The Nobel Prize for Literature goes to Han Kang, a source of pride in South Korea

A woman reads a book by South Korean author Han Kang, winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Literature, during an outdoor event at a library in central Seoul on October 11, 2024. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP From K-Pop stars to the president, including anonymous readers, all of South Korea is delighted with the Nobel Prize for Literature won, Thursday, October 10, by the writer Han Kang. The Swedish Academy’s decision in favor of a novelist recognized “for her intense poetic prose which confronts historical trauma and exposes the fragility of human life” flatters the pride of a country sensitive to any form of international recognition. “This is a monumental achievement in the history of Korean literature and a cause for national celebration for the entire population,” President Yoon Suk Yeol said on his Facebook page. Mr. Yoon praised a work that “transcended the painful wounds of our modern history to make it a great literary work.” ” Congratulations. I read The One Who Comes Back [Points, 2017] when I was doing my military service,” reacted V, member of the boy band BTS, on social networks. Singer Hynn – real name Park Hye-won – revealed that she chose her stage name after reading Blanc (The Plumed Serpent, 2019), “hynn” meaning “white” in Korean. The awarding of the prize to Ms. Han caused a rush for her works. The sites of South Korea’s two major online bookstores, Kyobo Book Center and Yes24, have been flooded with requests. In the half-day following the Nobel committee’s announcement, more than 130,000 works by the native of Gwangju (south) were sold on the two platforms. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Han Kang, Nobel Prize for Literature 2024: a look back at the work of an exceptional prose writer Add to your selections Beyond that, it is the international recognition of South Korean literature that is being welcomed . “Conflicts are breaking out all over the world. Han Kang’s work is a breath of fresh air. The Swedish Academy appreciated this aspect of his work,” Lee Hyun-ja, editorial director of the publisher Munhakdongne, told the center-left daily Hankyoreh. This same newspaper welcomed the awarding of a prize for the first time to “an Asian woman”, while the Korea Herald appreciated “the gentle literary revolution” led by the writer. “Korean culture, films and K-Pop are spreading all over the world. This Nobel represents a summit for Korean culture,” adds Yeom Jong-seon, CEO of Changbi Publishers, which published The Vegetarian (The Feathered Serpent, 2015). Kwak Hyo-hwan, former president of the Korea Translation Institute and an ardent promoter of South Korean literature abroad, noted that “since The Vegetarian won the International Booker Prize in 2016, timely opportunities translations do not dry up. A host of Korean authors are profiting from Ms. Han’s success.” You have 37.74% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.



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