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Comfort Meets Cool: Q1 2024 Bestsellers from Korea scrap download

익숙함이 곧 트렌드가 된, 2024년 1분기 한국문학 베스트셀러를 만나보세요.

Korean literature in the first half of 2024 was led by readers’ choices going for all that is familiar. Marigold Mind Photo Studio proved to be the only book published in 2024 to have ended up on the bestsellers list, but that too was on the heels of Marigold Mind Laundry, the first edition of the series and a bestselling book from 2023. While this may mean that there are many a book from the past years that the readers love, it is also a sign that there are no wildly popular books coming out of 2024 yet. Amid the continuing publishing slump, there's a trend towards 'safe choices', focusing on proven authors, revised editions, and books that have already tasted success once, like series novels.


Author Choi Eunyeong has definitively established herself as the writer to look out for. Topping the bestseller list in the first quarter of this year, even with a Very Faint Light follows the author's previous works Shoko's Smile, Harmless Person to Me, and Bright Night, demonstrating the richness of her brand of literature by once again reaching the top of the bestseller list. The literary merit proven through previous works has established a solid fan base for the author, positioning her as a star novelist who garners both critical acclaim and market attention with each new release. However, on the other hand, the phenomenon of established authors' new works being well-received highlights the challenges emerging authors face in the publishing industry.


Apart from this silent exodus of emerging writers, books that are new and breathe fresh air into the literary world have become increasingly difficult to find in recent times within publishing circles. Instead, there has been a rise in revised editions of past works with new covers and edits. Yang Gwi-ja's Contradiction (2013), which ranked third on the bestseller list in the first half of the year, was first published in 1998, and Choi Jin-young's Proof of the Skeleton (2023), which ranked 13th, was also first published in 2015. Son Won-pyeong's Almond (2023) (ranked 21st), published in 2017, was also reissued as a revised edition last year.


To add to this, so-called “healing novels,” which provide warm comfort in familiar spaces of everyday life, like The Uncomfortable Convenience Store, Marigold Mind Laundry, Welcome to Hyunamdong Bookstore, and Dollargut Dream Department Store, have been steadily maintaining their positions on the bestseller lists for several years. This too has become a trend.


The continued stagnation of the publishing market has played a significant role in the consistent popularity of familiar and long-standing novels. It seems that in the ongoing downturn, re-releasing works by popular authors or with popular titles is a realistic way to reduce deficits and drive sales.


Written by Han So Bum

A journalist of Hankook Ilbo and the writer of book review articles for the Korean literature newsletter “Munhak.”


Translated by Snigdha Gupta  snigdhagupta9@gmail.com

Snigdha is a literary/academic translator residing in Korea. An ex-fellow of KLTI and a Korean Government scholar, Snigdha bridges gaps not only through her Korean to English translations, but also as a full-time communication specialist in the government sector.

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