Gu Byeong-mo


Gu Byeong-mo is a South Korean writer. She made her literary debut in 2009 when her novel Wizard Bakery won the 2nd Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction. Her 2015 short story collection Geugeosi namaneun anigireul received the Today's Writer Award and Hwang Sun-won New Writers' Award. She penned the novels Pigeumallion aideul, Agami, and Bangjuro oseyo as well as the short story collection Gouineun anijiman. Gu's debut novel Wijeodeu Beikeori was translated into Spanish by Minjeong Jeong and Irma Zyanja Gil YÑñez. They received the 24th Daesan Literary Award in 2016 for their translation.
𝕏 ere_whon

Life

Gu Byeong-mo was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1976. Gu studied Korean literature at Kyung Hee University.

Writing

Many of Gu Byeong-mo's works are genre fiction. Her debut novel Wijeodeu beikeori mixes mystery, horror, and fantasy. It is the first young adult novel in South Korea to employ magic as a major plot device, breaking the convention of the genre to deal with only realistic settings. The judges of the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction chose Wijeodeu as the winner because it is a fantastical allegory that deviates from the standard coming-of-age story set in schools.
Gu's later works are also allegories that use unusual motifs to reveal a dark side of reality. β€œHwagapsonyeojeon” is a short story based on β€œThe Little Match Girl” by Hans Christian Andersen. But instead of seeing wonderful visions in the glow of her matches, the protagonist only sees scenes of horror and tragedy. The story urges readers to question commonly accepted truths or lessons and to view the world in a new light.

Works

Apartment Women
  • μ—„λ§ˆμ˜ μ™„μ„±
  • γ€Šλ‹¨μ§€ μ†Œμ„€μΌ 뿐이넀》 2024.01
  • γ€Šμžˆμ„ λ²•ν•œ λͺ¨λ“  것》 2023.07
  • γ€ŠνŒŒμ‡„ 》 2023.03
  • γ€Šλ‘œλ ˜ μž…μˆ¨μ˜ 책》 2023.12
  • γ€Šμƒμ•„μ˜ λ¬ΈμœΌλ‘œγ€‹ 2021.11
  • γ€Šλ°”λŠ˜κ³Ό κ°€μ£½μ˜ μ‹œγ€‹ 2021.05
  • γ€Žλ‘ 번째 엔딩』 쀑 γ€Œμ΄ˆμ›μ‘°μ˜ μ•„μ΄μ—κ²Œγ€
  • γ€Šμ‹¬μž₯에 μˆ˜λ†“μ€ 이야기 》 2020.03
  • γ€Šλ²„λ“œ 슀트라이크 》 2019.03
  • γ€Šλ‹¨ ν•˜λ‚˜μ˜ λ¬Έμž₯ 》 2018.11
  • γ€Šλ„€ μ΄μ›ƒμ˜ 식탁 》 2018.06
  • γ€Šμ–΄λŠ ν”Όμ”¨μ£Όμ˜μžμ˜ 쒅생기 》 2017.10
  • γ€Šν•œ μŠ€ν‘Όμ˜ μ‹œκ°„ 》 2016.09
  • γ€ŠλΉ¨κ°„κ΅¬λ‘λ‹Ή 》 2015.09
  • γ€ŠνŒŒκ³Ό 》 2013.08
  • γ€Šν”Όκ·Έλ§λ¦¬μ˜¨ 아이듀 》 2012.06
  • γ€Šλ°©μ£Όλ‘œ μ˜€μ„Έμš” 》 2012.01
  • γ€Šκ³ μ˜λŠ” μ•„λ‹ˆμ§€λ§Œ 》 2011.08
  • γ€Šμ•„κ°€λ―Έ 》 2011.03
  • γ€Šμœ„μ €λ“œ 베이컀리 ''》 2009.03

co-authorship

  • γ€Šλ•€ ν˜λ¦¬λŠ” μ†Œμ„€γ€‹ 2019.03
  • γ€Šλ¬΄λ―Όμ€ μ±„μ‹μ£Όμ˜μžγ€‹ 2018.11
  • γ€ŠλΆˆμ•ˆμ˜ 주파수 》 2018.09
  • γ€ŠνŒŒλž€ 아이 》 2018.09
  • γ€Šκ·Όλ°©μ— νžˆμ–΄λ‘œκ°€ λ„ˆλ¬΄ λ§Žμ‚¬μ˜€λ‹ˆ 》 2018.09
  • γ€Šμ†Œμ„€ μ œμ£Όγ€‹ 2018.07
  • γ€ŠκΏˆμ„ κΎΈμ—ˆλ‹€κ³  λ§ν–ˆλ‹€ 》 2018.01
  • γ€Šν˜„λ‚¨ μ˜€λΉ μ—κ²Œ 》 2017.11
  • γ€Šμ œ7회 문지문학상 μˆ˜μƒμž‘ν’ˆμ§‘ 》 2017.06
  • γ€Šμ†Œλ…„, μ†Œλ…€λ₯Ό λ§Œλ‚˜λ‹€ 》 2016.05
  • γ€Šκ·Έκ²ƒμ΄ λ‚˜λ§Œμ€ μ•„λ‹ˆκΈ°λ₯Ό 》 May It Not Be Just Me'' 2015.03
  • γ€Šκ²¨μšΈμ˜ λˆˆλΉ› 》 2014.05
  • γ€Šν•œ.쀑 κ±Έμž‘λ‹¨νŽΈμ„ γ€‹ 2014.04
  • γ€Šμ“°λ‹€ μ°Έ, μ‚¬λž‘ 》 2013.07
  • γ€Šν–‰λ³΅ν•œ λ¬Έν•™νŽΈμ§€ 》 2013.06
  • γ€Šμž‘κ°€κ°€ μ„ μ •ν•œ 였늘의 μ†Œμ„€ 》 2011.03
  • γ€Šμ˜€λŠ˜μ˜ μž₯λ₯΄ 문학》 2010.11

Works in Translation (partial)

Source:

Adaptation

In 2025, her novel The Old Woman with the Knife was adapted into a feature film The Old Woman with the Knife directed by Min Kyu-dong. The film will premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2025 as part of Berlinale Special programme.

Awards