Han Kang's Nobel win symbolises strength in facing mental anguish

In 2024, South Korean novelist Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature. She is the 18th female writer to receive the award and the 121st laureate in literature since the Nobel Prize's inception. According to the Nobel Committee, she was awarded this year's Nobel Prize for her "deeply poetic prose, endowed with the strength to confront historical trauma and the ability to reveal the fragility of human life." In the eyes of the Nobel Academy, "Han has risen to the status of an innovator in contemporary prose due to her poetic and experimental writing." The 53-year-old Nobel laureate has already gained recognition and a devoted readership worldwide.

Han Kang was born on November 27, 1970, in South Korea and grew up in a literary environment. Her father, Han Seung-won, is a novelist, and her brother, Han Dong-rim, is also a writer. Han Kang studied Korean literature at Yonsei University. She began her literary career with poetry and short stories. In 1993, five of her poems were published in the winter issue of the magazine "Literature and Society," one of which was titled Winter in Seoul. The following year, her first short story, The Scarlet Anchor, won first prize in the spring edition of the short story competition organized by The Seoul Shinmun.

Her first collection of short stories, Love of Yeosa, was published in 1995. She gained widespread recognition with the publication of her novel A Convict’s Love in the same year, which garnered critical acclaim for its precision and restraint. Some of her other notable works include My Woman’s Fruits (2000), The Black Deer (1998), Your Cold Hands (2002), My Name is Sunflower (2002), The Red Flower Story (2003), The Vegetarian (2007), Tear Box (2008), Breath Fighting (2010), and Greek Lessons (2011), among others.

From an early age, Han Kang had a strong affinity for poetry. During her college years, a line from a poem by Yi Sang deeply resonated with her: "I believe people should transform into trees." This verse inspired her to stand against the destruction wrought during the colonial era, providing the motivation behind her most successful work, The Vegetarian. In 2016, she won the International Booker Prize for this novel. The story revolves around a woman who decides to give up eating meat in an effort to avoid human cruelty. British translator Deborah Smith translated the novel from Korean into English, maintaining the terse tone of the original work.

The Vegetarian is actually a combination of three novellas. Before its English translation, it was published in Korea as three separate novellas. The central character of the novel is Yeong-hye, and the story is told from the perspectives of three different characters: Yeong-hye's husband Mr. Cheong, her sister In-hye, and her sister's husband. Each of the novel's three sections revolves around Yeong-hye, but the narrative is shaped by the viewpoints of these three characters. The first section, narrated by Mr. Cheong, reveals his lack of sensitivity; he is a typical corporate figure who married Yeong-hye because of her unremarkable nature. He needed a wife who wouldn’t speak out or be assertive.

Notably, The Vegetarian faced tough competition during the International Booker Prize process. Other contenders included Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk's A Strangeness in My Mind, Italy’s Elena Ferrante's The Lost Child, Austria's Robert Seethaler's A Whole Life, and Angola’s José Eduardo Agualusa's A General Theory of Oblivion.

In an interview with NPR, American writer and critic Leland Cheuk described Han Kang, saying, "She has gained an esteemed reputation among international readers with works that are both thought-provoking and capable of breaking traditional molds. Her writing often includes the unexpected, so readers frequently encounter surprises. With a powerful touch of style, Han presents the intense flow of human emotions and feelings." For example, in her novel Greek Lessons, a woman who has lost her ability to speak decides to study ancient Greek literature. The person who teaches her shares a similar fate: slowly losing his sight. This novel highlights how love’s redemptive power can harbor hope and human belief.

In a 2016 interview with NPR, Han stated, "When writing a novel, I feel the urge to ask questions. Some questions about human conflict have been on my mind for a long time. I am driven to explore the possibility or impossibility of avoiding conflict. I would be happy if my readers took my questions into their own minds and actions."

In addition to the Nobel Prize and the Booker Prize, Han has received numerous other accolades. Her literary works have also inspired other forms of art. In 1999, she won the 25th Korean Novel Award for her novella Baby Buddha. She received the Yang Artist Award in 2000 for Mongolian Mark and the Yi Sang Literary Award in 2005. In 2010, she was awarded the Dong-ni Literary Award for Breath Fighting. Her novels Breath Fighting, Baby Buddha, and The Vegetarian have been adapted into films. In 2023, the Royal Society of Literature honored her with the title of International Writer.

Dulal Al Mansur: Essayist and translator.