Game over: Minumsa wins Murakami sweepstakes
The Japanese version of his book, “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage” / Korea Times
By Baek Byung-yeul
After months of anticipation, the Minumsa Publishing Group announced itself as the winner of the Haruki Murakami sweepstakes, which garnered rapt attention in the publishing industry in the past months. Korea’s financially–squeezed publishers had ferociously competed to secure the rights to publish the Japanese superstar author’s new book. Minumsa, which plans to publish the Korean version of "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage’’ in July, didn’t disclose how much it bid for the rights. But industry sources believe the company was cutting a check for at least 150 million yen (about $1.47 million), which would represent the highest royalty payment to a foreign author. In a country where book readership is hitting new lows amid a bad economy and the explosion of mobile Internet devices, Murakami is one of the few writers capable of moving a large volume of hard copies and paperbacks. Murakami's works are popular everywhere but particularly in Korea, where publishing industry people talk about a "Haruki Syndrome.’’ His previous novel, "1Q84,’’ sold more than 2 million copies here. In Japan, more than a million copies of "Colorless’’ were sold in just the first six days following its release in mid-April, surpassing the pace 1Q84, which needed 12 days to reach that mark. Veteran translator Yang Eok-kwan, who also translated the earlier Murakami book “Norwegian Wood,” will translate “Colorless,’’ Minumsa said. |
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