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Korean fantasy writer Lee Young-do has fallen short of winning the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire, one of France’s most prestigious speculative fiction awards, but his nomination marked a significant milestone for Korean genre literature on the global stage. Lee’s epic fantasy novel “The Bird That Drinks Tears” was shortlisted among six finalists in the foreign novel category. The winner was announced Monday at La Comedie du Livre, a major literary event held annually in France. French-Armenian-Australian novelist Alex Landragin’s “Crossings” won the award in the foreign novel category. The Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire, awarded by a jury of critics, writers and journalists, is widely regarded as France’s top honor in science fiction and fantasy literature. First published in Korea in 2003, the four-volume series has sold more than 1 million copies domestically, cementing its status as a landmark in Korean fantasy fiction. The novel is widely praised for building a richly imagined world that diverges from Western medieval fantasy traditions, incorporating distinctly Korean element