South Korean writer Han Kang has been named the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. The award was given to her "for her rich, poetic prose that confronts historical trauma and exposes the fragility of human life." Han Kang is the first Asian woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature and the second Nobel laureate from South Korea. The announcement ceremony can be followed live on the Nobel Committee website. More information about the writer and her achievements can be found in the press release.
Han Kang was born in the South Korean city of Gwangju on November 27, 1970, to writer Han Seung-won. She has lived in Seoul since she was ten years old. The writer attended Yonsei University, where she studied Korean literature.
Han Kang's writing career began in 1993, when five of her poems were published in the magazine Literature and Society. A year later, Han won the Seoul Shinmun Literary Prize for her short story "Scarlet Anchor." In 1995, her first collection of short stories, "Love for Yeosu," was published. Since then, Han has written a number of short stories, essays, poetry, and novels. Her latest book, "I'm Not Saying Goodbye," was published in 2021. It tells the story of the Jeju Island Uprising that began in 1948 through the eyes of three women.
Han Kang gained worldwide fame with his 2007 novel The Vegetarian. The main character of this book decides to stop eating meat, which causes her to face rejection from her family and society. In 2015, The Vegetarian was translated into English and attracted great interest from critics and readers. And in 2016, the novel won the Man Booker International Prize. However, some researchers considered the translation of The Vegetarian into English too free and inaccurate.
In addition to literature, Han Kang is interested in music and fine arts. She even recorded a music album for her essay collection, “Songs Sung Quietly.” Han also teaches creative writing at Seoul University of the Arts.
Han Gan’s novels “The Vegetarian” and “Human Actions” have been translated into Russian.
In 2023, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Norwegian novelist, playwright, and poet Jon Olav Fosse "for his groundbreaking plays and prose that express the inexpressible." And in 2022, the award was given to French writer Annie Ernaux. She was noted "for the courage and clinical precision with which she reveals the origins, alienation, and collective limitations of personal memory."
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to the author of "the most significant literary work of idealistic orientation." Its first winner was the French poet and essayist Sully Prudhomme.