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?
Very neighbourly of them. Waterstones Trafalgar Square is next door to the Korean Cultural Centre.
The Star Online — the web version of the Malaysian Star — says this will happen in the UK?
Does one ordinarily rely on Malaysian media to coverthe UK?
This all appears to be rather speculative.
There IS however a book by a Korean writer or two that is exciting some in the UK publishing industry.
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/north-korean-memoir-harpercollins.html
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/auctions-north-korea-debut.html
But they are by DPR Korean writers and not RO Korean writers.
It still seems that the Korean government stubbornly refuses to promote books that would actually attract readers and thus be profitable for a publisher.
They still seem to focus on works that would require a subsidy due to their unprofitability for a publisher.
And most publishers would not even want such a subsidy.
Discouraging really.
ROK seems still to be focused on highbrow literature rather than on middle brow literature that would actually gain readers.
What about a nice book of Korean mystery short stories, or erotica (the Asian angle would attract some readers)?
Something that might actually attract more than a tiny number of readers??????
What was a little depressing at the London Book Fair was the extent to which some of the moderators and panellists insisted on asking the authors about literature in North Korea, rather than sticking to the point.With Hwang Sok-yong it might have been relevant, but not some of the others.
The article in the Malaysian Star is simply a syndication of an article originally published in the UK’s Guardian newspaper: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/07/inside-story-korea-london-book-fair – so a decent source.
The writer, Claire Armitstead, was one of the panellists at the Fair, interviewing Yi Mun-yol if I remember right.
Philip answers the question about sources, and of course I asked it in my own post (as well as including other sources with the same POV. LOL albeit at least one Korean one).
As to P’s other point The NK/SK thing is such an international cliche that neither side will help the other for reasons that are geopoliticaly obvious. The trick for (South) Korea literature is to kill that cliche…
To be honest I disagree with Charles’s comment that the ROK government should promote publications by North Koreans, even those who are defectors. They don’t need promotion. I’d be prepared to bet that the upcoming book by the former North Korean poet laureate will get far more column inches in the western press than a Kim Young-ha or Hwang Sok-yong translation. It’s a sad fact that North Korea generates more interest than the South.
Completely separate from the Book Fair, Lee Jung-myung was in town this week signing copies of The Investigation – I don’t think his agent bothered telling anyone apart from the Korean press, who turned out in force for one signing. Goldsboro Books (http://www.goldsborobooks.com/), who hosted the signing, were very enthusiastic about the book.
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My point is not that ROK should promote DPRK writers.
My point is that ROK should promote works that will have a readership.
I myself am a publisher, and the ROK books promoted will only ever gain a small specialist audience.
ROK though should be realistic that ignoring its location next to DPRK is absurd.
ROK is next to the worst human rights violation zone since the Nazis, with DPRK literally boiling people in oil, and it is hardly surprising that such savagery seems more compelling than reading about the ennui of self satisfied residents of Seoul.
I see nothing sad that massive brutality in grotesque fashions in DPRK attracts more interest than the relatively petty issues in ROK
So, for a publisher, ROK seems to have lost the thread.
It should promote thrillers, spy novels and themes that take advantage of its neighbour rather than ignoring that reality.