Nobel Literature Prize Sends Bookstores 'Abuzz'... Anne Carson Book Sales Surge 138-Fold

Autobiography of Red tops bestseller charts
Bookstores step up marketing with special displays and promotions

Sales of works by Canadian writer Anne Carson, who was named the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, have surged at bookstores in South Korea, drawing widespread interest.

According to Kyobo Book Centre on October 9, sales of Carson's books from 8 p.m. on October 8, when the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate was announced, through 9 a.m. on October 9 rose to 138 times their pre-announcement level.

Customers browse works by Anne Carson, this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, at a large bookstore in downtown Seoul on the 9th. Yonhap News.

The best-selling book after the announcement was Autobiography of Red. The novel retells the story from the perspective of Geryon, the red monster slain by Heracles in Greek mythology.

Nox, an experimental work written in memory of her older brother, who died suddenly, ranked second in sales. It was followed by The Beauty of the Husband, Eros the Bittersweet and Short Talks.

In Kyobo Book Centre's daily online bestseller rankings on October 8, Autobiography of Red took first place, while Nox and The Beauty of the Husband ranked sixth and eighth, respectively. In Aladin's top 10 bestsellers for the same day, Autobiography of Red and Nox ranked first and second, respectively.

On the morning of October 9, Kyobo Book Centre set up a special display introducing Carson's works at its Gwanghwamun branch. However, it reportedly had difficulty arranging the display because it had limited stock. Online bookstores including Yes24 and Aladin are also holding promotions, including dedicated pages for Carson's works.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.