Barbara Zitwer

Korean literature began as little seeds blown by the wind and carried across the world by devoted literary agents, talented translators, editors and publishers, none of whom were familiar with Korean writing even a decade ago. They started to give platforms and opportunities to authors who grew steadily in popularity, and today, the hunger for Korean books in all genres is limitless. There is a universality to the best of Korean books, and that is what makes them so appealing to everyone in the world. They are exotic as well as familiar to us.

"Kim Ji-young, Born 1982" (2016) by Cho Nam-joo, "Please Look After Mom" (2008) by Shin Kyung-sook, "Almond" (2017) by Sohn Won-pyung and the Booker Prize-winning "The Vegetarian" (2007) by Han Kang are some of the biggest selling, most well known Korean books globally. International readers' minds were blown by the depth, imagination and poetry of the storytelling, and they immediately wanted more.

Now that readers have engaged with the most literary of books, they are discovering all genres. Korean young adult, sci-fi, fantasy, LGBTQ, wellness, spiritual and women's commercial fiction can't be translated fast enough. "Tower" (2009) by Bae Myung-hoon, "I'm Waiting For You: And Other Stories" (2021) by Kim Bo-young laid the ground for the new crop, including "The Black Orb" (2009) by award-winning Korean sci-fi writer Kim E-hwan, publishing soon in Britain and the United States.

The LGBTQ book "Walking Practice" (2023) by Min Dol-ki couldn't find a Korean publisher but was bought quickly by HarperVia, and then it was sold in Korea. One of the most inventive, outrageous and courageous works that has come out of Korea recently, it is now earning foreign sales. "Violets" (2022), with its taboo-breaking love story between women by Shin Kyung-sook, her second novel written when she was only in her twenties, is her biggest seller since "Please Look After Mom" published by Feminist Press in the U.S. and Weidenfeld & Nicholson in Britain.

Don't forget "The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly" (2000) by Hwang Sun-mi. Although published as a children's book in Korea, it became a global success when sold as a book for adults. This month, the young adult novel "Snowglobe," which has been compared to "The Hunger Games," will be published in the U.S., with the author, Park So-young and her translator, Lee Joung-min, invited to the U.S. for an author tour. The sequel "Snowglobe 2" was sold before the first book was published.

For the first time in the history of Ballantine Books, the Korean feminist thriller "Runaway" (2023), whose U.S. title is "A Twist of Fate," by Jang Se-ah, was chosen as its first translation ever. The publisher sees the book as a Korean "Gone Girl" and is planning a major publicity, marketing and advertising campaign. Amazon Publishing is the first English language publisher to publish Korean commercial women's fiction, starting with "Romancing on Jeju" by Park Hyun-joo.

Jeong You-jeong, the No. 1 thriller writer in Korea, has just sold "Perfect Happiness" (2021) to Penguin Random House India, while a great new U.S. deal for this brilliant book, and the astounding "Bonobo" (2019) is pending. Only Jeong could imagine a woman's mind trapped in the body of a bonobo while contemplating life and death, nature and nurture.

I think Korean authors of commercial works now being discovered will boost Korean publishing in general. These authors have a chance to reach readers beyond the U.S. With their broader appeal. They have more opportunities to influence mainstream readers who have never heard of many of the literary, award-winning Korean books before.

Nonfiction inspirational books are also growing popular around the world. Korean Buddhist monk Haemin's bestselling book, "Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down" (2012), was an instant bestseller when it was published in English by Viking Penguin. My own book, "The Korean Book of Happiness" (2023), was published by MunhakSoochup in Korea, and Short Books, Octopus/Hachette has sold in eight other countries.

Yet, there is still more that can be done to bring Korean writing to the world.

It would be great if the Korean government invested in supporting literary agents who are the ones discovering and selling most of the Korean books. The Literature Translation Institute of Korea offers grants for publishers and translators but nothing for agents. The government should acknowledge the role foreign literary agents have played and do play in making Korean books successful.

There ought to be expenses for foreign agents to visit Korea, allowing them to become personally involved with the authors and the country. And more money needs to be allocated for complete translations of books, which would make it easier to sell in the world. At this time, the government only gives grants for books that are sold or for small partials, but most foreign publishers need to read an entire English translation before they decide to publish. Korean authors would earn more if their works could be read in full.

I also see a very bright future for Korean books and authors with TV and film adaptations. Pyun Hye-young's "The Hole" (2019), "The Plotters" (2010) by Kim Un-su, "The Good Son" (2016) by Jeong You-jeong, and "Snowglobe" by Park So-young will all be starting production soon. Hollywood is in partnership with Korean film companies, and Netflix has invested millions and millions of dollars in Korean content.

Now, if there was one book I think we all should be reading today, it would be Rhee Kun Hoo's "If You Live to One Hundred, You Might As Well Be Happy," which will be published in English by Ebury in Britain and Union Square & Co. in the U.S., and will be sold all over the world. I believe the joy garnered from reading so many great Korean books coming our way in English and other languages means we will all live to be one hundred.

Barbara J. Zitwer is a literary agent. She is the founder and president of the Barbara Zitwer Agency based in New York.