Thu Oct 10 20:02:13 UTC 2024: ## South Korean Author Han Kang Wins Nobel Prize in Literature
**STOCKHOLM, Sweden** – South Korean author Han Kang has become the first South Korean and the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Royal Swedish Academy announced on October 10th.
Kang was awarded the prestigious prize for her “intense poetic prose” which explores “historical traumas,” colonial violence, and the “fragility” of humanity. The Academy highlighted her ability to weave these themes into works like “The Vegetarian,” which won the International Booker Prize in 2016, and other acclaimed novels such as “The White Book,” “Human Acts,” and “Greek Lessons.”
Kang, known for her versatility and lyrical prose, has been a writer for over 30 years, but her international breakthrough came with “The Vegetarian,” a powerful novel exploring themes of isolation, social conformity, and violence. The book, first published in 2007, was translated into English in 2015 and received widespread critical acclaim.
“I’m so surprised and honored,” Kang shared with the Nobel Museum, adding that she hopes the award will bring joy to Korean literature readers and fellow writers. She plans to celebrate quietly by having tea with her son.
Anna-Karin Palm, a member of the Nobel Committee for Literature, described Kang’s writing as “both tender and brutal,” praising her “continuity as to themes…and a huge stylistic variation that makes every book a new aspect or a new expression of these central themes.”
Kang, born in Gwangju in 1970, studied Korean literature at Yonsei University. She published her first poems in 1993 and made her fiction debut the following year.
This Nobel Prize marks the first time a South Korean has won the literature prize. The only other South Korean to receive a Nobel Prize was former President Kim Dae-jung, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.
First Piper 