VOL.69/2024.04

 

K-Book Trend in Latin America Seen
Through the Chilean Publishing Market

 

2022.11.07

 

When people make a general analysis of Korea, they often use words like “turbulent” and “dynamic.” This is closely related to the modern history of the country. Korea is located in the most unique geopolitical region in the world, and such a condition made Koreans go through many miserable moments in history; its modern history was as if it had been dropped in the middle of the turbulent sea.
It is true that the historical and geopolitical environment has made Koreans experience bitter times in history. Still, just like how shells produce beautiful, precious pearls after long years of perseverance, the pain and sorrow gave Korea a rich and profound cultural heritage and a unique sensibility. As a result, you can truly find so many priceless literary works and writers in the country. However, unlike how Korea boasts many novels, stories, and poems with good literary and cultural values, it has never been at the center of the global publishing market, left out from the mainstream, with rare opportunities to be introduced in other countries in various languages.
From what I remember, it was only when the English edition of Please Look After Mom (Changbi Publishers), written by novelist Shin Kyung-Sook and published in 2011, became a mega-hit internationally that global publishing houses and agencies began to take a greater interest in Korean publications. Also, around the same time, the copyright trade of Korean books, especially fiction and picture books, began to gain momentum as Korean picture book writers won awards at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

 

Status of Korean Books Translated in the Spanish Book Market

 

Let’s take the focus to the Spanish book market. Today, Spanish is the second most powerful language, following English. So, I would like to introduce The Vegetarian (Changbi Publishers) by Han Kang and Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (Minumsa Publishing) by Cho Nam-Joo, two popular Korean fiction novels loved in the Spanish market.

 

 

Yet there are relatively few Korean books translated into Spanish. The chart below explains this in detail.

 

 

The chart above is based on the most recent data released in the Digital Library of Korean Literature, managed by LTI Korea in 2022. It only includes data on pure literature, including fiction, essays, and poetry, with the exception of image books, comics, and practical books.
In the field of pure literature, Spanish takes 7th place (226 titles) among 7 languages, among the 7 largest importers of Korean books’ copyright. Given the number of countries and the population using Spanish worldwide, few Korean books have yet to be translated into Spanish. However, the data also reminds us of the important reason why Spanish publishers should pay more attention to translating Korean books into Spanish, and the possible chances Korean books can have. British translator Deborah Smith, who translated renowned Korean novelist Han Kang’s The Vegetarian into English in May 2016, and won the Man Booker International Prize for Fiction, one of the three major literary awards in the world, once said in an interview, “Korean literature is like a treasure chest.”(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-X3qvLyDpk)

 

Korean Books in the Chilean Book Market

 

I spend most of my time in Chile, working as an agent that trades copyrights between Latin America, or the entire Spanish market, and Korea. Based on my 10-year experience in the Latin American and Spanish book market, most new titles and works translated into Spanish worldwide are published by Spanish publishers in Europe. Publishers in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina follow, publishing quite a lot of new titles. Publishing markets in most Latin American countries usually import hard copies from the Spanish countries mentioned above or bring books by signing copyright contracts.
Chile has a comparatively small publishing market with fewer than 20 million inhabitants. So, it was natural to import hard copies of Spanish books directly from Spain, Mexico, and Argentina; there were very rare cases of making a direct deal over the Spanish copyright of Korean books.
The chart below shows the up-to-date number of Korean books translated into Spanish in major Spanish countries, based on the data as of 2022 released by LTI Korea on the Digital Library of Korean Literature. This also includes only books of pure literature.

 

 

However, Chilean publishers have started to look at Korean books since 2018, focusing on picture books with a relatively small amount of text.

 

 

Among the Korean books translated into Spanish and published in Chile, See You in the Cosmic Cafeteria (Book Factory Dubulu) was the first attempt made by Editorial Two M, a Chilean publisher, to publish a Spanish-Korean bilingual edition in the Spanish market. This book has not only been drawing attention in Chile but also across the entire Spanish market, and it is scheduled to have an official launch event at the Guadalajara International Book Fair this November. In addition, this publishing company is also translating poet Moon Jung-Hee’s poem collection Following the Roses (Minumsa) - its Spanish edition is set to be released next Spring. This is also the first case where a Korean poem collection is published in the Chilean market.
Chile is very much in favor of Korean culture among other Latin American countries, and the market is especially fond of Korean books these days. For instance, you can easily see Korean fiction translated into Spanish in bookstores through Chile, published by Hwarang, a publisher specializing in Korean books in Argentina.

 

The “Korean Pavillion” Open at the Bogota International Book Fair held in Colombia, 2022

 

Korea was the guest of honor at the Bogota International Book Fair held in Colombia last May. With the Publication Industry Promotion Agency in Korea (KPIPA), I participated in the fair as an export specialist introducing Korean books to local publishers and agencies.