K-essays become increasingly popular overseas

It has been reported that the essay “The Diary of a Korean Plant Parent” by South Korean novelist Kim Keum-hee, published locally in 2023, has earned a multi-million-won deal on publishing rights with a major U.S. publisher. It came after Kim Ha-na and Hwang Seon-woo’s “Two Women Living Together” secured an unprecedented advance payment contract with a major Anglo-American publishing house at a remarkably high price, signaling a growing worldwide interest in “K-essays.”

“Summit Books, under Simon & Schuster – one of the three leading publishers in the U.S. market -is about to release ‘The Diary of a Korean Plant Parent’ very soon,” said an industry insider to The Dong-A Ilbo on Sunday.

Under the English title “The Diary of a Korean Plant Parent,” this essay book captures Kim’s reflections while taking care of her garden. Her book made a publishing rights contract not only with the U.S. publisher but also with those from Britain, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland. Kim was excited that her essay would help promote how South Koreans view nature among overseas readers.

K-essays cover a wider range of topics, from food to social issues. For example, Yoon Ina's essay "I'm Going to Boil Water Now,” which signed a million-won advance contract with Transworld, an imprint of Penguin Random House U.K., is waiting to be published in Britain this year. The book talks about ramen as its topic. Meanwhile, novelist Seong Suk-je's essay "Picnic,” scheduled for an export contract with Russia's largest publishing group, focuses on Korean food. Last year, the New York Times allocated an entire page to "Two Women Living Together," a book about two single women living in a community, to highlight the book.

The growing interest in “K-essays” can be an extension of the Korean Wave. Susanna Wadeson, head of Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House U.K., who led the contract with “Two Women Living Together,” said in a written interview with The Dong-A Ilbo that global audiences have grown their interests in the way South Korean people live through films such as “Parasite” and drama series including “Squid Game,” as well as K-food and K-beauty products, adding that K-content introduces very diverse stories that win over the hearts of everyone, and that it even has an excellent sense of humor.

김소민 somin@donga.com