Writer. In 2017, Lee was a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction for her novel ''Pachinko''. That book was runner-up in the 2018

in Fiction. The Guggenheim Foundation and

at Harvard University awarded Lee fellowships in Fiction in 2018. The Manhae Prize committee presented her in 2022 one of the highest honors in Korean literature, the Manhae Grand Prize for Literature, for her work on ''Pachinko.'' Lee is the 2024 recipient of th
Fitzgerald Prize for Literary Excellence
awarded by the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum to honor authors who continue the American storytelling tradition with the craft, wit, and social insight embodied by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Writing Awards and Professional Honors

Awards
Fitzgerald Prize for Literary Excellence
2024 *

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

's Weatherhead East Asian Institute, ''Honoree'', 2024 * AAJA's Inaugural Visibility Award, 2023 * Carnegie Corporation of New York Great Immigrants, ''Honoree,'' 2023 *

Bronx Science The Bronx High School of Science is a public specialized high school in the Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Specialized High Schools Admissions ...

Atom Award, 2023 *

Asia Society The Asia Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) and around the world (Hong Ko ...

Asia Art Game Changer Award, 2022 * New York State Writers Hall of Fame, ''Inductee,'' 2022 * Council of Korean Americans (CKA) Voice & Leadership Award, 2022 * Forbes 50 Over 50 List, ''Honoree,'' 2022 * Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) SF Trailblazer, ''Honoree,'' 2022 *

Gala, ''Honoree,'' 2022 *

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

Hall of Fame, ''Inductee,'' 2019 * Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) NY, ''Honoree,'' 2019 *

, ''Runner-Up,'' 2018 * Medici Prize, 2018 *

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

Notable Book, 2018 * Frederick Douglas 200, Writer Award, 2018 * Adweek Creative 100, ''Ten Writers and Editors Who Are Changing the National Conversation,'' 2018 *

, ''Finalist,'' 2017 *

, Alumni Hall of Fame, ''Inductee,'' 2017 *Korean Community Center, New Jersey, Honoree, 2016 Awards from South Korea * Samsung Happiness for Tomorrow Award for Creativity, 2022 * Bucheon Diaspora Literary Award, 2022 * Manhae Grand Prize for Literature, 2022 Fellowships * ''Fiction Fellow,'' Guggenheim Foundation, 2018-2019 * ''Fiction Fellow,''

, Harvard University, 2018-2019 * ''Fiction Fellow,''

Fellowship Artist, 2000 Honorary Doctorates * Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters,

Ursinus College Ursinus College is a private liberal arts college in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869 and occupies a campus. Ursinus College's forerunner was the Freeland Seminary founded in 1848. Its $127 million endowment supports about 1, ...

, 2021 * Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters,

Monmouth College Monmouth College is a Private college, private Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Monmouth, Illinois. It enrolls 727 students in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science de ...

, 2018

References

External links

Min Jin Lee: Official homepageAuthor Min Jin Lee: 'Free Food For Millionaires' at NPROn-Point Radio with Tom Ashbrook: Min Jin Lee (Broadcast)
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100823071428/http://www.missourireview.com/content/dynamic/view_text.php?text_id=1080 Motherland(full text), from ''The Missouri Review''
Pachinko - The struggle of destiny
book review from ''Whatbooktoreadnext.com'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Min Jin 1968 births South Korean emigrants to the United States American writers of Korean descent Living people Yale College alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni 21st-century American novelists American women novelists American women short story writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American short story writers People from Elmhurst, Queens

Early life and education

Personal life

Fiction

Short fiction

''Free Food for Millionaires''

''Pachinko''

''The Best American Short Stories''

Non-fiction

Reviews

Interviews

Essays

Lectures

Bibliography

Short stories

Novels

Editor

Accolades

Writing Awards and Professional Honors

See also

References

External links