Dialogue Books signs two ‘dazzling’ new books by Bora Chung

Dialogue Books has acquired two new novels by South Korean author Bora Chung, author of Cursed Bunny, which was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize and 2023 National Book Award, and upcoming novel The Midnight Timetable.

Hannah Chukwu, publishing director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Australia and New Zealand) to The Pain Chasers and Surrender Earthlings from Laura Mamelok at Algonquin. Both books will be translated from Korean by long-time collaborator Anton Hur.

The Pain Chasers, scheduled for publication in Autumn 2026, is billed as "a searing speculative thriller set in a world where physical pain has been eradicated by Big Pharma, prompting the rise of a mysterious underground cult that believes true meaning in life can only be found through suffering".

The publisher continued: "With her signature blend of razor-sharp social commentary and surreal imagination, Chung explores themes of medical ethics, bodily autonomy and the commodification of comfort."

Surrender Earthlings, publishing a year later in Autumn 2027, is "an emotionally resonant and genre-bending love story between a labour union organiser and a university lecturer whose lives are upended by the arrival of enigmatic, talking sea creatures bearing cryptic messages". As their connection deepens, so does the question: what do we owe to each other – and to the planet?

Chukwu said: "Bora Chung is one of the most vital voices in contemporary fiction. These two novels are dazzling in their ambition, blending piercing political critique with mythic and surreal imagery. We’re honoured to be continuing our relationship with her and Anton Hur, whose translations capture every bit of Bora’s bold, haunting brilliance."

Bora Chung said: "The Pain Chasers was actually inspired by Dostoyevsky. He believed that human beings needed pain because humans yearn to be saved by God; otherwise humans would not want salvation, and Dostoyevsky believed that such a state of content and not wanting salvation was more dangerous than depravity. In this age of science and technology, I wanted to refute this belief. Pain and suffering are just a fact of life but there is no need to worship them. We should always strive for a better world with as little pain and suffering as possible.

"Surrender Earthlings is my confession of love for my husband, my family, and my fellow human and non-human beings with whom I live in this world and with whom I fight for this world. It is our duty and our right to protect the world and everybody who lives in it. Because this is the only place we have."