Han Kang (54), a South Korean novelist, has become the first Korean and the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. This marks the second time a Korean has won a Nobel Prize, following former President Kim Dae-jung’s Peace Prize.
On Oct. 10th (local time), the Swedish Academy cited Han’s “powerful and clear prose that faces trauma and expresses the fragile aspects of human life” as the reason for her selection.
In a phone interview with the Swedish Academy right after the announcement, Han said, “I’m absolutely astonished and honored. I was having dinner with my son when I received the call. It was just an ordinary day until I heard the news.” She added, “I grew up with Korean literature. I hope this news brings joy to the Korean literary community.” Han also mentioned her plans for a quiet celebration, saying, “Once this call ends, I plan to enjoy a quiet evening with my son over a cup of tea.”
The Swedish Academy praised Han for addressing historical trauma and challenging unseen societal norms in her work, noting her distinctive perception of the connection between body and soul, as well as between the living and the dead, which they said has made her a modern prose innovator with a poetic and experimental style. Swedish novelist Anna-Karin Palm, a member of the Nobel Literature Committee, added that Han’s writing is both gentle and harsh, featuring intensely lyrical prose that occasionally takes on a slightly surreal quality.
Han gained international recognition with her 2007 novel The Vegetarian, which made her the first Korean to win the Man Booker International Prize in 2016. Her focus on history and trauma, especially in novels like Human Acts (2014), which deals with the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, and We Do Not Part (2021), which addresses the Jeju April 3 Incident, likely played a significant role in her Nobel win. Anders Olsson, chairman of the Swedish Academy’s Nobel Committee, highlighted Human Acts and We Do Not Part as key works of Han.
On Human Acts, set against the backdrop of the Gwangju Uprising, Olsson said, “Han gives a voice to the victims of history, approaching the genre of ‘witness literature.’” He noted that Han’s writing embodies a “ritual of release, addressing the deep-rooted Korean emotion of han (resentment or grief).”
He explained that although Han’s style is concise, it diverges from typical expectations by allowing the souls of the dead to separate from their bodies and observe their own deaths. He also noted that the theme of unburied, unidentified bodies can be traced back to the Antigone motif in Sophocles.
Olsson also praised We Do Not Part, a novel about the mourning process, calling it “a remarkable work” that “unveils the shadow of the massacre on Jeju Island in the 1940s.”
Despite her global recognition, Han had distanced herself from the prospect of winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. Even after becoming the first Korean author to win the Medici Prize for Foreign Literature in France last November, she responded dismissively when a reporter asked if she believed she was getting closer to the Nobel Prize, saying, “This is the first time I’ve heard such a thing.”
International media outlets described Han’s win as “unexpected” but also noted that it reflects “the growing global influence of Korean culture.”
The New York Times expressed surprise at Han’s win, noting that until the last moment, Chinese avant-garde author Can Xue had been regarded as the frontrunner, but the prize ultimately went to Han in an unexpected turn of events.
The NYT had previously described Han as a pioneer of Korean literature for her novel The Vegetarian, praising her ability to condense allegorical and violent themes into concise, sharp language, portraying the breakdown of a person’s civilized life.
