‘The Vegetarian’ will take the European stage as Han Kang craze continues

[Anchor]

Next we continue with follow-up reports regarding Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature.

In Italy, Han Kang's novel "The Vegetarian" will soon be staged as a play.

The Han Kang craze is also sweeping through the European publishing industry.

There are optimistic forecasts that the Korean Wave will expand into a K-Literature wave.

Reporter Ahn Da-young has the details.

[Report]

Han Kang's representative work "The Vegetarian," which has captivated readers worldwide, is set to hit the Italian theater stage.

A famous Italian director, enchanted by Han Kang's literary world, has been planning the play for several years.

The local Korean Cultural Center has supported the project by reviewing the Italian script.

[Chun Ye-jin/Director of the Korean Cultural Center in Italy: "We decided to keep the characters' names, such as Yeong-hye, in their original Korean form. For aspects of Korean culture or food that might be difficult for Italians to understand, we provided Korean-related props to ensure that the essence of the Korean novel is well conveyed in the Italian play."]

The play "The Vegetarian" will tour major cities in Italy and France from the 25th of this month until February next year, meeting local audiences.

In Austria, it is also being produced as a German-language play, set to premiere in early May next year.

The Han Kang phenomenon has also hit the European publishing industry hard.

In London's largest bookstore, a special corner for Han Kang has been established.

The French edition of "We Do Not Part," which won the prestigious Medici Prize, continues to sell out.

The local French publisher has urgently ordered an additional 8,000 copies to be printed.

Regarding this phenomenon, Reuters predicts that K-Culture, symbolized by K-Pop and the drama "Squid Game," will expand into K-Literature.

AFP also reported that following the Oscars, TV dramas and K-Pop stars have dominated the global market, and now Korea has even won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

This is Ahn Da-young reporting for KBS News from Paris.