SIBF 2025 18-22 June, 2025 l COEX Halls A & B1

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Theme Exhibition <후이늠 Houyhnhnm>

“These beings are orderly, rational, and wise. Their words are accurate and actions fair. They know what is right and behave accordingly, living clean lives in peace and tranquility.”

“Houyhnhnm” is the country(land of horses) that Gulliver encounters in his fourth journey.
Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, defines “Houyhnhnm” as the “ideal perfection.”

“Houyhnhnm” are so pure that they do not need clothes and are unaware of lying.
With perfect reason, they do not allow ignorance, arrogance, desires, misery, war, or disputes in their lives.
However, despite their seemingly perfect impression, “Houyhnhnm” remain somewhat “limited in their understanding of the human world,”
casting doubt on whether “Houyhnhnm” truly embody the ideal existence we aspire to.

The Theme Exhibition of the Seoul International Book Fair 2024 draws a map for us to reach the world we desire.
It sets the stage to discuss how we will envision our future, if the world of “Houyhnhnm” is not the solution.
It casts lights on ways to step beyond vague optimism and seek a possible reality we would willingly embrace.
Consist of 400 curated books under the keyword “Houyhnhnm,” the exhibition invites readers to travel through the world of “Houyhnhnm,”
and hope to contemplate and finally discover ways to alleviate the “misery of the world” and fulfill “future happiness.” 

On-Site Photos from the Theme Exhibition <후이늠 Houyhnhnm>

Theme Exhibition Books

  • In the Land of Horses
  • The Misery of Prosperity
  • In Search for Possibility or Optimism of the Ideal
  • Houyhnhnm for One's Own