London: South Korean author Han Kang has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature.
In a significant recognition for Asian literature, the Swedish Academy recognised and honoured Han’s “intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”
Han, born in 1970 in Gwangju, had unique ability to blend the physical and mental aspects of human suffering in her writing, as highlighted by the Nobel Committee.
“Double exposure of pain” is a recurring theme in her work, often drawing connections to Eastern philosophical traditions.
‘Human Acts’ (2014), one of Han’s most notable novels, reflects her approach to literature. Based on the real-life Gwangju Uprising of 1980, where hundreds of students and unarmed civilians were killed, Han weaved multiple narratives and created a haunting portrayal of violence, resilience and memory.
‘The Vegetarian’, published in 2007, won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016.
