허주은
JUNE (JU EUN) HUR
‘Hur’ pronounced ‘her’
Photo credit: Julie Tang
June Hur (허주은) is a New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of YA Korean historicals, including The Silence of Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls, The Red Palace, and A Crane Among Wolves. Born in South Korea, June spent her formative years in the USA, Canada, and South Korea before studying History and Literature at the University of Toronto and working at the city’s public library. Her work has been featured in Forbes, NPR, The New York Times, CBC, Vogue Korea, and KBS. She resides in Toronto with her family and can be spotted writing in coffee shops.
Since debuting as an author in 2020, June has gained recognition for her literary contributions. According to a reviewer for the School Library Journal, June’s works have “broaden[ed] her readers’ understanding of the culture” and her “Joseon mysteries are groundbreaking."
June considers each of her books to be love letters to Korean history and an opportunity to research more about her Korean roots. Her books so far have covered historical events from the Korean Catholic Persecution of 1801 (신유박해) to the human tribute system, and historical figures such as Crown Prince Sado and King Yeonsan. Currently, June resides in Toronto with her husband and two kids. Her hope, with every book that she writes, is that more readers will fall in love with historical fiction (especially historical fiction set in non-western countries!).
Photo credit: Shaun Jennings