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Publisher flooded with orders after relatively unknown Hungarian author wins Nobel Prize for literature

Published: 12 Oct. 2025, 15:54 Updated: 13 Oct. 2025, 18:36

Ahn Ji-mi, CEO of Alma Books [ALMA BOOKS]

When the Swedish Academy announced the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday night, the name László Krasznahorkai — a towering figure in Hungarian letters but relatively unknown in Korea — sent local bookstores scrambling.

Krasznahorkai’s works have largely flown under the radar in Korea. Only six of his books have been translated into Korean: “Satantango” (1985), “The Melancholy of Resistance” (1989), “Seiobo There Below” (2008), “The Last Wolf” (2009), “The World Goes On” (2013) and “Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming” (2016). All six were published by Alma Books in Korea.

According to Kyobo Bookstore, all available online and offline stock quickly sold out, and the store started taking preorders for additional copies. Only a limited number of copies — about 200 — were left at its Gwanghwamun branch in central Seoul. Bookseller Aladdin reported selling 1,800 copies overnight — far surpassing the records set when Annie Ernaux won in 2022 and 1,000 copies and Kazuo Ishiguro won in 2014 and sold 900 copies.

That demand is funneling directly into Alma, the sole Korean publisher of Krasznahorkai’s work. The six titles, which previously sold only “one or two copies a day,” have surged. “Satantango,” his debut novel first published in 1985 but translated into English only in 2012, has already entered its seventh printing just one day after the Nobel announcement.

“This was one of those books people used to ask, ‘Why would you publish this?’ But we didn’t go under, and a writer long mentioned as a Nobel hopeful actually won,” said 55-year-old Alma CEO Ahn Ji-mi, who took the call Friday morning amid the chaos.

A black-and-white image shows Hungarian author Laszlo Krasznahorkai at the Budapest Book Festival, Budapest, Hungary, April 22, 2013. Krasznahorkai was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Alma began as a subsidiary of Munhakdongne Publishing before becoming independent as a publishing cooperative in 2013. Ahn, a former book designer who oversaw Alma’s art direction, became CEO in 2015. She is now scrambling to coordinate with multiple printers to fulfill back-orders in the hope that readers will embrace Krasznahorkai’s challenging prose.

“We live in a time where people burn through themselves in short-form content,” she said. “I hope readers will immerse themselves in his long, meandering sentences and get lost in his labyrinthine narratives.”

Following are excerpts from the interview with Ahn, edited for length and clarity.

What made you decide to publish Krasznahorkai’s work?

At the very first Jeonju International Film Festival in 2000, I saw Béla Tarr’s film “Satantango,” based on the novel. The running time was about 438 minutes — more than seven hours. After the screening, there was a talk with film critic Jung Sung-il. It was an overwhelming experience to sit through one piece of art for an entire day.

A poster for the ″Satantango″ film, based on the novel by Laszlo Krasznahorkai [ARTHOUSE MOMO]

But wasn't it much later in 2015 that you became the head of your own publishing house?

That’s how unforgettable the experience was. Some works of art leave you feeling reborn — that was one of them. When you encounter something that powerful, it changes your rhythm and sense of time for days or months. After I became a publisher and started looking for titles to acquire, “Satantango” came to mind. People worried I was taking on a financially hopeless project, but I thought, “If publishing is really that hard, then I should at least publish what I love.”

How was the process?

Every translator said it was an extremely difficult project — but they were also deeply invested in it.

All of the Korean versions we published were indirect translations — from English or German, not Hungarian. The sentences are so long that it made translation especially tough. (Translator Park Hyun-joo once noted that one of Krasznahorkai’s short stories contains only a single period.) Our translators worked tirelessly, consulting the original Hungarian texts, conducting research and even communicating directly with the author. I heard that the translator of “Seiobo There Below” exchanged emails with Krasznahorkai to clarify a difficult passage. For the record, we once messaged him on Facebook to ask for an interview. He never replied. (Laughs)

Books by Laszlo Krasznahorkai, Hungarian author and winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, are on display at the Kyobo Book Centre in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Oct. 10. [NEWS1]

The book covers have a strong visual identity. Were they designed as a series from the start?

Yes. I knew from the beginning that we wouldn’t stop at just one of his books. Publishing only one title by Krasznahorkai felt meaningless. I wanted a consistent aesthetic, so even the first cover was designed with sequels in mind.

Why no dust jackets?

That’s part of our brand. We don’t make anything unnecessary. But given the Nobel win, we’re considering adding dust jackets for the first time.

Is there another book on the way?

Yes, we’re currently working on a Korean translation of “Herscht 07769" (2021). It’s expected to come out in January. The novel begins with Florian, a protagonist weighed down by depression and anxiety, who stumbles upon a scientific discovery that could pose a threat to all of humanity.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]