Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
THE English translation of a Korean bestseller by author Jungeun Yun entitled Marigold Mind Laundry and translated by Shanna Tan is set to hit the shelves on October 1.
First published in 2023, the namesake Korean novel follows young Jieun who runs a laundry that removes the deepest pains from the hearts of her clients. As they tell their story, Jieun transfers their sadness onto T-shirts as stains. After a spin in the washing machine, the customer finds solace.
Singapore-based literary talent Shanna specialises in translating from Korean, Chinese and Japanese to English. She finds herself drawn to ‘healing fiction’, a genre that the majority of her works fall under.
“Healing fiction, to me, is a safe space that allows us to escape from reality, immerse ourselves in the experiences of others, reflect on issues that have been taking up too much of our mental capacity and health, and that provides a respite from everything else.” Shanna wrote in an article.
“There’s a term in Korean and English for Korean literature that falls into this genre: K-healing. Most of the time, K-healers can be recognised by their book covers – a beautiful illustration of a building, such as a bookshop, a library or a convenience store,” she added.
