Shin Kyung-sook's Hit Novel Comes to Europe

Writer Shin Kyung-sook talks to a French reader at the launch of her book in Paris on Tuesday. /Yonhap

The novelist Shin Kyung-sook was in Paris on Tuesday to promote her book "Please Look After Mom", which has been translated into French. The English translation is already a hit in the U.S. Shin's current book tour, which kicked off on May 17, takes in Spain, Portugal, Italia, the U.K. Norway, the Netherlands, France and Poland.

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"Please Look After Mom" is the third of Shin's novels to be published in France following "A Lone Room" and "Yi Jin". The writer says she feels comfortable in Paris, probably because she spent a few months in the city while writing "Yi Jin", the tale of a Korean court dancer at the end of 19th century who falls in love with a French diplomat. At a launch party for "Please Look after Mom", she signed copies for the book for 100 French readers.

The book is a European publishing sensation, making the bestseller list in Italy and reaching its third print run in Spain. The first print run in France is a rare 20,000. "Maybe Europeans were touched by the theme of losing a mother, a source of warmth and support, and they liked the Korean setting".

"Having been on several book tours abroad, I feel like a first-time author again", Shin said. "On the book tour, I realized that the only language where I feel free and unrestrained is my mother tongue, Korean". She added she wants to go home as soon as possible and start writing again.

The American paperback is published in New York on June 15.