Stockholm: The 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to South Korean author Han Kang “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.” The Swedish Academy announced the news today, recognizing Han Kang’s profound contributions to contemporary literature.

Born in 1970 in Gwangju, South Korea, Han Kang moved to Seoul at the age of nine, growing up in a literary household with her father, a renowned novelist. Her creative talents extend beyond writing, as she is also involved in art and music, elements that are intricately woven throughout her literary work.

Han Kang began her career in 1993 by publishing poetry in the magazine Literature and Society. In 1995, she debuted in prose with the short story collection Love of Yeosu. Her notable works include the 2002 novel Your Cold Hands, which explores the human anatomy through the obsessive work of a sculptor making plaster casts of female bodies. The novel delves into themes of persona, experience, and the tension between what the body reveals and conceals.

Her major international breakthrough came with the 2007 novel The Vegetarian, which was translated into English in 2015. The novel, written in three parts, examines the violent societal and familial repercussions when the protagonist, Yeong-hye, decides to become a vegetarian, rejecting conventional norms surrounding food and consumption.

Han Kang’s works often engage with historical traumas and the fragile nature of human existence. She seamlessly connects the physical and emotional dimensions of suffering, creating a profound correspondence between mental and physical anguish. Her unique poetic and experimental prose style has made her an influential voice in contemporary literature.

The Nobel Committee, led by Chair Anders Olsson, praised Han Kang’s “intense poetic prose” and her capacity to expose the invisible rules that govern human life while exploring the delicate balance between life and death.