On Thursday, the literary world was abuzz as novelist Han Kang, age 53, claimed the coveted Nobel Prize in Literature, marking her as the first Korean author to achieve this pinnacle of accolades. This triumph follows closely on the heels of another Korean victory – former President Kim Dae-jung's Nobel Peace Prize in 2000, making Han the second Korean laureate in prestigious Nobel categories.
Born in November 1970, amidst the literary lineage of her father, the esteemed novelist Han Seung-won, in the cultural hub of Gwangju, South Jeolla, Han's journey led her to Seoul where she pursued her education at the prestigious Pungmun Girls' High School. Later, she graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Korean Literature, forging a path that would define her life's work.
Her literary debut in 1993, with a poem selected for the prestigious winter edition of 'Literature and Society' magazine, marked the dawn of a remarkable career. The year after, her short story "Red Anchor" triumphed in the Seoul Shinmun Spring Literary Contest, solidifying her place as an emerging novelist. At just 25, Han published her maiden collection of short stories, 'Love of Yeosu,' embarking on a lifelong exploration of human violence, its devastating aftermath, and the poignant tapestry of life.
This profound thematic tapestry, deeply rooted in the tumultuous 1980 Gwangju Uprising, a student-led beacon of democracy, has been a constant in Han's oeuvre. She often reflects on how the movement "altered the course of my life," serving as a "catalyst for profound inquiries into the essence of humanity."
One such profound exploration, encapsulated in her blockbuster novel 'The Vegetarian,' not only captivated readers worldwide but also earned her the esteemed International Booker Prize in 2016. This masterpiece, originally serialized in a local literary magazine in 2004, was a profound tale of a woman's quest to reject societal and sexual oppression through abstaining from meat, beautifully translated into English by Deborah Smith and published by Portobello Books in 2015.
Han's latest literary gem, 'We Do Not Part,' has further solidified her place among the literary elite, winning the prestigious Prix Medicis award in 2023, a first for any Korean author. This French literary honor, one of the country's four most esteemed prizes since 1958, adds another feather to Han's already illustrious cap.
Published by Munhakdongne in 2021, 'We Do Not Part's' poignant tale of love, life's trials, grief, and loss against the backdrop of the historic 1948 Jeju April 3 Uprising, is narrated through the voices of three resilient women. Its French edition, beautifully translated by Choi Kyung-ran and Pierre Bisiou, was released by Editions Grasset last year, with the English translation eagerly anticipated for January 2025 under Penguin Random House.
