Kim Byung-ik (Literary Critic):
The author's gaze cuts deep into reality, and the emotions that flow from it are subtle and nuanced. In this novel, the "beautiful garden" is the spiritual world of a boy as he gradually comes to understand the many faces of life. In this world, he sees hatred and love, conflict and reconciliation, stubbornness and understanding, poverty and warmth—embracing ordinary daily life and those unremarkable glimmers that make it worth living.

Do Jung-il (Literary Critic, Emeritus Professor at Kyung Hee University):
This new author's prose possesses a magic that is intoxicating and delightful. Curiously, that magic comes from the protagonist, Dong-gu, a boy with a speech impediment. Though his linguistic growth is hindered, his inner world is remarkably mature. Even when abandoned by the world, he guards his dream of building a garden in his own way. Clear and pure—a coming-of-age novel that transcends its own genre.

Hwang Soon-young (Novelist):
This is a coming-of-age novel that portrays family and everyday life through a child's eyes. The warm, delicate portrayal of family, the inner lives of the younger brother and the homeroom teacher—all are deeply convincing. Among all submissions, this work stood out for its mature prose and the author's evident commitment to sustained writing, which impressed the judges. I look forward to more works from this author.

★ A contemporary Korean literary classic, backed by prestigious awards: Winner of the 7th Hangyoreh Literary Award (2002) and the 2005 Muyoung Literary Award. A long-selling novel that has moved over 200,000 readers.

★ A coming-of-age novel that transcends its genre: Literary critic Do Jung-il has praised it as "a coming-of-age novel that transcends its own genre." Featuring a protagonist with a speech impediment, the novel depicts family and everyday life through a child's eyes, warmly and delicately portraying a world where hatred and love, conflict and reconciliation, stubbornness and understanding, poverty and warmth coexist. Though the boy's linguistic growth is hindered, his inner world is remarkably mature, and his words carry an intoxicating magic.

★ A family narrative set against a turbulent historical backdrop: Set during the turbulent years of 1977–1981 in Korea, the story tells the family history of an ordinary Korean household through the eyes of a gentle, upright boy. Against the interplay of historical currents and personal fate, it portrays how human connections become each other's support.

★ A revised edition after twenty years, with a new author's preface: This 2024 revised edition includes a new preface by author Shim Yoon-kyung, reflecting on her twenty-year creative journey. She writes: "For me, My Beautiful Garden is like a happy childhood… Whenever I feel tired or lose courage, I think of Dong-gu, imagining him as a middle-aged truck driver striving to make the world a better place—and I draw strength from that."

Winner of the 7th Hangyoreh Literary Award, the long-selling novel My Beautiful Garden—which has moved over 200,000 readers—returns in a revised edition.

Since its inception in 1996, the Hangyoreh Literary Award has produced works by Park Min-gyu (The Last Fan Club of Sammi Superstars), Yoon Go-eun (Weightlessness Syndrome), Choi Jin-young (The Name of the Girl Who Passed You By), Jang Kang-myung (Bleached), Kang Hwa-gil (Other People), Park Seo-ryun (Worker Kang Ju-ryong), Kim Hee-jae (Tank), and many others, long sustaining the landscape of contemporary Korean literature.

When the book won the award in 2002, novelist Hwang Soon-young praised it for its "warm, delicate descriptions and highly convincing emotional expression," while literary critic Do Jung-il called it "a coming-of-age novel that transcends its genre."

Set during the turbulent years of 1977–1981, the story tells the family history of an ordinary Korean household through the eyes of a gentle, upright boy.

Readers have called it "a book you can't put down once you pick it up," "a story I want to give to those I cherish," and "a warm, moving drama of life"—testament to the book's status as a classic of Korean literature.

Sim Yungyeong

She made her literary debut by winning the 2002 Hangyoreh Literary Award.

Her full-length novels include My Beautiful Garden, Lee Hyun's Love, The Altar of the Moon, Full of Love, Seol-i, The Eternal Legacy, and His Great Light.

Awards: 2002 Hangyoreh Literary Award, 2005 Muyoung Literary Award, 2021 Lee Ho-chul Unification Road Literary Award Special Prize.