In South Korea, the Nobel Prize for Literature awarded to Han Kang caused sales of his books to explode. The very evening of his selection to the prestigious Swedish academy, October 10, the online bookstore sites were already overwhelmed with orders. Ten days later, customers are still rushing into the stores.
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With our correspondent in Seoul, Celio Fioretti
In this large bookstore in the center of Seoul, customers gather in front of the heads of gondolas bearing the image of Han Kang. The day after the announcement of the Nobel Prize for Literaturethis large bookstore chain had already sold more than 100,000 copies of the author’s various works. For these clients, it is the opportunity to discover his texts for the first time.
“ It looks good »
“ My little brother read his books and told me it was funsays a reader. Since then I have learned a little more thanks to the information, so I was curious and I came. » « I learned that the author received the Nobel Prize. I didn’t know much about it, but I really like the way she expresses herself and thinks. It looked good, so I got interested and came », Explains another.
Even outside of stores, Han Kang’s success is felt. Every day, passers-by stop to photograph the author’s house or small bookstore. Like a gentleman who stops there: “ I didn’t know it was her bookstore, but I discovered it on TV, seeing that she had won the Nobel Prize. I was passing by, so I came to take a photo. »
A boost for the book sector
A tourist guide for Australian visitors is also an example: “ So Han Kang who won the Nobel Prize is the manager, she works here in this small bookstore “.
The success of Han Kang gives a real boost to the book sector, which is struggling in South Korea. According to a recent survey, six out of ten Koreans have not read a single book during the year.
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