Cursed Bunny

Cursed Bunny consists of ten short stories, each an example of speculative fiction. The stories are:

1. "The Head"
2. "The Embodiment"
3. "Cursed Bunny"
4. "The Frozen Finger"
5. "Snare"
6. "Goodbye, My Love"
7. "Scars"
8. "Home Sweet Home"
9. "Ruler of the Winds and Sands"
10. "Reunion"

Cursed Bunny was originally published in South Korea on March 15, 2017. It was published in the United Kingdom by Honford Star on July 15, 2021.{{Cite web |title=Cursed Bunny |url=https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/cursed-bunny |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=The Booker Prizes}} It was published in the United States by Algonquin Books on December 6, 2022.

Cursed Bunny received critical acclaim upon release.{{Cite web |title=Cursed Bunny: Stories |url=https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/cursed-bunny-stories/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Book Marks}} According to Book Marks, the book received "rave" reviews based on 10 critic reviews with 7 being "rave" and 3 being "positive" and 1 being "mixed".{{Cite web |title=Cursed Bunny: Stories|url=https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/cursed-bunny-stories/ |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=Book Marks}}

The New York Times Book Review praised both the diversity of the collection's stories and the translation, complimenting Anton Hur for capturing "the tricky magic of Chung's voice."{{Cite web |last=Kupersmith |first=Violet |date=2022-12-13 |title=With Bora Chung as Our Guide, We Walk Ourselves Into the Trap |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/books/review/bora-chung-cursed-bunny.html |url-access=limited |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=The New York Times}} The Chicago Review of Books was similarly positive, praising the stories for functioning as critiques of greed, sexism, and modernity.{{Cite web |last=MacAllen |first=Ian |date=2022-12-09 |title=Greed and Other Monsters in “Cursed Bunny” |url=https://chireviewofbooks.com/2022/12/09/greed-and-other-monsters-in-cursed-bunny/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Chicago Review of Books}} Reactor and ArtReview published similar reviews, positively noting the collection's themes and praising Hur's translation.{{Cite web |last=Murad |first=Mahvesh |date=2022-12-06 |title=Strange, Surreal, and Sometimes Shocking: Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, Translated by Anton Hur |url=https://reactormag.com/book-review-cursed-bunny-by-bora-chung-translated-by-anton-hur/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Reactor}}{{Cite web |last=Churchman |first=Fi |date=2022-08-02 |title=Cautionary Tales of Capitalism: Bora Chung’s ‘Cursed Bunny’ – Review |url=https://artreview.com/cautionary-tales-of-capitalism-bora-chung-cursed-bunny-review/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=ArtReview}}

The San Francisco Chronicle positively described each story's concept and themes.{{Cite web |last=Biewald |first=Connie |date=2022-11-30 |title=Review: Trio of fiction in translation opens worlds of strange beauty and startling familiarity |url=https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/books/review-trio-of-fiction-in-translation-opens-worlds-of-strange-beauty-and-startling-familiarity |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=San Francisco Chronicle}} The Los Angeles Times noted that some of the stories feel into genre conventions but noted that Chung's use of horror helped subvert expectations and praised her literary approach to writing.{{Cite web |last=Berlatsky |first=Noah |date=2022-12-09 |title=In a Korean author’s U.S. debut, uncanny pleasures rear their ugly heads |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-12-09/in-cursed-bunny-uncanny-pleasures-rear-their-ugly-heads |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Los Angeles Times}} Kirkus Reviews described the stories as being both "bleak" and "wise and honest," while Booklist described the collection as being "irresistible."{{Cite web |date=2022-09-27 |title=Cursed Bunny |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bora-chung/cursed-bunny-chung/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Kirkus Reviews}}{{Cite web |last=Hong |first=Terry |date=2021-06-01 |title=Cursed Bunny |url=https://www.booklistonline.com/Cursed-Bunny-Anton-Hur/pid=9747683 |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Booklist}} Shelf Awareness was also positive, noting that Chung's "gruesome" imagery was used for more than shock value and that the images helped illustrate the stories' anti-capitalist themes.{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Alice |date=2022-10-21 |title=Review: Cursed Bunny |url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=4343#m57949 |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Shelf Awareness}}

Upon its release in the United Kingdom, Cursed Bunny was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize.{{Cite web |last=Knight |first=Lucy |date=2022-04-07 |title=International Booker prize shortlist delivers ‘awe and exhilaration’ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/apr/07/international-booker-prize-shortlist |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=The Guardian}} The award was ultimately given to Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree.{{Cite web |last=Marshall |first=Alex |date=2022-06-01 |title=Hindi Novel Wins International Booker Prize for the First Time |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/arts/international-booker-winner-tomb-of-sand.html |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=The New York Times}} After being released in the United States, it was a finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature.{{Cite web |last=Jihae |first=Lee |date=2023-10-05 |title='Cursed Bunny' is nation's 1st finalist for US Nat'l Book Award |url=https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=239770 |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=Korea.net}}

{{Reflist}}

Category:2017 short story collections

Category:21st-century South Korean novels

Category:2017 science fiction novels