When Minumsa, one of Korea`s biggest publishers, launched the World Literature series in 1998, expectations were relatively low in consideration of the declining public interest in reading books in general.
Defying the trends, however, the project emerged as a blockbuster hit; Minumsa has so far put out the 230th installment and sold over 7 million copies, sparking a fresh boom that prompted other copycat projects catering to those interested in world literature.
Encouraged by the huge success of the existing classic literature series, the publisher has launched another project titled "Minumsa Modern Classic" series, this time focusing on the modern period.
"In the 1990s, the world literary market is getting increasingly integrated, but the problem is that the sudden influx of world literature into the local market makes it difficult for readers to select quality works that meet certain standards," said Jang Eun-su, chief editor of Minumsa at a news conference held in downtown Seoul on Monday.
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"We believe there should be some standards that can guide our readers to navigate the latest works in world literature, and that`s how we have undertaken this Modern Classic series," said Jang, who has designed the Modern Classic series.
The focus of the series is placed on globalization, Jang said. "Globalization is generating various literary issues, one of which is the identity crisis of individuals who did not have to look beyond their locality," he said. New titles under the series will encompass not only identity crisis but also related topics such as the healing process of individuals and sexual orientation, Jang said.
Offering hints at what would come along, the first 10 installments of the series include: "Benin Adim Kirmizi" by Orhan Pamuk; "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro; "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer; "Kitchen" by Banana Yoshimoto; "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy; "The Sweet Hereafter" by Russell Banks; and "Orange Are Not the Only Fruit" by Jeanette Winterson.
While globalization represents the series` thematic standard, timeliness is another yardstick. Literary works produced in 1980 or after are primary candidates for the series, and Minumsa editors are planning to introduce up-and-coming authors who have won literary awards in different countries.
New installments will feature famous authors such as Margaret Atwood, a renowned writer from Canada and Ingo Schulze, one of the widely known German authors on the world stage.
"Korean authors will be included in the series, and perhaps modern and experimental works will be the candidates, though we are yet to work out the details yet," Jang said.
Minumsa plans to run the World Literature and Modern Classic projects simultaneously, with the latter devoted to literature affected by globalization. About 50 titles are in the pipeline for the Modern Classic series, and more titles will be introduced.
Park Maeng-ho, president of Minumsa, said the new series aims to bring readers closer to literature. "When we talk about classics, people tend to think about serious topics only, but the new series will introduce more accessible topics than other classic series," Park said.
(insight@heraldcorp.com)

By Yang Sung-jin