Remembering a Future Yet to Come

• Beyond the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Canada, eight dazzling records that pre-cultivate the time to come through literature
• A miraculous story in which the seeds of perseverance planted by first-generation immigrants have grown into a vast literary forest connecting the two countries
• From Yann Martel to Kim Ae-ran, a portrait of us all, written by erasing borders and focusing solely on 'people' and 'solidarity'

What if a single book could provide a deeper resonance than the vast Pacific Ocean? Remembering a Future Yet to Come, an anthology curated to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Canada, is exactly that kind of book. First published in South Korea by Minumsa in the fall of 2024, it is now preparing to meet Canadian readers this year in 2026 under the translated title Remembering a Future Yet to Come. Usually, the phrase "commemorating diplomatic relations" conjures up images of stiff, retrospective writings about the past, but this book feels delightfully different right from its title. It seems to ask how one can remember a future that has yet to arrive, but the eight representative authors from Korea and Canada who participated in this book speak with one voice: the future is not merely an approaching time, but an active time that we must construct in advance and "remember" through our current imagination and will.

The journey of this book began in September 2024, when the participating authors gathered at the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) to make eye contact with local readers first. In a way, the authors' voices traveled through the Canadian air to reach the readers' ears before the book was even published. That gathering, where they connected through gazes and voices before the ink was even dry, was a symbolic event proving that literature is ultimately born in the resonance between people, erasing national borders.

This anthology features a star-studded lineup of authors whose mere names inspire excitement. World-renowned master Yann Martel of Life of Pi and Canada's representative author Kim Thúy are joined by some of Korea's most celebrated contemporary writers, including Kim Ae-ran, Chung Bora, Yun Ko-eun, and Kim Mella. Various Korean media outlets praised this book as "the literary frontline where time on opposite sides of the globe overlaps." They particularly noted that the "shared language of diversity and inclusion" demonstrated by the eight authors tackled the acute challenges facing humanity in the format of "memories of the future," transcending the mere diplomatic number of 60 years.

When you look closely at each piece, there are so many points that intersect with the lives of immigrants. Kim Ae-ran's "Like Raindrops" portrays an unexpected encounter between a depressed, widowed Korean woman left all alone and a female immigrant contractor. The image of a female immigrant working tenaciously in manual labor in a foreign land will likely bring to mind the worn, rough hands of our own parents, who raised us while running convenience stores and dry cleaners across Canada. Lisa Bird-Wilson's "Where Are You From?" delves into the agony of an Indigenous Canadian woman adopted into a white family. The author reportedly thought of "all the Korean adoptees who are cut off from their language, culture, and homeland" while writing this piece. The confusion of identity experienced by second- and third-generation immigrants, and their yearning to trace their roots, are deeply embedded in this work, making it resonate even more specially with us.

Jordan Scott's poem "Purpleraft" also has a deeply moving background. It was inspired by the author's own struggles with stuttering and his encounter with a Korean mother who wished for her son to be accepted exactly as he was, yet simultaneously hoped he would speak flawlessly. The image of feeling frustrated before the barrier of language while striving to convey the love that lies beyond it is no different from the story of all of us who struggle and strive between English and Korean. In this way, while speaking of injustice, discrimination, and isolation across geographical boundaries, the anthology never loses sight of the joy, love, and spirit of solidarity that blooms within. Among the media reactions, the most impressive phrase was "a rich mosaic of identities and perspectives." As author Kim Mella noted at the press conference, diversity and inclusion are values that cannot be overstated, not just in art, but in our daily lives. For us Koreans living as a pillar of Canada's multicultural society, this book will instill great pride. The sheer daunting uncertainty we felt when we first set foot on this land 60 years ago has now transformed into a literary soil where masters representing both countries discuss the future together—a fact that will surely fill us with immense pride.

The moment this book is shelved in Canadian bookstores as Remembering a Future Yet to Come, this project will finally reach its completion. The time difference between the sentences first read in Korea and their delivery to Canadian readers feels almost like the minimum aging period required for the future to reach us. Sentences that Korean readers read in a past season are being read all over again in Canada. Beyond a simple translated publication, isn't this a magical moment where two countries on opposite sides of the globe come to dream of the exact same future?

The title "Remembering a Future Yet to Come" encourages us to adopt an active attitude toward life. It suggests that the future doesn't just arrive on its own; it is shaped by the kind of imagination we harbor. The future of the Korean Canadian community will likely be the same. Depending on how we cultivate and remember the seeds planted by our parents' generation, won't our next 60 years shine even more brilliantly? The eight voices contained in this anthology are telling readers: you are not alone, and across borders and language barriers, we are already writing one giant story together.

This summer, when this book is placed in Canadian bookstores, I hope we all square our shoulders and feel proud. This masterpiece, born from the encounter between the power of Korean literature and the depth of Canadian literature, will serve as proof that we are the "richest people" who embrace the cultural assets of both countries simultaneously. Turning the pages and imagining in advance the "house of the future" we will build together—that is the greatest gift this wonderful anthology offers us, and the true reason we must remember the future. I sincerely hope that the times ahead, created by the harmony of the first-generation immigrants' perseverance and the second-generation's creativity, will unfold even more dazzlingly than the beautiful sentences contained in this book. Let us consider that we are already standing in the very center of that future, and this book is the first invitation to celebrate it. And let us walk together toward the tomorrow we will remember together.