VOL.69/2024.04

South Korea's Book Exports

World's End Girlfriend, The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher Exported Abroad

 

2017.12.01

 

Two publications of two South Korean authors beloved by readers here have recently seen good news. South Korean novelist Yeon-su Kim and poet Do-hyun Ahn have succeeded in exporting their books to Taiwan and Indonesia. Kim's book World's End Girlfriend was sold into Taiwan while Ahn's The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher was sold into Indonesia. Both were bestsellers in South Korea, making the news even more special.

 

Yeon-su Kim's World's End Girlfriend Heads to Taiwan

 

 

Cover art for Yeon-su Kim's World's End Girlfriend
ⓒ Munhakdongne

 

Kim is a renowned author in South Korea who has received several literary awards like the Yi Sang Literary Award and the Dong-in Literary Award. World's End Girlfriend is a collection of short stories and it will be the first time for the writer to be published in Taiwan. Before this publication, Kim was known for his novels like The Waves Belong to the Sea and Wonderboy and his works have been sold into countries like Japan, China and Russia.

 

World's End Girlfriend brings together nine stories written between the spring of 2005 and summer of 2009. His narrative is famous for being intricate, elegant while displaying sharp wit. World's End Girlfriend also shows his clever wit as it tells the stories of the world. Through this recent decision to export the book, Taiwan readers will have the opportunity to enjoy his unique writing style. Until now, South Korean books published in Taiwan were usually drama tie-ins or movie tie-ins -- full-length novels with narratives that catered to the public. Critics have said it was very unusual and special for a literary work like Kim's to be sold into Taiwan.

 

 

Do-hyun Ahn's The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher Sold Into Indonesia

 

Cover art for Do-hyun Ahn's The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher 
ⓒ Munhakdongne

 

Poet Do-hyun Ahn's fairy tale, The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher was recently sold into Indonesia, the latest country to enjoy Ahn's work. The book, originally meant for adults, has been read by many of all ages around the world so far, including the U.K., Germany, Turkey, Taiwan and Vietnam.

 

The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher was first published in South Korea in 1996 and has received steady attention over the last 20 years. In South Korea alone, the book has sold over one million copies, making Ahn a million seller. The book deftly showcases Ahn's detailed poetic sensitivity through a unique character which is the salmon, known for its tendencies to return to its home. Ahn's fairy tale sheds light on the salmon's development and the love they have between them as they live their lives.

 

Compared to Vietnam, where diverse genres are being published, Indonesia's book sales tend to be more focused on younger readers in their teens through their 30s. As a result, the books published there usually appeal to these age groups more and it will be interesting to see how Ahn's book does in such an environment.

 

 

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Written by Joseph Lee, President of KL Management