“I’m Boarding Now”: The ‘Cursed Bunny’ Author’s Unvarnished Travelogue of the World

Bora Chung’s international literary career began with a sudden jolt. After ‘Cursed Bunny’ became a finalist for the 2022 International Booker Prize, invitations from literary events around the world started arriving, sending her through London, Warsaw, Berlin and Ubud.

Over four years, Chung traveled through 32 cities in 15 countries. Her second essay collection, ‘I’m Boarding Now,’ records those journeys without polishing away their awkwardness. The life of an author invited to prestigious events may look glamorous from the outside, but the reality still includes cold, hunger and situations so absurd they are difficult to anticipate.

The book takes readers behind the stage, where another story comes into view: the intensity of international interest in Korean literature. Chung writes that Korean literature, and Korean culture more broadly, are expanding their recognition and fan base by supporting one another. A foreign viewer who enjoys a Korean drama may search for its background music, become a K-pop fan, learn Korean to understand the lyrics, and then move on to Korean films and books.

Her travels unfolded during a turbulent period marked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the bombardment of Gaza, war, refugees and the rise of far-right politics. Chung describes joining the applause inside invited venues while also listening to slogans outside them. Walking through unfamiliar cities, she looks toward the realities faced by the people who live there. The result is a travel record that follows the expanding reach of Korean culture while refusing to ignore the unsettled world beyond the festival stage.

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Whenever I attend events abroad, I feel that Korean literature, and Korean culture as a whole, are expanding their international recognition and fan base by pushing and pulling one another forward.