South Korean author Han Kang has been awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature this year. Known for her sharp and poetic prose, the Nobel committee praised her ability to address the painful issues of history while exploring the fragility of human life.
Han Kang, 53, began her literary career by publishing a collection of poems in a South Korean magazine. She followed this with a short story collection in 1995, marking the beginning of her distinct voice in prose. Over time, Han Kang transitioned into writing longer works, with one of her most notable books being The Vegetarian. This novel, published in 2007, won her the Man Booker Prize in 2016. In The Vegetarian, Han Kang portrays a young woman’s battle to survive “like a tree,” driven by her fear of human cruelty.
The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded since 1901, and Han Kang is the 18th woman to receive the honor. She is also the first South Korean to be awarded this prestigious prize. The Nobel committee described Han Kang as someone who has dedicated herself not only to writing but also to the broader world of music and the arts.
Her work has broken boundaries and explored deep themes such as violence, suffering, and patriarchy, making her writing relevant to many aspects of human life. The committee remarked on how her inquisitive mind elevates her work beyond the ordinary.
Although The Vegetarian was first published nearly a decade ago, it gained international recognition when it was translated into English by Deborah Smith in 2015. The novel’s success at the Man Booker Prize in 2016 brought Han Kang global acclaim. Other notable works by Han Kang include The White Book, Human Acts, and Greek Lessons.
At the Nobel Prize ceremony, Mats Malm, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, highlighted Han Kang’s profound understanding of the connection between the body and soul, and the living and the dead. He praised her poetic and introspective prose, calling her an innovator in contemporary literature.
