South Korean author Han Kang receives Nobel Prize in literature
Date
10/13/2024 4:05:35 AM
(MENAFN) On Thursday, South Korean author Han Kang was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, a recognition attributed to her “intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life,” according to the Nobel committee. The committee's chairman, Anders Olsson, highlighted Han's deep empathy for her characters, particularly the vulnerable and often female lives they lead. He emphasized her unique ability to explore the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead, and praised her innovative contributions to contemporary prose through her poetic and experimental writing style.
Nobel literature committee member Anna-Karin Palm elaborated on Han’s distinctive voice, noting that her writing is characterized by "intense lyrical prose that is both tender and brutal, and sometimes slightly surrealistic." Han's achievement is historic as she becomes the first Asian woman and the first South Korean writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Additionally, she is only the second South Korean national to win a Nobel Prize, following the late former President Kim Dae-jung, who received the Peace Prize in 2000 for his efforts to restore democracy in South Korea and improve relations with North Korea during a time of military rule.
Han's Nobel win also reflects the growing global influence of South Korean culture, which has gained prominence through various mediums in recent years. Notable examples include the success of films such as Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning "Parasite," the international hit Netflix series "Squid Game," and the worldwide recognition of K-pop groups like BTS and BLACKPINK. Han’s literary achievements further contribute to this cultural momentum, highlighting the richness of South Korean storytelling on the global stage.
At 53 years old, Han Kang previously won the International Booker Prize in 2016 for her unsettling novel "The Vegetarian," which explores the profound consequences of a woman's choice to stop eating meat. Reflecting on her writing process at the time, Han described it as a means of questioning, stating, “I just try to complete my questions through the process of my writing and I try to stay in the questions, sometimes painful, sometimes - well - sometimes demanding.” In "The Vegetarian," she aimed to question what it means to be human, portraying a woman who yearns to sever ties with humanity. Her subsequent novel, "Human Acts," was also a finalist for the International Booker Prize in 2018, further solidifying her reputation as a powerful voice in contemporary literature.
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