Cultissime prize for The Bird That Drinks Tears; Vol. 2 out Oct. 14
The first French volume of Lee Young-do’s The Bird That Drinks Tears has won the 2026 Prix du livre Cultissime. Publisher Hachette Heroes lists French volume 2, Le Rêve des Rekkons, for release on October 14.
2026 Cultissime book prize
Cultissime’s official winners page names L’Oiseau qui boit des larmes and Lee Young-do as the 2026 Prix du livre Cultissime winner. The festival says the prize weighs not only quality and popularity but also a work’s potential to remain a reference over time.
The 2026 result combined votes from the general public and from book, comics and audiovisual professionals, each weighted at 50%.
Volume 2 due Oct. 14
Hachette lists the second French volume as Le Rêve des Rekkons, with an October 14, 2026, publication date. The follow-up comes after the first volume’s Cultissime win.
Yonhap reports that the novel has been translated and published across 17 language regions and in more than 30 countries.
About Lee Young-do
Hachette’s author page says Lee began publishing online in 1997, followed by Dragon Raja in 1998 and The Bird That Drinks Tears in 2003.
Hachette credits the two series with popularizing fantasy in Korea. The French prize marks another step in the overseas reach of a Korean fantasy writer who emerged from the early era of online serialization.
