Han Kang, South Korean Author, Receives Nobel Literature Prize

2 minute(s) ·  December 14, 2024

South Korean author Han Kang, renowned for her poetic prose addressing historical traumas and human fragility, was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first Asian female recipient of the honor.

Born in 1970 in Gwangju, South Korea, Han is the daughter of novelist Han Seung-won. Her family later moved to Seoul, where she graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Korean language and literature. Han began her literary career in 1993, publishing poems in the winter issue of the quarterly Literature and Society. The following year, her short story Red Anchor won a literary contest hosted by the Seoul Shinmun daily.

Renowned for her poetic and lyrical style, Han’s literary works address universal human issues and have carved a unique place in modern literature. Her notable publications include Yeosu, The Fruit of My Woman, Your Cold Hands, Black Deer, The Wind is Blowing, and Greek Lessons.

Han’s Nobel win makes her the first Asian female recipient of the literature prize and only the second South Korean Nobel laureate, after former President Kim Dae-jung, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.

The Nobel Prizes, established by Alfred Nobel’s will, have been awarded annually since 1901, recognizing achievements in literature, science, medicine, economics, and peace. Esteemed past recipients in literature include Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, Bernard Shaw, Albert Camus, and Gabriel García Márquez. In 2016, Bob Dylan became the first musician to receive the honor.

This year, the prize included an 11 million Swedish kronor (Dh3,671,623) award, to be shared equally among the laureates.