South Korean author Han Kang has won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature for her “intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.” Han, 53, is the first South Korean writer to receive this prestigious award, which includes a cash prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1 million). The announcement was made in Sweden on Thursday, October 11, 2024.
Han began her career publishing poetry in a South Korean magazine before making her prose debut in 1995 with a short story collection. Her international breakthrough came with The Vegetarian, a novel about a woman’s attempt to live a more “plant-like” existence after nightmares of human cruelty. The book won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016 and was translated into English by Deborah Smith. The Vegetarian starts with a simple yet gripping line: “Before my wife turned vegetarian, I’d always thought of her as completely unremarkable in every way.”
Han is only the 18th woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature since 1901. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hailed the victory as “a great achievement in the history of Korean literature” and a “national occasion,” saying Han had transformed Korea’s painful historical scars into great literature. Much of Han’s work, such as her 2014 novel Human Acts, addresses historical trauma, focusing on events like the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, where over 100 civilians were killed during pro-democracy protests.
The Swedish Academy praised Han for her ability to navigate the connections between body and soul, life and death. Anna-Karin Palm, a Nobel Committee member, said Han’s “tender, precise prose” serves as a counterforce to the “brutal noisiness of power.”
Following the announcement, Han’s books surged to the top of South Korea’s bestseller charts. As of Friday morning, her works occupied the top 10 positions on Yes24, a popular online bookstore, with Human Acts, The Vegetarian, and I Do Not Bid Farewell selling 70,000 units within 14 hours of the news.
Readers across South Korea expressed pride in Han’s accomplishment. High-school teacher Choi Ji-hye shared her excitement, saying she was “very proud” of Han’s win. Engineering student Kim Jee-heon, who was previously unfamiliar with her work, said he was inspired to seek out her books after hearing about her award. Even members of the popular K-pop group BTS, RM and V, congratulated Han, with V mentioning that he read Human Acts during his military service.
The Nobel Prize award ceremony will take place in Stockholm on December 10, 2024, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
