The Most Beloved Poetry Collection Over 10 Years: Nataju's 'I See You Like I See Flowers'

This Year’s Poetry Book Sales Increase
Women Mainly in Their 20s, Men Mainly in Their 50s Among Readers

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] Over the past decade, the poetry collection most loved by Kyobo Bookstore readers has been confirmed as poet Na Tae-joo's “I See You as I See Flowers”.

Kyobo Bookstore announced that, based on a survey of poetry collection popularity from December 2012 to November 2022, Na Tae-joo's “I See You as I See Flowers” received the most attention. It was reported that the integrated mall of Kyobo Bookstore has as many as 1,457 reviews for this poetry collection.

Following this were poet Kim Yong-taek's handwritten poetry collection “Maybe the Stars Will Take Away Your Sorrow”, Na Tae-joo's “I Want to Give You the Prettiest Thought”, “I Named You and Ate It for a Few Days”, and “Love as If You Have Never Been Hurt”.

By author, among the top thirty best-selling works, six were by Na Tae-joo, the highest number.

The main readership of poetry collections was women in their 20s, accounting for 20.4%, the largest share. Next were women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, respectively. Among men, those in their 50s accounted for the largest share at 8.8%, followed by those in their 40s and 30s in descending order. Compared to the age groups purchasing single volumes, the higher purchase rate among younger people in their 20s was the most distinctive feature.

After its heyday in the 1980s, the popularity of poetry collections had waned, but this year they received significant attention, recording the highest sales in Kyobo Bookstore's history since its founding.

Kim Hyun-jung, Kyobo Bookstore's bestseller manager, said, “Poetry collections are not a field that leads bestseller trends, but based on a dedicated readership, new attempts such as handwriting and combining with illustrations continue, meaning the base of poetry readers is gradually expanding.” She added, “Especially since young women, who are the trendsetters in the reading market, mainly read poetry, the future of the poetry field can be seen as even brighter.”