Korean fantasy has reached another major international milestone after Lee Young-do’s acclaimed epic “The Bird That Drinks Tears” won the 2026 Prix du livre Cultissime in France.
The award was announced at the Cultissime Festival in Angers, recognizing fiction considered to have the potential to endure as a future classic. Lee’s novel emerged from a field of five finalists, with the winner determined through an equal combination of public voting and a professional panel.
The French victory is particularly notable because only the first volume of Lee’s four-part fantasy saga has been published in France.
Originally released in South Korea in 2003, “The Bird That Drinks Tears” has sold about 1 million copies in Korea and built a distinctive fantasy universe rooted in Korean cultural traditions. Rather than relying solely on familiar Western medieval-fantasy conventions, the series incorporates elements such as dokkaebi, traditional Korean wrestling or ssireum, the board game yutnori, and ondol, Korea’s traditional underfloor heating system.
The French recognition follows growing international attention for Lee’s work. The novel had already been shortlisted for France’s Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire earlier in 2026, placing it among six finalists in the foreign-novel category. That award ultimately went to Alex Landragin’s “Crossings,” but the nomination further raised the profile of Korean fantasy literature in France.
The French edition has also demonstrated strong interest from local readers. Earlier reporting said the first French volume surpassed 20,000 copies in sales within months of publication, while the series has been licensed in 17 languages across more than 30 countries.
The global expansion has now reached English-language readers as well. “The Heart of the Nhaga,” the first English-language volume of the series, was released in June 2026, translated by acclaimed Korean literary translator Anton Hur. It marks the first time Lee’s fantasy series has been officially published in English.
Lee, speaking through a statement released by Korean publisher Golden Bough, expressed gratitude for the French honor while reflecting on the enduring power of books in an increasingly visual entertainment landscape.
He also encouraged readers to continue making time for literature, emphasizing the connection between writers and audiences that allows books to survive and reach new generations.
The timing of the award adds another layer to the story. More than two decades after “The Bird That Drinks Tears” first appeared in Korea, the series is now finding new readers far beyond its original market.
Its journey from a Korean fantasy bestseller to an award-winning French publication suggests that stories built around distinctly Korean cultural ideas can travel internationally without losing the identity that made them unique in the first place.
And with the English edition now reaching a much wider global audience, Lee Young-do’s fantasy world may only be entering its next chapter.
WWC ONE MEDIA G,A
