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Diriyah Gate Development Authority, Saudi Society for Culture Partner to Preserve Traditional Crafts

The MoU was signed by Advisor to the CEO of DGDA Eng. Abdullah Al Ghanim and SASCA General Manager Khalid Al Baz. (SPA)
The MoU was signed by Advisor to the CEO of DGDA Eng. Abdullah Al Ghanim and SASCA General Manager Khalid Al Baz. (SPA)
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Diriyah Gate Development Authority, Saudi Society for Culture Partner to Preserve Traditional Crafts

The MoU was signed by Advisor to the CEO of DGDA Eng. Abdullah Al Ghanim and SASCA General Manager Khalid Al Baz. (SPA)
The MoU was signed by Advisor to the CEO of DGDA Eng. Abdullah Al Ghanim and SASCA General Manager Khalid Al Baz. (SPA)

The Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) and the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts (SASCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost collaboration on various projects, initiatives, and events, leveraging SASCA's rich publications to support DGDA's mission.

The MoU, signed by Advisor to the CEO of DGDA Eng. Abdullah Al Ghanim and SASCA General Manager Khalid Al Baz, entails empowering Saudi artists and implementing art acquisition programs that will elevate the aesthetic appeal of significant locations within Diriyah and the historic At-Turaif district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The memorandum encompasses a wide range of collaborative efforts, including the organization of national events and holidays, the revival of musical performances, and the use of DGDA’s facilities, theaters, and cultural assets for the SASCA's programs and projects.

Furthermore, the MoU sets the stage for joint initiatives that promote community engagement, providing training and empowerment opportunities for the people of Diriyah, as well as innovative cultural and artistic programs aimed at enriching the local community.

This partnership reflects the shared commitment of both parties to increase appreciation for and participation in the cultural and artistic sectors, empower artists and talented individuals in this field, and document their efforts to revitalize the cultural landscape of Saudi Arabia.

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South Korea’s Han Sells One Million Books after Nobel Win

A visitor takes a commemorative photo after buying books by South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang near a special section for her at a bookstore in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. The letters read "Congratulations on Han Kang's the Nobel Prize award." and "Awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in literature." (AP)
A visitor takes a commemorative photo after buying books by South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang near a special section for her at a bookstore in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. The letters read "Congratulations on Han Kang's the Nobel Prize award." and "Awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in literature." (AP)
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South Korea’s Han Sells One Million Books after Nobel Win

A visitor takes a commemorative photo after buying books by South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang near a special section for her at a bookstore in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. The letters read "Congratulations on Han Kang's the Nobel Prize award." and "Awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in literature." (AP)
A visitor takes a commemorative photo after buying books by South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang near a special section for her at a bookstore in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. The letters read "Congratulations on Han Kang's the Nobel Prize award." and "Awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in literature." (AP)

More than a million copies of books by Han Kang, the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, have sold locally since the honor was announced, bookstores said Wednesday.

The short story writer and novelist is best known overseas for her Man Booker Prize-winning "The Vegetarian", her first novel translated into English.

The 53-year-old, who also became the first Asian woman author to win the Nobel, was chosen "for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life", the Swedish Academy said last week.

Han's win has created a sensation in South Korea, with the websites of major bookstores and publishing houses crashing after it was announced, as tens of thousands rushed to order her books.

As of Wednesday morning, at least 1.06 million copies, including e-books, had been sold since last Thursday's Nobel announcement, three major bookstores and online retailers -- Kyobo, Aladin and YES24 -- told AFP.

"Han Kang's books are experiencing unprecedented sales. This is a situation we have never seen before," Kyobo spokesperson Kim Hyun-jung told AFP.

Online bookstore Aladin said Han's victory had not only led to a staggering 1,200-fold increase in the sales of her books compared with the same period last year, but dramatically boosted the sales of South Korean literature as a whole.

Since her win, "the overall sales of Korean literature increased by more than 12 times compared to the previous year", it said in a statement.

Sales of two books Han recently mentioned she was reading -- "Inventory of Losses" by Judith Schalansky and "Atlas de botanique élémentaire" by Jean-Jacques Rousseau -- had also surged, Aladin said.

Kyobo Book Center said while it does not have exact figures, Han's books had seen dramatically higher sales compared with other Nobel prize winners.

"We have been in the publishing industry for a while, but this whole situation feels very surreal even to some of us," a Kyobo employee told AFP.

South Koreans have been overjoyed by the news, with Han's alma mater, Seoul's Yonsei University, displaying banners that read: "Congratulations to the proud Yonsei alumnus, Han Kang, on winning the Nobel Prize in Literature."

In her hometown of Gwangju -- where a massacre occurred in 1980 that later inspired Han's acclaimed novel "Human Acts" -- a congratulatory banner was hung on a building fired on by a military helicopter at the time.

Local reports said some printing houses had been operating at full capacity on the weekend to meet the demand for Han's books.

"I've never been this busy since I joined the company in 2006," an Aladin employee told AFP.

"But it's all been very happy."