South Korean author Han Kang has seen her books soar in popularity after becoming the first South Korean and Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. More than 1.06 million copies of her works, including e-books, have sold since the announcement, according to major bookstores and online retailers.
Han, best known globally for her Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Vegetarian, was praised by the Swedish Academy for her “intense poetic prose” that delves into historical traumas and the fragility of human life. Her win sent shockwaves through South Korea, with bookstore websites crashing as tens of thousands of readers rushed to order her books.
Kyobo, Aladin, and YES24 reported an unprecedented 1,200-fold increase in Han’s book sales compared to last year, with South Korean literature sales as a whole skyrocketing twelve times over. Han’s success has brought immense pride to South Koreans, with banners celebrating her achievement displayed in her alma mater, Yonsei University, and her hometown of Gwangju.
Booksellers are working tirelessly to meet demand. “I’ve never been this busy since joining in 2006, but it’s a joyful kind of rush,” an employee at Aladin shared.