동아시아의 평화와 화해의 정치학 Scrapbook: Han Kang Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

2024-10-11

Han Kang Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature - The New York Times

Han Kang Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

The South Korean author, best known for “The Vegetarian,” is the first writer from her country to receive the prestigious award.

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A TV screen shows an image of the winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, South Korean writer Han Kang.

The news that Han Kang was a Nobel laureate was widely celebrated in South Korea, and welcomed by authors and fans on social media. Credit...Ahn Young-Joon/Associated Press

Alex MarshallAlexandra Alter

By Alex Marshall and Alexandra Alter

Oct. 10, 2024

Han Kang, the South Korean author best known for her surreal, subversive novel, “The Vegetarian,” was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday — the first writer from her country to receive the award.

Mats Malm, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, which organizes the prize, said at a news conference in Stockholm that Han was receiving the honor for “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”

“The Vegetarian,” published in Korea in 2007, won the 2016 International Booker Prize after it was translated into English. It centers on a depressed housewife who shocks her family when she stops eating meat; later, she stops eating altogether and yearns to turn into a tree that can live off sunlight alone. Porochista Khakpour, in a review of “The Vegetarian” for The New York Times, said that Han “has been rightfully celebrated as a visionary in South Korea.”

Han’s Nobel was a surprise. Before the announcement, the bookmakers’ favorite for this year’s award was Can Xue, an avant-garde Chinese writer of category-defying novels. But the news was celebrated by authors and fans on social media, and greeted with fanfare in South Korea.

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“This is a great achievement for South Korean literature and an occasion for national celebration,” said President Yoon Suk Yeol said in a statement, in which he noted Han’s ability to capture painful episodes from their country’s recent history. Members of the K-pop band BTS also celebrated, with one posting a crying-face emoji and a heart alongside a picture of Han.

Some in the country were astonished to learn a Korean writer had won. “I could not believe my eyes when I saw this news,” said Park Sang-in, an office worker in Seoul. “No one had told us that we had a strong candidate this year.”

At the same time, many saw it as an appropriate choice. Han’s groundbreaking work has reshaped the literary landscape in South Korea, said Paige Aniyah Morris, co-translator of Han’s novel, “We Do Not Part,” which will be published by Hogarth in the United States in January.

“Han’s work has inspired a generation of Korean writers to be more truthful and more daring in their subject matter,” Morris said. “Time and time again, she has braved a culture of censorship and saving face, and she has come out of these attempts at silencing her with stronger, more unflinching work each time.”

Image

A stack of books shows many by Han Kang. A hand reaches out into the frame to adjust one of the books.

Paige Aniyah Morris, one of Han’s translators into English, said her work “has inspired a generation of Korean writers to be more truthful and more daring.”Credit...Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

Han, 53, was born in 1970 in Gwangju, South Korea. Her father was also a novelist, but much less successful. The family struggled financially and moved frequently. In a 2016 interview with The Times, Han said her transitory upbringing “was too much for a little child, but I was all right because I was surrounded by books.”

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When Han was 9, her family moved to Seoul just months before the Gwangju uprising, when government troops fired on crowds of pro-democracy protesters, killing hundreds. The event shaped her views on humanity’s capacity for violence, Han said in the 2016 interview, and its specter has haunted her writing. In her 2014 novel “Human Acts,” a writer observes a police raid on a group of activists.

She also recalled seeing images of people who lined up to donate their blood to those who were injured in the uprising.

“It was like two unsolvable riddles imprinted on my mind: How can humans be so violent, and how can humans be so sublime?” she said. “When I write novels, I find myself always returning to the theme of what it means to be human.”

The novelist Hernan Diaz praised Han’s “unique ear for the rumors of history,” adding that she can “access the traumas that have shaped and bruised entire generations, and she does so without ever turning her novels into mere didactical tools.”

Han studied literature at Yonsei University in Korea, and her first published works were poems. Her debut novel, “Black Deer,” which came out in 1998, was a mystery about a missing woman. In the 2016 interview, Han said it was around that time that she developed the idea for a short story about a woman who becomes a plant, which she eventually developed into “The Vegetarian.”

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Following her debut, Han went on to write seven more novels, as well as several novellas and collections of essays and short stories. Among her other novels are “The White Book,” which was also nominated for the International Booker Prize, and “Greek Lessons,” published in English in 2023.

In “Greek Lessons,” a woman loses her ability to speak and tries to restore it by learning ancient Greek. Idra Novey, in a review for The Times, called the novel “a celebration of the ineffable trust to be found in sharing language.”

“Han Kang is a visionary — there’s no other word for it,” said Parisa Ebrahimi, executive editor at Hogarth, Han’s North American publisher, who noted that Han’s work reflects “remarkable insight into the inner lives of women.”

Han’s writing is now celebrated in South Korea, but that took some time, she said, and some of her books were initially greeted with bafflement. “The Vegetarian” was received as “very extreme and bizarre,” Han said.

She had been publishing fiction and poetry for more than two decades before her work was issued in English, after Deborah Smith translated “The Vegetarian” and sold it to a British publisher based on the first 10 pages.

When the English language edition was released to acclaim in 2016, “The Vegetarian” helped to drive a new wave of translations of more experimental fiction, including works by women with a feminist bent.

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“Her work, and the translation and success of her work, has led Korean literature in translation to be edgier and more experimental and daring,” Anton Hur, a South Korean translator and author who is based in Seoul. “She changed the conversation about Korean literature.”

Ankhi Mukherjee, a literature professor at the University of Oxford, said that she had taught Han’s work “year in, year out” for almost two decades. “Her writing is relentlessly political — whether it’s the politics of the body, of gender, of people fighting against the state — but it never lets go of the literary imagination,” Mukherjee said, adding: “It’s never sanctimonious; it’s very playful, funny and surreal.”

The Nobel Prize is literature’s pre-eminent award, and winning it is a capstone to a writer, poet or playwright’s career. Past recipients have included Toni Morrison, Harold Pinter and, in 2016, Bob Dylan. Along with the prestige and a huge boost in sales, the new laureate receives 11 million Swedish krona, about $1 million.

Although relatively young for Nobel laureate, Han is far older than Rudyard Kipling was when he accepted the 1907 award, at age 41.

In recent years, the academy has tried to increase the diversity of authors considered for the literature prize, after facing criticism over the low number of laureates who were female or came from outside Europe and North America.

Since 2020, the academy has awarded the prize to one person of color — Abdulrazak Gurnah, a Tanzanian writer whose novels dissect the legacy of colonialism — as well as two women: Louise Glück, the American poet, and Annie Ernaux, the French writer of autobiographical works.

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Last year’s recipient was Jon Fosse, a Norwegian author and playwright whose novels, told in lengthy sentences, often contain religious undertones.

Han is the 18th woman to receive the Nobel in literature, which has been awarded to 120 writers since 1901.

Some scholars and translators said it was fitting that the first Korean writer to win a Nobel is a woman. Much of the most groundbreaking and provocative contemporary Korean literature is being written by female novelists, including some who are challenging and exposing misogyny and the burdens that are placed on women in South Korea. Yet in media and literary circles, older male writers have often been seen as the most likely contenders for the Nobel.

“For years now, the conversation about how to get Korea its literature prize has not once seemed to seriously consider that the answer might be Han Kang, despite her massive success,” said Morris, who in addition to translating Han has translated work by Korean women like Pak Kyongni and Ji-min Lee. “So it’s a pleasant surprise and a bit of poetic justice to see a woman become the one to end Korea’s literature Nobel drought.”

Choe Sang-Hun contributed reporting from Seoul, South Korea.

Alex Marshall is a Times reporter covering European culture. He is based in London. More about Alex Marshall

Alexandra Alter writes about books, publishing and the literary world for The Times. More about Alexandra Alter

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Vladimir Tikhonov

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It was an example of a rather unorthodox decision by the Nobel Committee. Very differently from a number of other prize winners since the 1990s, Han Kang writes socially engaged literature - deeply engaged literature. It is writing in the critical realist tradition: suffering and resistance of an individual whom the author closes up on, embodies the experience of the many, experience of a community. After the postmodernist turn of the early 1990s, it looked as if society, in literary works, was reduced to a sum of completely isolated individuals. But with such works as Han Kang's, the society is back in focus.

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Venkat Bakthavachalam commented October 10

Venkat Bakthavachalam

Boston

Oct. 10

Wow! Finally I find out that I have already read the Nobel Prize award winning book! And thank the NYTimes Book Review where I noticed it first.

Congratulations to Han Kang.

1 Reply230 RecommendShareFlag

Alex Marshall commented October 10

Alex Marshall

European Culture Reporter

Oct. 10

@JAY G Hi Jay, she's written eight novels, along with essay and short story collections. Some of this year's Nobel contenders have written less - Jenny Erpenbeck, the acclaimed German author, only has four novels to her name. Should quantity be the deciding factor? If so, give it to Joyce Carol Oates (over 60 novels) or César Aira (the prolific Argentine of over 100 novels, very few translated into English)

In Reply to JAY G190 RecommendShareFlag

Myles commented October 10

Myles

Amsterdam

Oct. 10

I’ll take it! The Nobel continues its project of surfacing somewhat obscure global talent rather than heaping another laurel on the already famous. One of my favorite days of the year!

4 Replies181 RecommendShareFlag

Elizabeth commented October 10

Elizabeth

Colchester, VT

Oct. 10

I’m so excited to see the award going to a younger writer who will use the platform and money to continue to offer her brilliant work to the world’s readers. Long live the written word in all languages of the world!

5 Replies173 RecommendShareFlag

Alex Marshall commented October 10

Alex Marshall

European Culture Reporter

Oct. 10

@Venkat Bakthavachalam Hi Venkat, I've been on the team covering the Nobel here for six years and this is only the second time I've already read the laureate! To give you a flavor of how we prepare for this announcement, I have a Google file with prepared texts for potential recipients. Was Han Kang among the 40 this morning? No! Am I annoyed? No! "The Vegetarian" is fantastic. Excited to discover more of her work

In Reply to Venkat Bakthavachalam169 RecommendShareFlag

Alex Marshall commented October 10

Alex Marshall

European Culture Reporter

Oct. 10

@Natalya Rashchupkina Hi Natalya, thanks for reading. We added the line because so many people in these comments were commenting on Han as being too young and without the body of work to receive the Nobel. We're trying to make the point that although she's relatively young for a laureate, she's not anywhere near the youngest. I wish that point didn't need to be made

In Reply to Natalya Rashchupkina158 RecommendShareFlag

Ilona commented October 10

Ilona

Planet Earth

Oct. 10

I'm happy to say I've read all of her books except the very first, and she deserves the prize. The Vegetarian is brilliant but Human Acts will give you chills.

Congratulations to Ms. Kang!

4 Replies157 RecommendShareFlag

Alex Marshall commented October 10

Alex Marshall

European Culture Reporter

Oct. 10

@Trudeau Hi Trudeau, a few years ago, following a series of scandals, the Nobel committee undertook a range of reforms including taking advice from experts in different world literatures, but to say that's shifted the committee's decision making so they're now awarding the Nobel to meet demographic quotas is a stretch - four of the past seven recipients have been white Europeans. Han Kang's written eight novels, plus short story collections, essays and poetry. We're unlucky that not all of its available in English. I'm looking forward to reading more

In Reply to Trudeau138 RecommendShareFlag

Natalya Rashchupkina commented October 10

Natalya Rashchupkina

USA

Oct. 10

Congratulations to Ms. Kang! I am just curious, why was it necessary for the authors to mention this line in the article? "Although relatively young for Nobel laureate, Han is far older than Rudyard Kipling was when he accepted the 1907 award, at age 41." Why was it necessary to include an age comparison between Kang and Kipling? Why can't Ms. Kang receive credit for her work and her accomplishments without age being mentioned and a comparison between two people born in completely different times and countries? Why add the juxtaposition between a man and a woman? I am trying to understand the intention of this line but I am failing to see the reason why it was necessary to overshadow such a huge, life long accomplishment of an individual by comparing them to someone else? What was the intention?

9 Replies103 RecommendShareFlag

MLS commented October 10

MLS

Oct. 10

@JAY G

Eight novels, five novellas, two essay collections, and a collection of poems: how many volumes would satisfy your criteria for a "body of work?"

In Reply to JAY G86 RecommendShareFlag

Alex Marshall commented October 10

Alex Marshall

European Culture Reporter

Oct. 10

@Joey Hi Joey, thanks for reading. It is mentioned, you must have just missed it!

In Reply to Joey86 RecommendShareFlag

Missmagootoo commented October 10

Missmagootoo

Oct. 10

@JAY G she already won the Booker, and was nominated for it a second time. Faulkner is remembered for maybe 5 major novels. I’d say she’s on track, and as she’s youthfully in her 50s will hopefully continue to write more.

In Reply to JAY G83 RecommendShareFlag

Alex Marshall commented October 10

Alex Marshall

European Culture Reporter

Oct. 10

@David The Nobel does include a list of some of her translators on its website, but only those who have translated the works into Swedish, English, French and German. "The Vegetarian" alone has editions in languages including Nepali, Romanian, Ukrainian, Catalan, Arabic, Kurdish, Hebrew... How to recognize all of those and their contributions?

In Reply to David74 RecommendShareFlag

Marguerite commented October 10

Marguerite

San Francisco Bay Area

Oct. 10

@JAY G - I suggest you read the entire article instead of just the headline.

Reply65 RecommendShareFlag

Ilona commented October 10

Ilona

Planet Earth

Oct. 10

@JAY G Huh? She has written several brilliant novels, with Human Acts her best in my opinion. I have read all of her novels except for the first and think the Nobel Committee made the right choice. Have you read any?

Reply56 RecommendShareFlag

Alex Marshall commented October 10

Alex Marshall

European Culture Reporter

Oct. 10

@Ilona My book club read "The Vegetarian" years ago, and it was so intense and bizarre we all loved it. Based on this, think I'll suggest we go straight to "Human Acts." Thanks for reading

In Reply to Ilona56 RecommendShareFlag

Alex Marshall commented October 10

Alex Marshall

European Culture Reporter

Oct. 10

@Elizabeth I share your excitement, Elizabeth! She's the first writer born in the 1970s to ever be given the prize. Even if she's still 12 years older than Kipling was when he received it, I love the idea of the Nobel not marking an end to a writer's career, but a beginning

In Reply to Elizabeth53 RecommendShareFlag

Octobersiren commented October 10

Octobersiren

Oct. 10

@JAY G - Roberto Bolaño has been dead for over 20 years; he was 50, younger than Ms. Kang is now, when he died. James Baldwin has been dead even longer. Javier Marías and Adrienne Rich are also deceased.The Nobel is not awarded posthumously.

You may think her award is premature, and the writers you mention unfairly acknowledged, but that doesn’t mean her work is not deserving, and this may well bring it to a wider audience. If they could give Bob Dylan the Nobel, and then have him refuse to attend the ceremony, then they can recognize Ms. Kang’s work. Somehow, I think she’ll show up to accept her prize.

Reply48 RecommendShareFlag

Vesta commented October 10

Vesta

Temple

Oct. 10

@Trudeau

She's one-two years older than Faulkner was when he won the Nobel, and has published at least as many books as he did at the same juncture.

Try again?

In Reply to Trudeau43 RecommendShareFlag

Elizabeth commented October 10

Elizabeth

Woodland

Oct. 10

@JAY G --- --- Yes, there are other writings...they're mentioned in the article. Please read something (maybe a couple of 'somethings') she wrote.

Reply42 RecommendShareFlag

JAY G commented October 10

JAY G

Florida

Oct. 10

Premature. Where’s the body of work? Did she win because she wrote one good novel?

23 Replies31 RecommendShareFlag

David commented October 10

David

Ottawa

Oct. 10

I don't know who votes for the literature prize, but I suspect that few if any of them would be able to read Korean. So, I wonder, are they awarding the prize based on a translation? If so, surely the translator is deserving of the prize,

10 Replies30 RecommendShareFlag

Ellen commented 10 hours ago

Ellen

New York, NY

10h ago

As a longtime editor of fiction translated into English from several other languages (including the fiction of one Nobel Prize winner), I know from professional experience that, because these books normally DO NOT SELL in the US (perhaps two thousand copies per year, if the publisher is lucky), publishers are in effect publishing them for free. They do not come near to recouping the costs of the advance paid to the author and the payment to the translator, let alone the overhead costs of the editor's finding the best translator and editing the translation (in consultation with the translator and the author) and of the costs of producing the book: design of the type and jacket; printing the books; distributing the books; and storing all the returned unsold copies. (In the publishing business, it is standard for booksellers to return unsold books to publishers.)

If Americans want US publishers to publish fine literature in translation, they have to start buying it and reading it. And keep reading it.

To read, in many of the comments here, that people (seem to) value the Nobel Prize in Literature only if the winner does not "surprise" them and is in line with their own "tastes" makes me weep. How on earth can a translation-averse American reader be "surprised," or have any opinion at all about, books he or she does not, and will not, read?

Reply30 RecommendShareFlag

Trudeau commented October 10

Trudeau

Toronto

Oct. 10

Something about this doesn’t feel right. Talented? No doubt but very premature.

There were many (accurate) predictions that demographics were considered.

6 Replies29 RecommendShareFlag

mrpotatoheadknot commented October 10

mrpotatoheadknot

Oct. 10

@Joey be a better reader and a worse complainer, please. it is mentioned. she deserves good readers, doncha know.

In Reply to Joey28 RecommendShareFlag

MLS commented October 10

MLS

Oct. 10

@Trudeau

Eight novels, five novellas, two essay collections, and a collection of poems: how many volumes would satisfy your criteria for "mature?"

Reply27 RecommendShareFlag

TK commented October 10

Boston

Oct. 10

Ecstatic about this!! And unexpected. Okay, wow. The Korean psyche is a pressurized and at times self-annihilating one befitting of intense intergenerational trauma. It also has a gender fault line running through it. I think Han Kang has unearthed it more or less wholly intact. What an inspired choice and I believe Han Kang has the discipline and integrity to keep building upon her body of work undeterred.

Reply26 RecommendShareFlag

Sarah commented October 10

Sarah

Atlanta

Oct. 10

The Vegetarian electrified me like no other book I've read.

Reply24 RecommendShareFlag

Elizabeth commented October 10

Elizabeth

Colchester, VT

Oct. 10

@Alex Marshall I’ve read your other posts here and appreciate the information you’ve offered us. I’m one of those American readers who love reading books in translation, discovering not just the work of individual minds, but also the fascinating ways that all people on earth have found to contend with the challenges of simply being human. The staggering need we have for love and family. Our yearning to belong. Our disappointments and fears. Our capacity for unspeakable cruelty. Our need to make art. Our need to share it. I love her voice. What a gift.

Reply24 RecommendShareFlag

Vesta commented October 10

Vesta

Temple

Oct. 10

@Winthropo muchacho

Looks like you need the translator. But many of us were forced to learn Misogynese since birth.

In Reply to Winthropo muchacho23 RecommendShareFlag

Denis Johnson's Ghost's Friend commented October 10

Denis Johnson's Ghost's Friend

Portland, OR

Oct. 10

For anyone who's ever written and published a single novel, I would imagine hearing that Han Kang having published 8 novels to acclaim (despite many not having been translated into English) would hardly signal anything "premature" about her career, viability, range, or talents. The fact that she's done this at a relatively young age (for a Nobel, I mean) is just more stunning. I've only read The White Book and The Vegetarian--but she is a singular and darkly funny writer of lacerating wit. Selfishly, I'm just glad that this will mean more translations of her indelible work into English--and far beyond. And I bet Han Kang was more surprised than we were to get the call. Would've loved to have been a fly on her wall when she answered the phone this morning. Brava, Han Kang! And to Deborah Smith, her English translator!

Reply23 RecommendShareFlag

Kevin commented October 10

Kevin

Toronto

Oct. 10

@JAY G does it really matter. Time to expand your boundaries of literature and authors. Congratulations is all that is in order here.

Reply22 RecommendShareFlag

Elizabeth commented October 10

Elizabeth

Woodland

Oct. 10

@Trudeau --- Maybe halt believing everything you think... and read some of her writings.

Reply22 RecommendShareFlag

Brigitte commented October 10

Brigitte

Germany

Oct. 10

@JAY G

Maybe you could read the article once again. She has had several novels receiving several prizes. The Booker Prize among others!

Reply22 RecommendShareFlag

SAS commented 9 hours ago

SAS

NYC

9h ago

I find a lot of comments very condescending and western-centric and simply rude. Will any of you comment on her being too young if she was European or American or simply just a man? Or question her body of work and how it is premature if she was an American woman that you’ve heard of? Will any of you comment on how translators deserve more credits if her book was originally written in English? (BTW, Nobel Prize is not by Americans or British, it is Swedes!)

Reply22 RecommendShareFlag

Htawmita commented October 10

Htawmita

Rangoon

Oct. 10

Congratulations to the first ever Nobel laureate from (South) Korea. The Nobel web site stated that her work has been translated into English, French, German and Swedish. One wonders whether the Nobel (Literature) Committee can read her works in the original Korean. Subject to correction, there has been no Nobel laureate in literature who mainly writes in Burmese, Cambodian (Khmer), Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog, Laotian, Thai and Vietnamese which are mainly the languages of South East Asia. Has any of the works written in those languages been even 'long-listed' (not quite short-listed) for the Nobel literature prize? I suppose it depends on the availability and adequacy of translations into the European languages.

2 Replies20 RecommendShareFlag

Jerry Casler commented October 10

Jerry Casler

Wake Forest NC USA

Oct. 10

@Myles Agree agree wonderful recognition for a gifted author and human being.

Reply20 RecommendShareFlag

Dave Hearn commented October 10

Dave Hearn

California

Oct. 10

@JAY G - Calling @Kevin condescending and telling him to "lay the snipes and pretensions aside" is rich considering your original comment.

You didn't even read the article and needed others to tell you the "body of her work" and made the pretension of asking if the award was for just "one good novel."

If you can't take the time to find the body of her work (and read any of it), then the "just asking questions" game is rather silly.

Reply20 RecommendShareFlag

Vesta commented October 10

Vesta

Temple

Oct. 10

@David

This is not new. Doubtful that a panel of Swedes read the prizewinning oeuvre in the original Polish, Bengali, or Finnish as the prizes of 1905, 1913, and 1939 would have required. It can only be a global prize if translation is involved. Thankfully, the Nobel understands the world to be bigger than when it began.

Reply19 RecommendShareFlag

Ant'ney commented October 10

Ant'ney

Oct. 10

@Alex Marshall Alex, it's fine. Camus got his prize at 44, with way fewer publications. But Kilpling, Han, Faulkner and Camus are outliers, in terms of age, and that's worth noting!

Reply19 RecommendShareFlag

Theresa Clarke commented October 10

Theresa Clarke

Wilton, CT

Oct. 10

I am just elated. I found The Vegetarian years ago as a library volunteer in book donations and the clean crisp first sentence got me. Remarkable achievement in literature and I couldn’t understand how a writer could be this strikingly talented - born or learned? I read a long ago interview where Han Kang stated that even as a school girl writing was effortless for her. Just brave and original. So happy for her.

Reply19 RecommendShareFlag

Roisin commented October 10

Roisin

Ireland

Oct. 10

Congratulations to Hang Kang, a very worthy winner. The Vegetarian is a disturbing unforgettable masterpiece. The proliferation of foreign language novels now translated into English is a godsend.

Reply18 RecommendShareFlag

Piwacket commented October 10

Piwacket

Beechhurst, NY

Oct. 10

I’m so exhausted reading some of these comments. I’m leaving now to go reserve some of Han’s work.

Reply18 RecommendShareFlag

Eva Lockhart commented 10 hours ago

Eva Lockhart

Minneapolis

10h ago

I heard about The Vegetarian shortly after it was published and had to read it, just based on tge review from this paper. Then passed it on to a friend, who passed it on and so forth, all of us marveling at this unique and strangely hypnotic novel. It is one of the most unusual books I have read in a long time, and so compelling. It is lovely to see the author recognized with the Nobel. I must reread The Vegetarian now and then get some of her other work. Clearly Han Kung is brilliant and her writing speaks for itself in a way that reminds me of the singularity of Olga Tokarczuk, another recent Nobel winner. Their writing styles are not similar, but both share unique views of the world and their strong female characters give us original perspectives and new insights on every page. In this day and age, of "popularity contests" among authors on Booktok, writers like Han Kung and the afore mentioned Tokarczuk are a breath of fresh air. I relish the creativity and originality of their work. Many congratulations to Han Kung!

Reply17 RecommendShareFlag

Carol commented October 10

Carol

Jamaica

Oct. 10

@Trudeau

A very unfortunate comment. But I see why you made it. The article was most passive aggressive with is comments about Kipling ( so what?) and the calls for ‘diversity’. It definitely sets up the idea that she might have been chosen for reasons other than her talent. There was certainly no need for that kind of editorializing and supposed ‘context’.

Reply16 RecommendShareFlag

Jacques Broquard commented 11 hours ago

Jacques Broquard

Connecticut

11h ago

Translators play a massive role in bringing literature to new audiences, particularly with works that win international prizes like the Nobel. A book written in, say, Japanese or Hungarian wouldn’t even be readable for many of the Nobel committee members without a good translation.

Yet, translators often don’t get as much credit as they deserve. The nuances of poetic prose, word choices, and the overall feel of a work are largely shaped by the translator’s skill. A translation isn’t just a word-for-word swap—it’s a re-creation of the text in a new language, requiring a deep understanding of both the original and target languages and cultures.

There have been debates about how much credit translators should get. Some argue that translation should be recognized more visibly, perhaps with shared credit or even awards specifically for translations (some prizes do exist for translation, like the PEN Translation Prize). While the Nobel itself has yet to credit both the author and translator equally, translators of Nobel-winning works often gain attention and accolades from the literary world.

It would make sense to see translators share more of the spotlight, especially for the way they contribute to the work’s accessibility and interpretation. Some authors even form close collaborations with their translators, acknowledging the crucial role they play in shaping how a book is received in another language.

3 Replies16 RecommendShareFlag

Ugly and Fat Git commented October 10

Ugly and Fat Git

Boulder, CO

Oct. 10

It has been decades since I finished a novel. I think I will start with Ms. Kang's the Vegetarian.

1 Reply15 RecommendShareFlag

Andrew commented October 10

Andrew

Washington DC

Oct. 10

@David

She hasn’t had a single translator, though Deborah Smith has translated her last few books. When The Vegetarian won the International Man Booker prize in 2016 Deborah Smith received extensive acknowledgment.

Reply15 RecommendShareFlag

Vesta commented October 10

Vesta

Temple

Oct. 10

@Midwest

Please enlighten us, from such a lofty perch, as to what the prize is supposed to do?

Reply15 RecommendShareFlag

Joey commented October 10

Joey

Cleveland

Oct. 10

Kind of the East Coast/Eurocentric NYT to acknowledge a brilliant Korean writer. But to write about her without mentioning one of her greatest works, “Human Acts” does her a disservice.

7 Replies15 RecommendShareFlag

Tim commented 11 hours ago

Tim

Austin

11h ago

I literally JUST finished this book this morning on a recommendation, opened the news, and found out she won. This is one of the more hilarious coincidences in my life.

1 Reply15 RecommendShareFlag

Henry Kong commented October 10

Henry Kong

Toms River NJ

Oct. 10

Finally a Korean Nobel Prize!!!

Hopefully this one is deserved!!!

Looking forward to reading her work (in English & Korean)!

Looking forward to Korean Unification (someday)!!!!

Holding my breath!!!!!

Reply14 RecommendShareFlag

Eva Lockhart commented 10 hours ago

Eva Lockhart

Minneapolis

10h ago

Also want to make the point that IB schools (the International Baccalaureate--similar to other advanced coursework for secondary students, like AP (Advanced Placement), which offers students the opportunity to achieve college credit for high school coursework), requires that a certain numbers of "texts in translation" be read each year. They recognize that great literature happens world over, not merely in Europe, or in English speaking countries. So translated works are entirely and completely appropriate for this prize, (much to the consternation of more than several commenters)! And, also want to point out that the very beginnings of European literature are considered to be within ancient Greece and the dramas, like Oedipus the King or Medea, or Homer's original Odyssey. Those harping about translation might do well to remember that most of us today do not read ancient Greek, yet consider these texts to be foundational. Nor are most of us fluent in Chaucer's English either for that matter. So let's give up this silly notion that literature that is translated is somehow not "pure" enough to qualify for the Nobel.

1 Reply14 RecommendShareFlag

Hahms commented October 10

Hahms

South, Korea

Oct. 10

I'm very proud of her as a Korean. Congratulations ❤️

Reply13 RecommendShareFlag

Hahms commented October 10

Hahms

South, Korea

Oct. 10

I'm very proud of her as one of Korean. congratulations to Han.

Reply13 RecommendShareFlag

Ant'ney commented October 10

Ant'ney

Oct. 10

@JAY G Very similar output to Gabriel García Márquez, when he was awarded the prize. Nobody griped about Gabito's output.

Reply13 RecommendShareFlag

Joey commented October 10

Joey

Cleveland

Oct. 10

I blew it … this piece does mention Human Acts … i missed that on first reading. That was a mistake and a bad oversight on my part. All the more so because the Human Acts is a book with tremendous impact. We do not know how many people were murdered in Gwangju, but i feel fairly safe in saying at least at least a thousand. Many were shot, others were bayonetted, and others just clubbed to death. Let me restate that, people were beaten to death with clubs. In addition to those killed, many more were tortured in ways almost unimaginable. Will not attempt to detail the torture. In terms of sheer brutality it is hard to think of things which devolve to the levels they did in Gwangju.

In some ways the book brings to mind the horrors of the Holocaust. It poses similar questions: Where was G-d? How could G-d let this happen? Do we have a soul? What is a soul? What happens to it when we die? And, there is the question of grief. How do we grieve? How do family members grieve? Can we move on? Is it even possible to move on?

“After you died I could not hold a funeral,

And so my life became a funeral.

Han Kang is a treasure.

1 Reply13 RecommendShareFlag

Al commented October 10

Seattle

Oct. 10

Korean literature has long deserved more recognition. I'm a very big fan of Ms Kang's, she is a very worthy recipient.

Reply13 RecommendShareFlag

iw commented October 10

Seattle

Oct. 10

This is tremendous! Congratulations to the author and the Korean literature! I first heard about her work via a French radio program called "Le masque et la plume", a forum of critics on literature, theater and cinema. Their unanimous enthusiasm and praise (a rare thing in the French criticism) for "The Vegetarian" had me read it. It was so strange and so hauntingly imagined and written that I can't shake off its aftereffect. As mentioned in this article, it's deeply political without sacrificing the transcendent essence of literature. Thank you NYT!

Reply13 RecommendShareFlag

Vesta commented October 10

Vesta

Temple

Oct. 10

@Jane

the Nobel has long be given to translations, have you looked at the list of writers honored since the early 1900s? They weren't all writing in Swedish.

In Reply to Jane12 RecommendShareFlag

jchicago commented October 10

jchicago

chicago

Oct. 10

All this comment about translation, which has been going on for years, is just silly. Is everyone expected to read the Russians in Russian? The Japanese in Japanese? And then learn Korean so I can read Kang? Then learn all the Romance language in case something of value turns up there? Give it a break.

Reply12 RecommendShareFlag

Pia commented October 10

Pia

Las Cruces NM

Oct. 10

@Trudeau

She can't change her birthplace.

Reply12 RecommendShareFlag

Chris commented October 10

Chris

San Francisco

Oct. 10

@Natalya Rashchupkina

That your question uses the phrase “life long accomplishment” is perhaps an indication as to why the age of this recipient is worthy of note. Being compared to other winners of the same prize hardly ‘overshadows’ anything.

Reply12 RecommendShareFlag

Chris commented October 10

Chris

San Francisco

Oct. 10

@Joey I know, it’s so shocking that an English-language publication called the New York Times might be “East Coast/Eurocentric.” Too bad there aren’t any other newspapers in other regions/nations/languages.

Reply12 RecommendShareFlag

Joey commented October 10

Joey

Cleveland

Oct. 10

@Alex Marshall … i stand corrected it is mentioned

Reply12 RecommendShareFlag

Ralph commented October 10

Ralph

Switzerland

Oct. 10

I love her work. The last book of hers I read was this wonderful novel Greek Lessons. South Korea generally has developed a strong cultural scene, not only in movies but also in literature. Also interesting: Whale by Cheon Myeong-kwan.

1 Reply12 RecommendShareFlag

Oscar commented October 10

Oscar

Sweden

Oct. 10

All my Korean friends are beaming with excitement. This is really great to see, Han Kang is fantastic. :)

Reply12 RecommendShareFlag

Yejin G. commented 9 hours ago

Yejin G.

New York, NY

9h ago

I'm so proud of her, not just as a Korean, but as someone who relates to all the amazing people striving to improve democracy in South Korea and beyond! I love all my fellow minority communities who share Korean heritage. Sending love from New York.

Congratulations!

Reply12 RecommendShareFlag

Maya commented October 10

Maya

Prague

Oct. 10

I am very happy to hear this news as I enjoyed 4 novels from Han Kang so far and hopefully this will lead to more international recognition and translations so more people can enjoy the unique lyrical style that can cut deep and linger. Personally I loved The White Book and Human Acts the most.

Reply11 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented October 10

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

Oct. 10

@Jane You're right, we should all learn German before we can read Thomas Mann, Russian before we can read Tolstoy, and Korean before we can read Han Kang.

By your criterion, they should only award the Nobel to Swedish writers!

In Reply to Jane11 RecommendShareFlag

Kim commented October 10

Kim

Seoul

Oct. 10

I noticed that many commenters call her Ms. Kang. Actually her family name is Han. So Ms. Han is correct. Why? In East Asia, people order family name first and then given name next. Now this became a bit trendy. For example, if you remember these days the Chinese president is named Xi Jinping instead of Jinping Xi in many English media.

Reply11 RecommendShareFlag

A and K commented October 10

A and K

Ithaca NY

Oct. 10

BRAVOOOOOOO!!!! Congratulation Ms Kang!

We are so exited and grateful that you are sharing your brilliant work with all of us.

Reply11 RecommendShareFlag

Balthazar commented October 10

Balthazar

Planet Earth

Oct. 10

"...and Bob Dylan" sticks out like a sore thumb.

Reply10 RecommendShareFlag

Taylor Jung commented October 10

Taylor Jung

Seoul

Oct. 10

Congratulations Ms. Han!

(Just for your information: Han Kang is a Korean-style name, where the family name always comes first. So Han is her surname and Kang is her given name.)

Reply10 RecommendShareFlag

Zbunjena commented October 10

Zbunjena

Oct. 10

As several commenters have noted--in response to other comments denigrating translation--many prior Nobel laureates wrote/write in languages other than English, thus their wins were similarly based on translations.

But many of those authors were white European men whose work (in translation) has been absorbed into the English-language literary canon.

Could it be that some people are more likely to notice and fixate on the presence of translation when the translated author is a woman of color writing in a non-European language?

2 Replies10 RecommendShareFlag

MK commented October 10

New York

Oct. 10

@David you seem to be implying that only works in English should be awarded the prize? It's an international competition.

Reply10 RecommendShareFlag

JH commented 11 hours ago

Manhattan

11h ago

@Boeuf

Well, I've read 4 of her books. Each one amazing.

In Reply to Boeuf10 RecommendShareFlag

Winthropo muchacho commented October 10

Winthropo muchacho

Durham, NC

Oct. 10

Congrats to Ms. Kang

She stands on the shoulders of giants:

Kipling

W.B. Yeats

G.B. Shaw

Mann

Lewis

O’Neill

Buck

Hesse

Gide

Eliot

Faulkner

Russell

Hemingway

Camus

Pasternak

Steinbeck

Sartre

Beckett

Neruda

Bellow

Singer

Kang “best known for The Vegetarian”.

Say what?

4 Replies9 RecommendShareFlag

Vks commented October 10

Vks

Portland

Oct. 10

Nobel before Murakami, Rushdie and many other more deserving ones! Literature Nobel continues to lose its credibility!

1 Reply9 RecommendShareFlag

Birdygirl commented October 10

Birdygirl

Oct. 10

What wonderful news with such bleak stories on the front page of the Times this morning. I look forward to reading "The Vegetarian." It's nice to see a young, upcoming novelist get their due.

Reply9 RecommendShareFlag

Santa commented October 10

Santa

Cupertino

Oct. 10

Congratulations to Ms. Kang! Looking forward to reading her book.

The way the Nobel committee has been going this year, I was half afraid the prize would go to the creators of Chat GPT for generating 'text that resembles that of a human'.

Reply9 RecommendShareFlag

Octobersiren commented October 10

Octobersiren

Oct. 10

@JAY G - Perhaps, and I don’t disagree, but they didn’t. The fact that they didn’t win in their lifetimes shouldn’t diminish the fact that Ms. Kang has won, today. And they are still fabulous artists whose worthy, worthwhile work is inspiring to us all. What better tribute could there be?

Look, I don’t always agree with the Nobel committee either. They bestowed the prize on Alice Munro, whose work I’ve never liked, despite the breathless praise she received. Murakami, whose work I adore, has yet to win. Cormac McCarthy, whom I always felt was deserving, was never honored. Yet the Nobel remains a prestigious prize, and I give my sincere congratulations to Ms. Kang.

Reply9 RecommendShareFlag

Sunspot commented October 10

Sunspot

Concord, MA

Oct. 10

Excellent choice, South Korea is so much part of our modern democratic culture. Thank you for a strong account of her work. All of literature is honored in her today -- and I cannot wait to read her.

Reply9 RecommendShareFlag

GFW commented October 10

GFW

Pittsburgh, PA

Oct. 10

I read about half of Human Acts -- describing it as "a writer observes a police raid on a group of activists" is the biggest understatement I've seen in a long time! It's very much about the horrors of state violence, in mass in to individuals.

Reply9 RecommendShareFlag

Gerry commented October 10

Gerry

Bloomville

Oct. 10

This delights me, in part because presumably it will increase awareness and appreciation of contemporary Korean culture in “the West.” Korean film and K-dramas are astonishingly well-written—intricate, imaginative, and sublime storytelling (yes, there are exceptions that prove the rule, but the rule applies).

This influential acknowledgment of Korea’s literary culture will, I hope, bring even more great writing into translation and more great Korean books into the lives of non-Korean readers!

Reply9 RecommendShareFlag

Cornelius commented 12 hours ago

Cornelius

Knoxville

12h ago

@Alex it is noted in the article that Deborah Smith translated The Vegetarian.

In Reply to Alex9 RecommendShareFlag

Renee commented 8 hours ago

Renee

Michigan

8h ago

Today, while on a transatlantic flight, I started reading The Vegetarian, which had been on my Kindle for a while. For some reason I just felt compelled to start it. After landing I opened NYT to see this news had broken while I was in the air, zooming through this hypnotic, wonderful book! Kismet! And congrats to Han Kang, I am immediately bumping her other works to the top of my to-read list.

Reply9 RecommendShareFlag

Joshua commented 8 hours ago

Joshua

Princeton

8h ago

Ms. Han’s father, Seung-Won Han, is one of the important contributors to modern Korean literature and the recipient of many prestigious awards in Korea. Mr. Han is not “much less successful” as a writer simply because his body of work is not available to the West and did not get as much attention as his daughter.

Congratulations to Ms. Han, and kudos to the Nobel Prize committee for recognizing the lesser-known candidates. I hope to see many more awards given to writers from around the world, so that we can be enlightened and enriched by their great works.

Reply9 RecommendShareFlag

ECD commented October 10

ECD

Annapolis.

Oct. 10

Absolutely FREAKING OUT because I love her and all her books and I'm thrilled for Korean Literature and this is the best news!! YES! Finally, something to celebrate. Thank you!

Reply8 RecommendShareFlag

Avery Udagawa commented October 10

Avery Udagawa

Bangkok

Oct. 10

Congratulations to Han Kang and her many translators, including the translators of her works from Korean to English: Deborah Smith, Emily Yae Won, Paige Aniyah Morris!

Reply8 RecommendShareFlag

What commented October 10

What

Where

Oct. 10

Fun fact: Following protest by conservative parents organization in Kyunggi province in Korea, the 'Vegetarian' was removed from school libraries.

Reply8 RecommendShareFlag

Pia commented October 10

Pia

Las Cruces NM

Oct. 10

@JAY G

Because she deserves it and because she is alive.

Reply8 RecommendShareFlag

JH commented October 10

Manhattan

Oct. 10

@Jane

Most Nobel literature awards have been given to writers not writing in Swedish so I don't really think that's a valid criticism.

In Reply to Jane8 RecommendShareFlag

Arthur commented October 10

Arthur

Earth

Oct. 10

Let’s hope that this recognition will influence more of her writing to be translated. A win leading to more wins for the literary world.

Reply8 RecommendShareFlag

berrylib commented October 10

berrylib

upstate

Oct. 10

I thought The Vegetarian brilliant! I'll have to read more of her work.

Reply8 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented 8 hours ago

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

8h ago

@Anonymous

Are you implying that she was chosen BECAUSE she's Korean?

In that case, let me explain how 'increasing diversity' works: it means that Westerners no longer automatically get all the prizes BECAUSE they're Westerners. It means the academy has expanding (somewhat) its field of vision and recognised that there is equally good work being done elsewhere, in languages distant from ours.

Sheesh.

In Reply to Anonymous8 RecommendShareFlag

Midwest commented October 10

Midwest

South Bend, IN

Oct. 10

@Myles Yes, except that is not what the prize is supposed to do. Tt's become a form, as you imply, of advertising

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Cheeseman Forever1 commented October 10

Cheeseman Forever1

Milwaukee

Oct. 10

@vbering Have you read her work? I have not, and I suspect you haven’t either.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

TRS commented October 10

TRS

Boise

Oct. 10

Despite the New York Times ripping on a Nobel Prize for literature this week, I'm still glad the award lives. I'm also pleased to find out about an author I didn't know about, and now I can explore her works. No matter what anyone says or if anybody agrees with the recipients, is still a very worthy prize.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Tom Penny commented October 10

Tom Penny

Calif.

Oct. 10

The Vegetarian was chilling. Brava.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Charles Michener commented October 10

Charles Michener

Gates Mills, OH

Oct. 10

Bravo to the Nobel committee for yet again introducing me (and many others, no doubt) to a world-class novelist whom I've never heard of and from a country whose literature I've never read. (I'd never heard of last year's winner, John Fosse, either.) It's gratifying to see the prize go to writers who, in contrast to so many American, navel-gazing literary stars, are concerned with the meaning of human existence on an elemental, universal level and doing so with surprising leaps of the imagination. I'm eager to read Han Kang.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Tinker Twine commented October 10

Tinker Twine

Woodstock, NY

Oct. 10

Terrific writer.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Oh! Folk commented October 10

Oh! Folk

USA

Oct. 10

"...first female writer from Asia to win the Nobel Prize in Literature." (Wikipedia)

Wow! Didn't know this.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Justin commented October 10

Justin

Brooklyn

Oct. 10

@Chris you’re certain of a lot. There may be academy members who speak languages common in Europe. There also may be some who speak Korean. Acting under the assumption that a committee of 4-6 can handle the breadth of European languages and smartly read at the level to understand the nuances that a native speaker would understand is honestly preposterous. It would be easier to assume that writers’ who have been awarded in the past whose native language’s (Turkish, polish, German, French, Hungarian, Portuguese, Italian, etc) would also have been translated into Swedish or English.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Adam commented 11 hours ago

Adam

Los Angeles

11h ago

@Boeuf Says you, a person with a subjective opinion.

In Reply to Boeuf7 RecommendShareFlag

George Haig Brewster commented 8 hours ago

George Haig Brewster

New York City

8h ago

@Nathaniel Wolloch

There are many great writers who never received the prize. Start with James Joyce and Graham Greene. Virginia Woolf. It goes on and on. On the other hand, it was given to Bob Dylan, a composer of music rather than literature, so it should all be taken with a grain of salt. It’s just an award, given by a dozen or so people, sometimes for political reasons.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Lee Yae Rim 이예림 commented 6 hours ago

Lee Yae Rim 이예림

6h ago

Just so everyone knows , her first name is Kang, and the last name is Han. Last name comes before the first name in Korea. Her name also pronounces the same as the Han River.

Congratulations to Ms. Han!

I’ve been a fan of yours since 1997 when I was in High school in Korea. I still remember how strongly I felt by your writing. Now I get to share the joy of reading your nobles with millions of people in the world. So excited.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented October 10

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

Oct. 10

@Waltz Why is it perplexing when the "popular choice"- usually an author we all already know - is not the Nobel Committee's ?

In Reply to Waltz6 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented October 10

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

Oct. 10

@Paulushko It's true that we are poorly informed. Part of the reason is the lack of global recognition of writers in Asia and Africa. I find it hard to believe, for instance, that the entire region of Southeast Asia has never produced a writer worthy of the prize. So I'm happy Korean literatrue is recognized here.

There will always be detractors, and it's hard to know if the students hated The Vegetarian because they don't like "negative" portrayals of their country. My visceral response to the book had nothing to do with the culture it came from. Literature speaks beyond borders.

In Reply to Paulushko6 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented October 10

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

Oct. 10

@Winthropo muchacho You're forgetting a few writers there, but so has everyone else.

The Nobel committee is not God, they are people of their time.

To say Han Kang is best known for The Vegetarian when you're speaking to an Anglophone audience is just to orient your audience. She's written a lot more, not all published in English. The committee includes people who read in other languages, and let me tell you that German, French and even Swedish publishers publish a lot more foreign literature than English publishers.

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

Pia commented October 10

Pia

Las Cruces NM

Oct. 10

I will devour it.

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

kmgx25 commented October 10

kmgx25

cambridge, ma

Oct. 10

Kipling may have received the Nobel Prize when he was 41, but in 1907, the average life expectancy was just 47. Meanwhile at 52, Ms. Kang still has about 30 more years to look forward to at our current life expectancies. So we all get to read her work for decades to come. Bravo to Ms. Kang (and South Korea, who must be so proud for her) for winning this prestigious Nobel. And congratulations to her translators (her unsung collaborating poets) as well.

3 Replies6 RecommendShareFlag

Joey commented October 10

Joey

Cleveland

Oct. 10

@Yoda Namano hahaha they guy was until recently a movie critic … not sure he knows where Korea is, but he might … am pretty sure he does not know that Korea has a literary tradition going back over 1500 years.

In Reply to Yoda Namano6 RecommendShareFlag

Chris commented October 10

Chris

San Francisco

Oct. 10

Some years ago, the South Korean government made it a national priority to get more international attention for Korean artist. They devote considerable funding to that end, such as by subsidizing the translation of Korean books into other languages. Such a grant underwrote the English translation of Han’s The Vegetarian.

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

Edorampo commented October 10

Edorampo

Bethesda

Oct. 10

There is a film clip about Yasunari Kawabata in 1968 soon after the announcement that he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. In a conversation with Yukio Mishima, a strong candidate for the same prize that year, Kawabata pointed out that none of the Nobel Prize judges could read Japanese, that they read translations of his books. The two famous writers agreed that translations and translators' roles are quite different from their own work. So, the prize should also go to the handmaid, the translator.

2 Replies6 RecommendShareFlag

Joey commented October 10

Joey

Cleveland

Oct. 10

@mrpotatoheadknot. You are right i missed it my bad

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

DQuixote commented October 10

DQuixote

LaMancha

Oct. 10

Yet another NOBEL that Trump didn't get! Had to say that. It's wonderful to see such achievement in all the areas of the Nobel - the prize and recognition of the greatest achievement of humanity.

Trump and MAGA will never read this; they will probably ban it in the Confederacy and it has no cartoons. Oh well, their loss - totally expected.

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

Anonymous commented October 10

Anonymous

Los Angeles

Oct. 10

Of course all with the disclaimer -

In recent years, the academy has tried to increase the diversity..., after facing criticism over the low number of laureates who were female or came from outside Europe and North America.

2 Replies6 RecommendShareFlag

BxGuy commented 10 hours ago

BxGuy

Bronx

10h ago

I've heard complaints elsewhere of that her body of work isn't substantial enough, but the price is and should be awarded on the basis of an author's quality, not quantity.

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

equan commented 8 hours ago

equan

Virginia

8h ago

@Alex great reporting (and thank you for your prompt responses to the various comments!)

1 Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

equan commented 8 hours ago

equan

Virginia

8h ago

@Daniel Morris true, we all have our favorites. Let's acknowledge Han's achievement (irrespective)

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

carmel fruit farmer commented October 10

carmel fruit farmer

Oct. 10

@Htawmita What would you expect? How could the committee overcome the language barrier?

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

World Citizen commented October 10

World Citizen

Somewhere Out There

Oct. 10

‘The Vegetarian’ is both disturbing and beautiful. A unique novel. One of my ten best books of the century so far when I answered the NYT’s survey a few months ago. There are quite a few South Korean and Japanese women authors writing extraordinary, inventive fiction nowadays. A well-deserved recognition

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented October 10

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

Oct. 10

Great writer! I have enjoyed her work, but I hope the Nobel Prize academy continues to look beyond the "West", so we can discover even more writers like her. Southeast Asia, for instanc e, doesn't exist in the Nobel roster, and Africa barely does, despite the plethora of great writers there.

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

Mr. X commented October 10

Mr. X

Toronto

Oct. 10

@JAY G I thought the same thing but then recalled A.O. Scott's article from yesterday's NYT, "What Good is Great Literature?" to remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, this means very little. This comment is in no way a criticism of the selection of these "learned Swedes," it's more a comment on how little their choice actually matters (other than to the winner and the people who were hoping to win). Will their selection of this year's winner affect which book I read? Probably not. There are countless lists of recommendations to be found on the internet, and I happen to know that some of those recommendations align with my tastes. Han Kang's books may even be on some of those lists.

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

Charles Michener commented October 10

Charles Michener

Gates Mills, OH

Oct. 10

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Tinker Twine commented October 10

Tinker Twine

Woodstock, NY

Oct. 10

Terrific writer.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Oh! Folk commented October 10

Oh! Folk

USA

Oct. 10

"...first female writer from Asia to win the Nobel Prize in Literature." (Wikipedia)

Wow! Didn't know this.

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Justin commented October 10

Justin

Brooklyn

Oct. 10

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Adam commented 11 hours ago

Adam

Los Angeles

11h ago

@Boeuf Says you, a person with a subjective opinion.

In Reply to Boeuf7 RecommendShareFlag

George Haig Brewster commented 8 hours ago

George Haig Brewster

New York City

8h ago

@Nathaniel Wolloch

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

Lee Yae Rim 이예림 commented 6 hours ago

Lee Yae Rim 이예림

6h ago

Just so everyone knows , her first name is Kang, and the last name is Han. Last name comes before the first name in Korea. Her name also pronounces the same as the Han River.

Congratulations to Ms. Han!

Reply7 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented October 10

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

Oct. 10

@Waltz Why is it perplexing when the "popular choice"- usually an author we all already know - is not the Nobel Committee's ?

In Reply to Waltz6 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented October 10

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

Oct. 10

In Reply to Paulushko6 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented October 10

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

Oct. 10

@Winthropo muchacho You're forgetting a few writers there, but so has everyone else.

The Nobel committee is not God, they are people of their time.

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

Pia commented October 10

Pia

Las Cruces NM

Oct. 10

I will devour it.

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

kmgx25 commented October 10

kmgx25

cambridge, ma

Oct. 10

3 Replies6 RecommendShareFlag

Joey commented October 10

Joey

Cleveland

Oct. 10

In Reply to Yoda Namano6 RecommendShareFlag

Chris commented October 10

Chris

San Francisco

Oct. 10

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

Edorampo commented October 10

Edorampo

Bethesda

Oct. 10

2 Replies6 RecommendShareFlag

Joey commented October 10

Joey

Cleveland

Oct. 10

@mrpotatoheadknot. You are right i missed it my bad

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

DQuixote commented October 10

DQuixote

LaMancha

Oct. 10

Yet another NOBEL that Trump didn't get! Had to say that. It's wonderful to see such achievement in all the areas of the Nobel - the prize and recognition of the greatest achievement of humanity.

Trump and MAGA will never read this; they will probably ban it in the Confederacy and it has no cartoons. Oh well, their loss - totally expected.

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

Anonymous commented October 10

Anonymous

Los Angeles

Oct. 10

Of course all with the disclaimer -

In recent years, the academy has tried to increase the diversity..., after facing criticism over the low number of laureates who were female or came from outside Europe and North America.

2 Replies6 RecommendShareFlag

BxGuy commented 10 hours ago

BxGuy

Bronx

10h ago

I've heard complaints elsewhere of that her body of work isn't substantial enough, but the price is and should be awarded on the basis of an author's quality, not quantity.

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

equan commented 8 hours ago

equan

Virginia

8h ago

@Alex great reporting (and thank you for your prompt responses to the various comments!)

1 Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

equan commented 8 hours ago

equan

Virginia

8h ago

@Daniel Morris true, we all have our favorites. Let's acknowledge Han's achievement (irrespective)

Reply6 RecommendShareFlag

carmel fruit farmer commented October 10

carmel fruit farmer

Oct. 10

@Htawmita What would you expect? How could the committee overcome the language barrier?

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

World Citizen commented October 10

World Citizen

Somewhere Out There

Oct. 10

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented October 10

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

Oct. 10

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

Mr. X commented October 10

Mr. X

Toronto

Oct. 10

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

TakeThis Waltz commented October 10

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

Oct. 10

@wrenhunter

Ah, so that explains why Joyce never got the prize - he only wrote, what, three novels and a few short stories.

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

Andrew commented October 10

Andrew

Washington DC

Oct. 10

@vbering

When you start awarding prizes for literature you can give them to whoever you want to…..

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

Zbunjena commented October 10

Zbunjena

Oct. 10

@David

Or at least, deserving of a mention in this article. How hard would it be?

“The Vegetarian,” published in Korea in 2007, won the 2016 International Booker Prize after it was translated into English BY DEBORAH SMITH."

Do better in your coverage of translated literature, NYT.

Reply5 RecommendShareFlag

Marko commented October 10

Marko

Paris

Oct. 10

I like Hang Kang’s work, and thought she would win eventually, when she’s written at least one more masterpiece. Like this, it seems a bit premature with so many giant authors unawarded

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Jaime M commented October 10

Jaime M

Oct. 10

@Alex Marshall Human Acts is stunning and it's also the kind of book where you might need a day to emotionally process a chapter. Like, finish a section and stare off into the distance. Shared for book club pacing planning purposes (triple P)

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ECD commented 12 hours ago

ECD

Annapolis.

12h ago

@Ralph Whale by Cheon Myeon-kwang is fantastic!!

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JH commented 11 hours ago

Manhattan

11h ago

@Zbunjena

The Vegetarian has been translated into over 20 languages. do better, Zbunjena.

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Julie commented 9 hours ago

Julie

Santa Cruz

9h ago

It's a great achievement for her and her country. I wonder why the picture in this article is of a bookstore in Japan, rather than in South Korea, considering the article is about a Korean writer who won a Nobel Prize, the first for Koreans.

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CL commented 9 hours ago

Colorado

9h ago

@Vks

Have you read any of Han Kang's works?

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dutchiris commented 8 hours ago

dutchiris

berkeley

8h ago

Words, language, the celebration of written communication is exhilarating—the recognition that this is what humans have in common and unites us.

Echoes from the Nobel travel the world and the prize often introduces us to writers we might otherwise never know. Congratulations to Han Kang and thank you to the Nobel Committee.

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Ellen commented 7 hours ago

Ellen

New York, NY

7h ago

@Nathaniel Wolloch Ladbrokes, the betting outfit in the United Kingdom, publishes odds on the writers believed to be in contention for the prize. These rankiings, obviously, have nothing to do with literary quality, but it's still interesting that Han Kang's odds of winning, according to Ladbrokes, were 33/1--the same odds as were assigned to David Grossman (see: https://lithub.com/here-are-the-bookies-odds-for-the-2024-nobel-prize-in-literature/).

We should be grateful that, in any year, there are so many great living writers in the world that there will always be great writers who do not receive the prize. I imagine that there are many countries in which no writer has ever received the literature prize.

The nomination process for this prize is secret; no long list or short list is released; and the deliberations over the nominations remain secret for fifty years.

Although the prize is meant to be given without regard for writers' nationalities, people are people, not machines, and this or that preference, or bias, has surely existed among the committee members. However, your "just saying" (and I apologize if I have read this the wrong way) sounds like an accusation of antisemitism. A slur like that requires proof. Israel's having only one Nobel Laureate in Literature does not constitute such proof.

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Jae Kim commented 6 hours ago

Jae Kim

Seoul

6h ago

South Koreans are stunned and overjoyed by her achievement. It means so much to Koreans in many different aspects. However, on the other hand, the source of her motivation and main themes are all stemming from South Korea’s painful past of ruthless, inhumane killing and cutthroat social pressure today. It is indeed festive here in South Korea yet at the same time a tinge of sadness shrouds us.

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Jane commented October 10

Jane

Boston

Oct. 10

Is it odd to give writing awards based on a translation?

The thing translated is not the thing.

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Yoda Namano commented October 10

Yoda Namano

Atlanta

Oct. 10

Congratulations to the winner! 👏

I wonder how the author of this screed dissing the prize for literature would react.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/09/books/review/nobel-prize-literature-greatness.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

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Barbara commented October 10

Barbara

NYC

Oct. 10

@Ugly and Fat Git

The Vegetarian is a wonderful read; haunting is a good word to describe it.

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Vesta commented October 10

Vesta

Temple

Oct. 10

@Missmagootoo

and she is older than Faulkner was when he won the Nobel, albeit less wizened!

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Paulushko commented October 10

Paulushko

London

Oct. 10

The Korean students who read The Vegetarian in the original in my seminar hated, just hated the book, the simplistic language, characterizations, and even the catering to foreign stereotypes about gender roles in South Korea. And the English translation that landed the international Booker was riddled with elementary errors (it has since been discreetly revised). How can we be so poorly informed about other literatures to celebrate this?

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JCallahan commented October 10

JCallahan

Seattle, WA

Oct. 10

What a surprise, a great author. However, I can't help feeling that a few deserving authors (Atwood, Xue, Rushdie, Murakami, Murnane, and Carson) have become the perennial Susan Lucci of the Nobel Prize. I'd add Pynchon but, let's face it, he will never win.

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Winthropo muchacho commented October 10

Winthropo muchacho

Durham, NC

Oct. 10

@Vesta so Pearl Buck was a male- who knew- thanks for the info

And I’ve written many Times comments over the years questioning why Eudora Welty, who I knew, didn’t get the award

Lots of women Nobel winners- guess you’re especially proud of Munro

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PJ Blevins commented October 10

PJ Blevins

North Carolina

Oct. 10

A “new author” for me to explore. About her age — some writers, composers, artists burn out when they are young while some do their best work when they are “old”. What matters most to me is the quality and significance of a writer’s work at any age.

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Leona C commented October 10

Leona C

Oct. 10

@Alex Marshall Agreed, but it would have been nice to see Deborah Smith acknowledged as hers are the translations most NYT readers would read or have read for The Vegetarian. Maybe add if not too late, as a matter of record?

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Elizabeth McLean commented October 10

Elizabeth McLean

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Oct. 10

Olga Tokarczuk of Poland is also a recent female laureate.

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Natalya Rashchupkina commented October 10

Natalya Rashchupkina

USA

Oct. 10

@Alex Marshall thank you for the reply Alex. I was trying to lean towards that explanation as well but wasn't sure. I appreciate you taking the time to explain.

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Chris commented 9 hours ago

Chris

San Francisco

9h ago

@Jacques Broquard As a literary translator, thank you gracias merci!

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CL commented 9 hours ago

Colorado

9h ago

@Anonymous

Are you suggesting that prizes awarded to women or authors from outside Europe and North America are somehow suspect?

What is wrong with recognizing inherent biases and trying to recognize excellence wherever it comes from?

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CL commented 9 hours ago

Colorado

9h ago

@Paulushko

Maybe your Korean students reflected the very biases Han Kang addresses and felt the need to defend their culture while abroad?

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Htawmita commented October 10

Htawmita

Rangoon

Oct. 10

@carmel fruit farmer Apparently the language barrier is there since not all members of the Nobel literature Committee could read Korean (some may). The translations into the European languages (excellent I am sure they are) helped or facilitated the Committee to overcome the language barrier and award the prestigious prize for the first time to an author who writes in Korean. I was stating that I wish there were excellent or at the least adequate translations of the few of the work of writers who mainly write in a few of the Southeast Asian languages.

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Cam commented October 10

Cam

NYC

Oct. 10

This feels like an odd choice to me .. I've read her translated works and enjoyed some of them well enough - mostly 'The Vegetarian' - but I would have never predicted she'd get the Nobel at this point in her career (or at all). Still, congrats to her.

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Roni commented October 10

Roni

tlv

Oct. 10

so happy for Ms. Han Kang, huge congratulations!!!!! excited to reread the Vegetarian during spooky month

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Hjalmar Flax commented October 10

Hjalmar Flax

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Oct. 10

I wonder how the Nobel committee can say that Han writes poetic prose if it does not speak nor read Korean.

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David Lindsay Jr. commented October 10

David Lindsay Jr.

Hamden, CT

Oct. 10

I have been feeling very plant like. Maybe this has something to do with it.

Congratualations to Han Kang.

InconvenientNews.net

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Taylor Jung commented October 10

Taylor Jung

Seoul

Oct. 10

Congratulations Ms Han! Just for your information: Han Kang is a Korean name, so Han is her family name and Kang is her given name :) (It can be kinda confusing though, as Kang is also a pretty common surname in Korea)

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billy pullen commented October 10

billy pullen

Memphis, Tn

Oct. 10

@Alex Marshall And yet Ms Kang is still a few years older than Pearl Buck who won the Nobel at age 46.

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Chris commented October 10

Chris

San Francisco

Oct. 10

@Zbunjena

The committee/academy who make the Nobel selections in literature, being largely Swedish, are certain to include members able to read German and French as well as English, and probably other European languages too. So those past wins were probably based less on translation than would be the case for Korean. Also, the importance of literary translators has been gaining more recognition of late, as covered by the NYT and others, so it is natural for that to be part of the discussion here.

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The dread Pirate Roberts commented October 10

The dread Pirate Roberts

Springfield II

Oct. 10

First of all congratulations to Ms. Han. I am unfamiliar with her work, but I shall rectify that shortly as it sounds very interesting. And, while I do not wish to detract from her accomplishment, I am disappointed that Haruki Murakami was passed over once again. But there are so many wonderful writers and it must be a very difficult for the committee to settle on a winner each year. The arts and the sciences are not like sports where you have clear criteria for deciding who is the best. I suppose in the sciences you can look at the impact that a particular discovery has had. But to award a prize to the best writer seems like something that it must be impossible to find a single candidate to agree on. But I always look forward to this every year especially when it introduces me to a writer I am unfamiliar with like this year.

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Laoise commented October 10

Laoise

New Jersey

Oct. 10

Jean-Paul Sartre truly grasped the real significance of the Nobel Prize in Literature, having passed away decades before Bob Dylan was honored with it.

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Zamboanga commented October 10

Zamboanga

Seattle

Oct. 10

@kmgx25

I don’t know how often this must be said but I’ll give it a go. Average life expectancy includes infants and children, who used to die at greater rates in the past. Once a person reached adulthood their life expectancy wasn’t dramatically different than it is today.

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Alex commented October 10

Alex

Brazil

Oct. 10

Where is the credit for the translator(s) who have rendered her works in English? Or in Norwegian and the other languages that the Nobel Prize officials read in order to give the prize?

How about an interview with her translator(s), about the challenges they faced in rendering her original prose in English?

Such an important task, that can make or break a book, but is not acknowledged, not even mentioned in this article.

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Chris commented October 10

Chris

San Francisco

Oct. 10

@Zamboanga “It’s often argued that life expectancy across the world has only increased because child mortality has fallen. But this is untrue. The data shows that life expectancy has increased at all ages.” - Max Roser (2020) - “It’s not just about child mortality, life expectancy increased at all ages” Published online at OurWorldinData.org.

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Randall commented 12 hours ago

Randall

Tucson

12h ago

@Joey

Joey is right. "Human Acts" is at once a gripping narrative and an introduction of an event in S. Korean modern history which is at once tender and appalling. Exposes some of the political consequences of active resistance to the uneaset which oozes everywhere in an authoritarian state, and the tender personal costs and losses of heroism.

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Adam commented 12 hours ago

Adam

Los Angeles

12h ago

A wonderful choice.

I do hope Tom Stoppard gets it next

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Adam commented 9 hours ago

Adam

Los Angeles

9h ago

@Tim synchronicity is real

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Adam commented 9 hours ago

Adam

Los Angeles

9h ago

A nice relief that Haruki Murakami likely won't ever get it.

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Eva Lockhart commented 10 hours ago

Eva Lockhart

Minneapolis

10h ago

@Winthropo muchacho Let's not forget Toni Morrison and Olga Tokarczuk, Bob Dylan and others. Plus, you don't get to decide as you are not on the committee. I could tell you which on this list I feel are "deserving" and which are not, but that would be irrelevant, wouldn't it, as the Nobel committee today, just like those of the past, do not care what I think. Sometimes it is just good to get over ourselves and learn something new.

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TakeThis Waltz commented 8 hours ago

TakeThis Waltz

Eurasia

8h ago

@Jacques Broquard The International Booker Prize - for fiction translated into English - has been shared between writer and translator since 2016. For instance, Han Kang shared the first IBP with her translator, Deborah Smith, and this year's prize went to Jenny Erpenbeck's Kairos, translated by Michael Hoffmann.

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Alex Marshall commented 7 hours ago

Alex Marshall

European Culture Reporter

7h ago

@equan Thank you! Am now at a comedy night in London - culture, always! - and very nice to see as it ends

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Londo Bell commented 7 hours ago

Londo Bell

Melbourne, Australia

7h ago

Well deserved. Human Acts alone should put her among the literary greats. A truly nation-defining work.

Every chapter explores the painful consequences in a different way, through a different character. The last chapter about the mum broke me. And then the 'epilogue' about Ms Han's own connection and recollection... I still think about this book and its characters all the time.

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Hisham Oumlil commented October 10

Hisham Oumlil

Brooklyn NY

Oct. 10

Congratulations to the author. I will put her on the list of ones to read. But, there is something beginning to be awkward about the Nobel for literature. Wouldn’t someone like Isabel Allende be up for the award by now? I mean how is it that her body of work or just “ The house of Spirits” not worthy of the Nobel?!

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allenack commented October 10

allenack

===

2024-10-11

Han Kang Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature - The New York Times

Vladimir Tikhonov

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