Between Bernard Werber and South Korea, a great mutual love

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While touring to promote the Korean translation of "The Time of Chimeras," Bernard Werber was once again able to confirm his popularity in South Korea. Since 1993, the author of "The Ants" has sold more than 13 million books there.

Bernard Werber, in Paris in October 2023. (Mathias Benguigui/Pasco&co)

by Arthur Laffargue , correspondent in Seoul

A thrill of excitement runs through the Seoul Arts Center concert hall. Bernard Werber has just taken the stage. On the evening of August 27, the French writer is preparing to perform selected pieces from his novel The Time of Chimeras (Albin Michel, 2023) in front of 2,500 spectators , a performance interspersed with musical interludes played by his partners for the evening, flautist Jasmine Choi, guitarist Denis Sungho, and the twenty musicians of the Sejong Soloists orchestra.

In South Korea, Werber can step out of his comfort zone, given his immense popularity in this small peninsula of 51 million inhabitants. "Everyone knows Bernard Werber in Korea," sums up Kim Sun-ho, who confesses to not knowing much about the work of the Toulouse native but who came to see his performance today . "At first, I found The Ants (Albin Michel, 1991) in the bestsellers section of my bookstore," says Baek Jae-eun. A fan of post-apocalypse and science fiction, the 21-year-old student loved the Frenchman's latest novel and took advantage of her culture pass to attend the concert, for which you had to pay a little over 90 euros for a ticket in par

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