On October 10, the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature was announced by the Swedish Academy, awarded to South Korean author Han Kang.
Anders Olsson, Chairman of the Nobel Prize Committee, commented on Han Kang: “She has a unique ability to recognize the connection between the soul and the body, life and death. Her poetic and rich writing style makes her a reformer in contemporary literature.”
South Korean author Han Kang wins the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature (Photo: AP).
Mr. Anders Olsson also praised her sensitivity and empathy towards marginalized characters in society, particularly women.
Han Kang’s victory was considered surprising, as prior to the announcement of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, notable names expected to win included Tàn Tuyết from China, Gerald Murnane from Australia, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o from Kenya, and Anne Carson from Canada.
However, many writers around the world sent congratulations and praised the 54-year-old author’s achievement.
Novelist Deborah Levy shared: “I regard Han Kang as one of the truly insightful and talented authors. I was very happy to hear that she won. Congratulations to Han Kang on the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature.”
Novelist Max Porter, who contributed to the English translation of The Vegetarian (one of Han Kang’s works), affirmed that Han Kang is a powerful writer who fights for human rights.
“Her talent has been recognized with the Nobel Prize in Literature. She will gain many more readers, and they will be transformed by her wonderful works,” Max said.
Korean author and translator Bora Chung also congratulated Han Kang, asserting that the Korean literary community is proud of her victory.
“In creating beautiful literary works, Han Kang always grapples with the painful question of what it means to be a human being, a species capable of feeling both cruelty and love. I believe she perceives and observes differently from any other writer,” said Simon Prosser, publishing director at Hamish Hamilton.
Novelist Eimear McBride praised Han Kang as one of the greatest contemporary writers, saying “she is the voice of women, of truth, and above all, the power of literature.”
For many years, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been perceived as an award focused primarily on Western authors or favoring male writers. Han Kang’s victory marks a significant shift in the structure of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Han Kang becomes the 18th woman in the history of the Nobel Prize in Literature to win. The last female author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature was Annie Ernaux from France in 2022.
Han Kang (54 years old) was born into a family with a literary tradition. Her father is the renowned South Korean novelist Han Seung-won. She studied literature at Yonsei University in South Korea.
Throughout her writing career, the South Korean author has released a total of four novels, officially beginning her writing journey in 1993, during which she published numerous poetry collections.
The name Han Kang began to gain international literary recognition in 2007 with the release of her third novel The Vegetarian. The Vegetarian tells the story of a woman suffering from a mental illness who is abandoned by her family.
The Vegetarian became the first Korean novel to win the International Booker Prize in 2016. This novel was also one of the first of Han Kang’s works to be translated into English.
Han Kang has had 2 works adapted into films (Photo: News).
Additionally, she has received numerous major literary awards in South Korea for The Vegetarian. Last year, Han Kang was elected as the International Writer by the Royal Literary Association.
Her most recent book is We Do Not Part. This novel has received significant support from readers and the literary community and is set to be translated into English in 2025.
We Do Not Part narrates the story of a writer researching the rebellion on Jeju Island in 1948-1949 and its impact on a family. The French translation of this novel won the Médicis Étranger literary prize in 2023.
The autobiographical novel The White Book was released in 2017 and is another notable work by Han Kang. It was shortlisted for the International Man Booker Prize’s Best Books of the Year in 2018. The White Book has also been translated into Vietnamese and published in Vietnam.
The book focuses on the loss of her sister, a baby who died two hours after birth. From the white-drenched world of Warsaw, Han Kang wanders into the white-filled landscapes of distant past, with diapers, baby clothes, and breast milk.
The White Book resembles an unhealed old wound, a new pain filled with nostalgia, taking readers into a world interwoven between life and death, between the present and the past.
The work serves as a journey to seek inner strength, to experience the fragility of human life, and to rebuild life from sorrow.
In addition to writing, Han Kang is also a musician and has an interest in visual arts. In 2007, she released a CD featuring 10 songs she composed, wrote lyrics for, and recorded.
Two of Han Kang’s famous books, Baby Buddha and The Vegetarian, have been adapted into films.
The Vegetarian was turned into a film and is one of 14 works selected to participate in the World Storytelling competition at the North American Film Festival. The film was also well received at the Busan International Film Festival (South Korea).
