South Korean author Han Kang has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. The 53-year-old writer, internationally renowned for her poetic and intense prose, was honored at the Nobel Prize ceremony for a body of work that powerfully confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life. This moment marks a significant achievement for South Korean literature, as Han Kang becomes the first author from her country to win the Nobel Prize, solidifying her place among the world’s most esteemed writers.
The Swedish Academy, which has awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature since 1901, praised Han for her “poetic and experimental style,” describing her as an “innovator in contemporary prose.” Her work, which spans a broad range of genres and themes, delves into the complexities of human existence, exploring topics like violence, grief, and patriarchy. At the ceremony, the Academy’s permanent secretary, Mats Malm, mentioned that Han Kang “wasn’t really prepared” to win the prize, signaling the humility with which the author approaches her craft despite her global recognition.
Han Kang’s win is not only a personal victory but also a cultural milestone. It reflects the growing international prominence of South Korean literature, which has been gaining attention over the past decade, thanks to authors like Han and fellow Booker Prize nominee, Hwang Sok-yong. It also highlights the diversity of voices being recognized on the global literary stage, especially women writers. Han is the first female recipient of the literature prize since 2022, when French writer Annie Ernaux won, and she is the first female laureate of any Nobel Prize in 2024.
A Celebrated Career
Han Kang’s career took a pivotal turn in 2016 when she won the International Booker Prize for her novel The Vegetarian. Originally published in South Korea in 2007, The Vegetarian was translated into English by Deborah Smith in 2015, bringing the novel—and Han Kang herself—to an international audience. The novel explores the life of a woman who decides to stop eating meat, a decision that spirals into catastrophic consequences for her and those around her. It is a tale that navigates through societal expectations, the body, and personal autonomy, resonating deeply with readers around the world.
In awarding Han the Booker Prize, the judges praised The Vegetarian for its unsettling depiction of the consequences of an individual refusing to conform to societal norms, particularly regarding food and patriarchy. The novel’s experimental form and poetic language, which blur the boundaries between prose and poetry, set it apart as a unique work in contemporary fiction. The international success of The Vegetarian established Han Kang as a leading voice in world literature, and it laid the foundation for her subsequent recognition by the Nobel committee.
Han Kang’s other notable works include Human Acts (2014), The White Book (2016), and Greek Lessons (2023). Each of these works deals with complex emotional and historical themes, often drawing on South Korea’s troubled history of violence and trauma. Human Acts, for instance, revisits the Gwangju Uprising of 1980, a massacre that left a deep scar on the South Korean psyche. This event has long been a source of pain for the people of Gwangju, where Han Kang was born, and it continues to resonate in her work. In Human Acts, Han explores how political violence and collective trauma affect the body and mind, shedding light on the human capacity to endure unimaginable suffering.
The White Book, a more meditative work, is part novel, part memoir, and part poetry. Written while Han was living in Warsaw, Poland, the book reflects on her mother’s grief over the loss of her first child. In it, Han uses the color white as a lens through which to examine life, death, and memory. The White Book was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2018 and has been hailed for its lyrical beauty and emotional depth.
Her most recent novel, Greek Lessons, published in 2023, tells the story of a woman who has lost the ability to speak and a man who is slowly losing his sight. The novel delves into the sensory experiences of the characters, focusing on language and communication, or the lack thereof, as a central theme. This work continues Han Kang’s exploration of the fragility of human life and the ways in which people navigate the traumas they endure.
The Impact of Han Kang’s Work
What sets Han Kang apart is her ability to weave together personal and collective histories in ways that resonate across cultures. While her stories often draw on South Korea’s past, particularly the country’s violent political history, they also engage with universal questions of existence, survival, and resistance. In doing so, Han’s work transcends national boundaries, offering readers a deeply human perspective on trauma, identity, and resilience.
Committee chair Anders Olsson, speaking at the Nobel Prize ceremony, praised Han for her unique ability to confront historical traumas and “invisible sets of rules” in her work, adding that she exposes the vulnerability of human life in each of her novels. Her writing style is often described as poetic, with critics and readers alike admiring her “intense” and “lyrical” prose. Olsson also highlighted Han’s awareness of “the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead,” reflecting the deeply spiritual and existential concerns that run through her work.
Han Kang’s writing is not just a confrontation with the past but also an exploration of the limitations and possibilities of the human body and spirit. Her characters often struggle with the weight of societal expectations, particularly those imposed on women, and many of her stories examine the effects of violence—whether it is political, physical, or emotional—on the human psyche. In The Vegetarian, Human Acts, and Greek Lessons, Han challenges her readers to consider how individuals navigate their own pain and the pain of others.
Her ability to address such weighty themes in a way that is both poetic and accessible has earned her a place among the most important writers of our time. As the Swedish Academy noted, Han Kang is an innovator in contemporary prose, blending elements of poetry, fiction, and philosophy in ways that challenge the traditional boundaries of the novel. Her works, which have been translated into more than 30 languages, are now studied and celebrated around the world.
A Historic Win for South Korean Literature
Han Kang’s Nobel Prize win is not only a personal achievement but also a landmark moment for South Korean literature. She follows in the footsteps of other celebrated writers like Kenzaburō Ōe and Haruki Murakami in bringing East Asian literature to the global stage. However, Han’s win also underscores the unique and diverse nature of South Korean fiction, which, despite its rich literary tradition, has often been overshadowed by its more famous neighbors in Japan and China.
For South Korea, Han Kang’s recognition is a moment of immense pride. It is a validation of the country’s cultural contributions to world literature, and it signals the growing influence of Korean art and literature on the global stage. From cinema to music to literature, South Korea has become a cultural powerhouse in recent years, and Han Kang’s win adds another dimension to this rise.
Conclusion
As the 2024 Nobel laureate in literature, Han Kang joins an illustrious group of writers who have shaped the course of world literature. Her win is a testament to the power of fiction to confront the darkest corners of human existence and to illuminate the complex, fragile nature of life. Through her poetic and experimental prose, Han Kang has not only given voice to the traumas of South Korea’s past but also to the broader human condition.
