'The Odyssey' sends Korea back to books

Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is rerouting moviegoers on a journey back to the book. Buoyed by the film’s immense popularity in Korea, books on Greek and Roman mythology, including Homer’s “The Odyssey,” are riding the wave, selling briskly.

At a major bookstore in southern Seoul on Thursday, readers crowded around shelves of Homer’s epic, eager to read the ancient tale before seeing the film — or revisit it afterward to compare the two.

“I stopped by because I wanted to read up on the story before seeing the movie,” said a woman in her 50s, identified by her surname Ji, as she browsed through the books.

She wasn’t the only one. Yang, a 33-year-old office worker who also read the book before watching the film, said she picked it up again after seeing the movie.

“Some parts were omitted or adapted for the film,” she said. “It’s fun to compare the two, so I’ve gone back to the book after watching the movie.”

Interest in books on Greek and Roman mythology is surging alongside the box-office success of the movie, which surpassed 5 million moviegoers just 13 days after its release.

Bookstores including Kyobo Book Centre and Youngpoong Bookstore have recently set up dedicated displays for “The Odyssey,” while online reading communities have been buzzing with questions about where to find related books at nearby libraries.

Seeing a particular surge in demand are Hong Eun-young’s Greek and Roman Mythology comic series, an educational series that was hugely popular among Korean children and teenagers in the 2000s.

The out-of-print series has seen its resale prices soar. On Book Island, a community for used-book enthusiasts, the 25-volume set was listed at an average of 770,000 won ($555).

The series comprises 20 main volumes and five special editions. But the first 18 volumes illustrated by Hong were taken out of print after a court ruling halted publication following a royalty dispute between the author and her publisher. The story of Odysseus’ journey depicted in Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is covered in volumes 15 through 19.

On Karrot, a secondhand trading platform, one seller in Mapo District, western Seoul, listed the complete set — that had been “read carefully and kept in pristine condition” — for 1 million won.

Kim, a woman in her 30s who regularly browses secondhand marketplaces, said she would love to show the comics to her son but feels priced out of the market. “I regret getting rid of my copies when I was a kid,” she said. “These days, sellers can pretty much name their price, so I can’t even think about buying them.”

The nostalgia factor is helping drive up prices, said Huh Chang-deog, a sociology professor at Yeungnam University. “Adults are buying the books to relive memories and nostalgia from their childhood, which is one reason prices have risen,” he said.

The list price for a recent 20-volume edition of Hong’s comics is around 210,000 won.

As prices for the books climb, unauthorized scans have also begun circulating online.

Some online communities have posted detailed instructions on where to find the scanned copies, including links to file-sharing sites and how to download them using Torrent. At the same time, other users have gone to Hong Eun-young’s blog to share those links and urge her to report the sites for copyright infringement.

Legal experts say simply viewing an unauthorized scan is unlikely to result in criminal charges, but downloading or distributing the files can significantly increase the risk of prosecution.

Ahn Sung-yeol, a managing attorney at law firm Saebyeol, said copyright law generally penalizes unauthorized reproduction, posting, distribution and rental of copyrighted works, while mere viewing is typically not subject to criminal punishment. “But if someone knowingly participates in distributing infringing material, they are much more likely to face punishment,” Ahn said.

BY KIM JEONG-JAE [[email protected]]