Reading Korea In India

Two months ago, when the Nobel Committee chose South Korean writer Han Kang as the 2024 Nobel Literature laureate, bookstores across India were flooded with requests for her books. Bahrisons, a favourite haunt of booklovers in Khan Market, Delhi, ran out of copies in a flash and had to restock all her titles. Sure, the Nobel was the immediate trigger, and a 바카라�shared sense of Asian pride바카라� could have set off the wave, but Han is one among many Korean authors Indians love to read. Korean writers delve into a wide range of topics and genres. Many experiment with style, offering readers startling revelations and insights about the human condition. Their popularity has shot up in India over the last six to seven years.

바카라�Korean-American author Min Jin Lee바카라�s Pachinko (2017) was a phenomenon,바카라� says Mithilesh Singh, Floor Manager at Bahrisons. Readers in India were hooked to the novel, making the epic family saga a constant presence on bestseller lists here. Beginning in Korea in 1910, Pachinko tells the stories of four generations of a Korean family which immigrates to Japan. 바카라�Pachinko came along and changed the destiny of Korean writing in India,바카라� Singh declares. 바카라�Some books are like that바카라�바카라� Han Kang바카라�s boundary-defying Booker winner The Vegetarian, published in South Korea in 2007 and translated into English in 2015 by Deborah Smith, is another such destiny-defining book. Indian readers may have different takes on it, but most have read it. Others say it is at the top of their to-read lists.

Popular Kerala-based book blogger Resh Susan notes that a large number of Indians are keen to read translated works. According to her, books by Korean writers are gaining a lot of traction among Indian readers especially since works in translation are easily available in the country now. 바카라�They actively discuss these books on social media,바카라� she says. 바카라�Exposure to titles from different parts of the world and social media have helped the cause too.바카라�

Of course, none of this would be possible without the translators whose brave choices바카라�in terms of genres and topics바카라�sparked Korean literature바카라�s popularity in India. The list includes Janet Hong, translator of Ancco바카라�s graphic novel Bad Friends; Anton Hur, who has translated books by several Korean authors like Bora Chung, Shin Kyun-sook and Baek Se-hee; Deborah Smith, founder of Tilted Axis Press and translator of literary stars like Han Kang and Bae Suah; and Clare Richards Kang, translator of Hwagil바카라�s Another Person and BTS: Beyond the Story (with Anton Hur and Slin Jung).

Translators take pains to build cross-cultural bridges. Korean culture is similar to ours in some ways,바카라� says writer Rahul Dahiya, who was swept away by South Korean author Baek Se-hee바카라�s bestseller I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki (trans. Anton Hur). Dahiya is drawn to books by Korean authors because they capture the pulse of their culture with flair. 바카라�The writing transports me to a different environment, but the concerns and emotions they share are universal,바카라� he says. Digital Creator Sonali Pawar is fascinated by the works of many Korean writers. According to her, they write about the everyday monotony and melancholy of life like no one else does. Authors she has read and re-read include Hwang Boreum, Hwang Sok-yong, Lee Mi-ye and Kim Hye-jin.

Contemporary Korean writers delve into topics that concern them deeply: family dynamics, the collision of tradition and modernity, women바카라�s rights, the stress of modern work culture. There are experimental works, absurdist stories, crackling thrillers, family sagas, romances, uplifting novels바카라�no dearth of choices for Indian readers to explore. Garima Gaur, who works at an MNC, is drawn to books by Korean authors because many of them are written by women. 바카라�A lot of their experiences in Korean society are similar to the ones in typical desi households,바카라� says Gaur. 바카라�For example, in The Vegetarian, when the heroine stops eating meat, everybody is uncomfortable because she바카라�s going against the grain. They try so hard to change her mind.바카라�

For members of the Women and Gender Book Club founded by Taanya Kapoor in 2023, reading Cho Nam Joo바카라�s Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 (trans. Jamie Chang) was 바카라�one of the most emotional sessions바카라� they have ever held. The book raises searing questions about gender dynamics through the story of a young woman who lives on the outskirts of Seoul. When it was published, it was recommended to readers worldwide by BTS leader RM. Some say the South Korean boy band leader바카라�s recommendation catapulted the novel into international bestseller territory.

When you talk of K-lit, can K-pop and K-dramas be far behind? It바카라�s a fact that many Indian readers find their way to Korean literature via K-dramas and K-pop. The allure of K-dramas and the rise of K-pop prompt them to find out more about Korean society and culture. Books satisfy the urge. 바카라�K-dramas influenced my love for Korean literature,바카라� says Susan. 바카라�It바카라�s a whole new experience to read about a place whose visuals and people-dynamics you have consumed through another medium.바카라� However, not all Indians who read books by Korean writers are K-drama lovers or K-pop fans. You don바카라�t have to fall for one to love the other. For instance, Dahiya바카라�s mother is a devoted fan of K-dramas, but he hasn바카라�t watched any. His bookshelf, however, is home to books by more than one Korean author. Health-tech strategist Shreya Gupta, who shuttles between Delhi and the USA for work, doesn바카라�t have any interest in K-dramas. Her reading list features many Korean writers though. One of the books that reeled her in was Michelle Zauner바카라�s intense memoir Crying in H-Mart, which explores Zauner바카라�s relationship with her Korean mother who passed away, and grapples with themes of identity and belonging. 바카라�It made me cry, it made me laugh,바카라� says Gupta. 바카라�It바카라�s bound to make you think about the parts of your self that you shed and the ones you cling to, especially if you are an immigrant.바카라� Korean movies appeal to her as well. 바카라�Films like Past Lives and Parasite explore grey areas,바카라� she says. 바카라�I like the filmmakers바카라� insights on our complicated world.바카라�

Korean comics or manhwa have their share of readers in India. Webtoons바카라�full-colour manhwas바카라�are exclusively digital. Though not as popular as Japanese manga, manhwa and webtoon enthusiasts in India are a growing tribe. According to a survey by Statista, the number of digital comic readers in India is expected to reach 13.9 million in 2025. South Korean webtoons are very popular in Asian countries, especially in India and Indonesia. Webtoons are being made into films, K-dramas and various other shows for popular streaming platforms. 바카라�I have been hooked to some webtoons because of the hype around K-dramas adapted from manhwa,바카라� says Susan. Sonali바카라�s fondness for K-dramas led her to webtoons too.

Books, comics, webtoons바카라�Indian enthusiasts welcome them all. And Hallyu, the global wave of popularity of Korea바카라�s cultural output, continues to sweep over Indian shores.

(This appeared in the print as 'India Reads Korea')