Graphic obviously bears no relationship to anything but my troubled mind.^^
Some of the following articles could be a bit of self-wish-fulfillment, as they come from local sources, but it is nice to see some evidence that the hard work that LTI Korea and the British Council did at the London Book Fair could be paying off in terms of real increase in reputation and sales. And, to be completely fair, the first article, at least, has some numbers and quotes as evidence.
The first bit comes from the The Kyunghyan Shinmun, a Korean paper of which I have never previously heard, but apparently the London Book Fair has had a positive effect on book sales of Korean works in translation according to the article London Book Stores Eye Korean Literature.
The article doesn’t mess around, making it’s point in its first two paragraphs:
The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by children’s author Hwang Sun-mi (51, left photo) and The Investigation by novelist Lee Jung-myung (49, right) have become bestsellers in London’s major bookstores. People in Britain are taking note of Korean literature, as South Korea takes part in the 43rd London Book Fair–April 8-10–as the “Market Focus.”
The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly, which was translated and published in late February, ahead of the book fair, topped the sales chart for fiction at Foyles Waterloo store in London, after a month since its publication
Which is pretty awesome, and the article adds:
The English version of The Investigation was selected as Best of Fiction at Waterstones Trafalgar Square store in London, a week after its release. The daily newspaper, The Independent recently critiqued the book claiming it as a work which “deserves to fly across our own prison walls.”
Which is also quite good news…
The JoongAng Ilbo, makes the same points in its article A Korean Wave of reading (Please, people, can we lose the “wave” thing?) and adds an encomium to President Park:
President Park Geun-hye included cultural promotion on her national agenda and pledged various policies to spread Korean culture. The Korean Wave has been mostly driven by individuals. Many artists struggle to pursue their art amid regulations. They ask the government to allow freedom in creativity if not financial assistance. The Culture Ministry promised full support to develop cultural software. The London Book Fair organized by the publishers demands creativity in administrative policy and support beyond mere rhetoric and financial assistance.
Unfortunately completely managing to overlook the role of LTI Korea (a governmental agency) in helping to arrange the entire affair.
Also some coverage from the “Star Online” which I have never heard of, but is a Facebook Page with over 200,000 likes
Is it really the time that Korean literature in translation begins to catch on?
