The prestigious 2024 Nobel Prizes are being announced, and the Nobel Prize in Literature has a new winner! This year, the honor goes to renowned South Korean author Han Kang. Known for her powerful storytelling, Han Kang’s recognition marks a historic moment in the literary world. Curious to learn more about her and this incredible achievement? Keep reading for all the details!
The annual Nobel Prizes were eagerly anticipated this year as well. There were various speculations about which author would receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. In a press conference held at the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, the recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature was announced.
The announcement stated that Han Kang was honored with the Nobel Prize for her 'intense poetic prose confronting historical traumas and exposing the fragility of human life.'
The Vegetarian, which deals with a woman's decision to stop eating meat and its devastating consequences, won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016.
Han Kang was born in 1970 in South Korea. She graduated from Yonsei University, one of Korea's top universities, with a degree in Korean language and literature. Although we now know her as a novelist, Han Kang initially made her mark in literature through poetry. In 1993, she caught attention with five poems published in the magazine Literature and Society (Mungakgwa Sahoe), and later transitioned into novel writing. With her book Red Anchor, she won the Shinmun Literature Prize, thus embarking on her career as a novelist.
2000 Young Artist Award from the Ministry of Culture for her novel Baby Buddha in 1999
2005 Yi Sang Literary Award for Mongol Spot
2010 Dongri Literary Award for The Wind
2014 Manhae Literary Award for Human Acts
2016 Man Booker International Prize for The Vegetarian
2017 Malaparte Prize in Italy for Human Acts (Italian title: Atti umani)