Related books are selling briskly at South Korean bookstores as the film "Odyssey" continues its strong box-office run.
According to the third-week August bestseller rankings released by Kyobo Book Centre on the 21st, a complete Korean translation from the original ancient Greek of Homer's epic poem "Odyssey," published by Hyundae Jisung, climbed three spots to No. 5 overall. Another full translation of the original text, published by Eulyoo Publishing under the title "Odysseia," jumped 51 places to No. 15 overall.
Books related to "Odyssey" also posted notable gains in the humanities and history category, and interest has spread more broadly to Greek and Roman mythology, Kyobo Book Centre said.
"Seneca, To You Who Are Losing Today," a collection of writings by the Roman philosopher Seneca, held the No. 1 spot overall for a second straight week. Other novels that remained near the top included Yoo Rae-hyuk's "Aquarium," Keigo Higashino's "The Transparent Spiral" and Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha."
Meanwhile, the film "Odyssey," directed by Christopher Nolan, surpassed 6 million admissions on the 21st, its 17th day in theaters. Based on Homer's epic poem "Odyssey," the film follows the hero Odysseus (played by Matt Damon) on his journey home after the Trojan War, and has drawn audiences with sweeping visuals and sound that recreate the world of Greek mythology. It has held the No. 1 daily box-office spot since its release, reaching 1 million admissions on day four and 2 million on day six before passing 5 million on day 13.
Kyobo Book Centre Bestseller Rankings for the Third Week of August (based on sales from August 12 to 18)
1. Seneca, To You Who Are Losing Today (Seneca, Nonfiction)
2. Aquarium (Yoo Rae-hyuk, Postershop)
3. The Transparent Spiral (Keigo Higashino, Bookda)
4. Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse, Minumsa)
5. Odyssey (Homer, Hyundae Jisung)
6. Nietzsche's Overman (Friedrich Nietzsche, Hieut)
7. Buy, Sell, or Hold (Mok Dae-gyun, Seosamdok)
8. Contradiction (Yang Gui-ja, Sseuda)
9. The Vocabulary of the Mind (Cho A-ran, Page2Books)
10. Common Siblings: Imugi 4 (Common Siblings, Mirae N I-Seum)
