'The State Of Being Lonely': South Korean Horror Writer Shortlisted For Booker

A head pops out of the toilet, a woman gets pregnant from birth control pills -- South Korean Booker Prize nominee Bora Chung's short stories are full of horror, inspired by her own lonely life. An academic specialising in Slavic literature, Chung was considered a "genre writer" and excluded from South Korea's mainstream literary scene. Until recently, she was relatively unknown to local readers. Her stories -- which combine science fiction, horror and fantasy -- are not considered "pure" literature by Seoul's cultural elite. But her life took a dramatic turn when her 2017 collection "Cursed Bunny" caught the eye of translator Anton Hur. Hur's English edition of the book, released by British publisher Honford Star, has been named a finalist for this year's International Booker Prize.