Korean professor`s essay on growing up going global

“Growing Up Is Painful,” an essay written by Seoul National University professor Kim Nan-do, will be sold in China, Japan, Taiwan and Italy.

After selling more than 900,000 copies in Korea since it was released in December last year, the book will deliver its message of hope to young people all over the world.

Korean publisher Sam and Parkers said Tuesday that it signed a publication deal with Italy’s biggest magazine publisher Mondadori with an advance of 15,000 euros (21,270 U.S. dollars). The deal comes after an export contract was signed with Chinese publisher Guangxi Science and Technology Publishing with a 30,000-dollar advance in March, another with Taiwanese publisher Eurasian Press with a 12,000-dollar advance in April, and yet another with Japanese publisher Discover 21 with a 10,000-dollar advance in May.

“The book will be published as early as year`s end,” Sam and Parkers said.

Given that an advance typically ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 dollars for Korean writers, the amount of more than 10,000 dollars reflects huge interest in the Korean essay by foreign publishers.

In explaining the reason for signing the deal, foreign publishers said the essay will help mentor young people in their countries because they share the same pain and uncertainty.

Chinese publisher Guangxi said professor Kim’s intellectual writing makes young people realize what they have failed in so far. The essay encourages young people to overcome a slump no matter how severe, which will deliver a good message to Chinese youth, it added.

Discover 21 said Korean university students hope to overcome the stress of unemployment, a sentiment shared by their Japanese counterparts. Since Korean and Japanese college students share the same pain, the essay will surely form a consensus with Japanese students, it added.

hic@donga.com