Interview with translator Anton Hur

I've recently been fortunate enough to interview Anton Hur after going to an event promoting his latest translation Capitalists Must Starve at House of Books & Friends in Manchester.

Anton translates Korean literature with over 25 published translations under their belt. They have been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and was a judge on the panel in 2025. Anton has published several books with the Stockport based Honford Star.

Hi Anton,

Thank you so much for talking to me. I’m looking forward to learning more about you and translation more broadly!

I recently saw you speak about Capitalists Must Starve (published by Tilted Axis) at House of Books and Friends. How have you found this book tour? Was it your first visit to the North of England?

Anton

No, I’ve been a few times before to see friends. The book tour was gruelling but worth it in the end as we got to see so many readers. 

Capitalists Must Starve published by Tilted Axis

What drew you to translating Capitalists Must Starve in particular?

Anton

The main character. She was really fun to get under the skin of and translate. 

You’ve mentioned that you only translate authors you feel passionate about. At what point in your career did you feel able to make that a guiding principle, rather than something to work towards?

Anton

It was actually my guiding principle in the beginning of my career, and now I’m much more open to working towards liking an author I am translating. 

I’m very interested in your translation process. At the event, you described it as “biological.” Could you talk a little more about what that looks like in practice? Do you ever have to work to find an author’s “voice” in English, or does it tend to be intuitive for you?

Anton

It’s generally intuitive but it can take a long time and a lot of effort. Usually around 50 pages I begin to feel like I’ve found it. It’s such an organic process that I can’t really describe it in words. It’s like an actor researching a role. It’s a bit of thinking and lots of feeling and some research. 

At the event, you talked about the politics of translation. Could you expand on what that means to you?

Anton

This is too broad a topic to answer in a single question but basically, the politics of translation involves not just how something is translated but who translates. It’s a very fraught issue. 

You were involved in the Society of Authors campaign to have translators’ names placed on book covers. Why is that visibility important? And have you noticed any industry-wide changes since the campaign?

Anton

This was more Jennifer Croft and Frank Wynne’s work. Visibility is crucial not just for the welfare of translators but for the books themselves, which can benefit from the readership a translator has built over their career.

Currently there’s a boom of translation of Korean fiction. Why do you think it took so long for it to emerge on the Western scene?

Anton

Racism?

I want to speak about Honford Star. Honford Star is a press local to me in Stockport and they put out some fantastic East Asian books. You’ve put out five books by them now, could you tell me a little about working with them? Is it a different experience working with a publisher that solely puts out translated literature? 

Anton

They are wonderful, the best. They care deeply about literature and put so much into each book, they are completely obsessive with detail and daring in what they publish. It’s hard to imagine Cursed Bunny finding another publisher who would take a risk on such a book.

Previously reviewed Red Sword Published by Honford Star

Honford Star’s most recent project is a collection of East Asian interpretations of H.P. Lovecraft, of which you translate the book Alien Gods. I love the design and look of these books. How do these Korean reinterpretations build on or challenge Lovecraft’s original ideas?

Anton

Hopefully we can divorce the aesthetics from the politics by repurposing his world for Korean stories or extending his extended universe into Korea, but ultimately it will be up to the reader to decide whether we were successful in our homage to his Mythos.

Alien Gods Published by Honford Star

I wanted to ask about Counterweight, the novel by Djuna you translated in 2023. Since Djuna is an anonymous author, what was the translation process like? 

Anton

Exhausting. I have never had to gloss so much in my entire career. I hope someone someday does a study on the differences between the Korean and the English and comparatively evaluates the readability of both. It was a short book, but I had to do so much work for it.

Finally, do you have a dream author (living or dead) whom you would love to translate?

Anton

No, I want to be surprised. I want an amazing author to just pop out of nowhere. This has always been the case for me. I discover authors, and other translators steal them.