Han River Book Sold Out in the US... US Bookstores Busy After Nobel Prize Win

Books by Han Kang, who was selected as the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, are becoming difficult to find even at luxury street bookstores in New York, USA.

On the 12th (local time), it was confirmed that there were no copies of Han Kang's books left at the large bookstore Barnes & Noble located on Manhattan's 5th Avenue, lined with high-end brand stores. An employee at the bookstore said, "The last copy was sold two days ago. Not only The Vegetarian but also other books written by Han Kang are sold out," and expected it would take about a week to restock.

Nearby secondhand bookstore Book Off and chain bookstore McNally Jackson Rockefeller Center branch also had no books by Han Kang. An employee at McNally Jackson said, "Han Kang's books were all sold out two days ago," adding, "Even before being selected as the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, Han Kang's books sold well." He further said, "It seems that more copies of Han Kang's books will arrive next week. This time, we plan to stock up a lot."

On the 11th, citizens visiting Kyobo Bookstore in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are purchasing books by Han Kang, the author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish Academy selected Korean novelist Han Kang as the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Han Kang is the first Korean writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Additionally, Han Kang was a topic of conversation at recent Korea-related events held in New York. The day before, meditation expert Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and Jinwoo Sunim, the head of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, who had a dialogue at the Korean Cultural Center in New York, said at the beginning, "Since we are at the Korean Cultural Center, we must talk about it. Congratulations on a Korean woman winning the Nobel Prize in Literature."

On the same day, at a dinner held at Gotham Hall in Manhattan, co-hosted by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York as part of the '2024 Korea-US Traditional Buddhist Cultural Exchange,' a participant publicly mentioned Han Kang being selected as the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate.