Shin’s novel hits shelves in France

Best-selling Korean author Shin Kyung-sook’s novel “Please Look after Mom” has hit the shelves in France amid heightened attention to Korean literature overseas.

To mark the official publication of the hit novel depicting the distinctive character of a Korean mother, a publication party was held on Tuesday at the Korean Culture Center in Paris.

Reflecting the novel’s popularity in the U.S. and elsewhere, 20,000 copies were printed in its first installment, almost four times the average.

Shin said her book scrutinizes the vulnerability of a mother in a decaying society where motherhood is taken for granted. The novelist said she wanted to “define the identity of a mother figure.”

She also shared her encounter with a French mother and daughter reading it together, and their plan on doing so multiple times.

“Please Look after Mom” is Shin’s third book to be translated into French.

The book was translated by Jung Eun-jin, professor of the Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations based in Paris.

Shin’s book was initially translated into 18 languages, including English and French but the number of countries where her book is introduced outside of Korea recently rose to 27.

(chriskim1006@gmail.com)