Gu Byeong-mo

Writing

Many of Gu Byeong-mo's works are genre fiction. Her debut novel Wijeodeu beikeori (위저드 베이커리 Wizard Bakery) mixes mystery, horror, and fantasy. It is the first young adult novel in South Korea to employ magic as a major plot device, breaking the convention of the genre to deal with only realistic settings. The judges of the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction chose Wijeodeu as the winner because it is a fantastical allegory that deviates from the standard coming-of-age story set in schools.

Gu's later works are also allegories that use unusual motifs to reveal a dark side of reality. “Hwagapsonyeojeon” (화갑소녀전 Tale of the Match Girl) is a short story based on “The Little Match Girl” by Hans Christian Andersen. But instead of seeing wonderful visions in the glow of her matches, the protagonist only sees scenes of horror and tragedy. The story urges readers to question commonly accepted truths or lessons and to view the world in a new light.

Adaptation

In 2025, her novel The Old Woman with the Knife was adapted into a feature film The Old Woman with the Knife (파과) directed by Min Kyu-dong. The film will premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2025 as part of Berlinale Special programme.

Awards

• 2016: Daesan Literary Award, translation category
• 2015: Today's Writer Award
• 2015: Hwang Sun-won New Writers' Award
• 2009: Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction
• 2022: Kim You jeong Academic Award