Han Kang, a celebrated South Korean author, has been honored with the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. She received this prestigious award for her “intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and reveals the fragility of human life.”
At 53 years old, Han began her literary journey with a collection of poems published in a South Korean magazine. In 1995, she made her prose debut with a short story collection. Han gained international acclaim with her novel “The Vegetarian,” which was one of the first of her works to be translated into English. This thought-provoking novel, which earned the Man Booker International Prize in 2016, follows a young woman's struggle to embrace a more “plant-like” life after experiencing haunting nightmares about human cruelty.
Han Kang is the first South Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature and is only the 18th woman to receive this honor since the award's inception in 1901. Her notable work, 채식주의자 (translated as "The Vegetarian," published in 2015), consists of three parts that delve into the turbulent aftermath of the main character, Yeong-hye, who defies societal norms by choosing to stop eating meat. Her bold choice triggers a range of reactions from those around her, highlighting the complexities of human relationships and societal expectations.
Born in 1970 in Gwangju, South Korea, Kang grew up in a literary family; her father was a respected novelist. In addition to her writing, she has a passion for art and music, which profoundly influences her literary creations.
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