2024-10-11

Han Kang - Wikipedia

Han Kang - Wikipedia

Han Kang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the author. For the river of which her Korean name is a homonym, see Han River (Korea).
In this Korean name, the family name is Han.
Han Kang
Han Kang at SIBF 2014
Han Kang at SIBF 2014
Native name
한강
BornNovember 27, 1970 (age 53)
Gwangju, South Korea
OccupationWriter
LanguageKorean
Alma materYonsei University
GenreFiction
Notable worksThe Vegetarian
Human Acts
Notable awardsYi Sang Literary Award
2005
International Booker Prize
2016
Prix Médicis étranger
2023
Nobel Prize in Literature
2024
ParentsHan Seung-won (father)
Website
www.han-kang.net
Korean name
Hangul
한강
Hanja
Revised RomanizationHan Gang
McCune–ReischauerHan Kang

Han Kang (Korean: 한강; born November 27, 1970) is a South Korean writer.[1][2] She rose to international prominence with her novel The Vegetarian, which traces a woman's descent into mental illness and neglect from her family, becoming the first Korean language novel to win the International Booker Prize for fiction in 2016.[3][4] The novel is also one of the first of her books to be translated into English.[4]

She was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature for "her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life",[5][6] becoming the first South Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.[7]

Early life and education

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Han Kang is the daughter of novelist Han Seung-won.[8] She was born on 27 November 1970[9] in Gwangju and moved to Suyuri[9] (of which she speaks affectionately in her novel Greek Lessons) in Seoul, as a child. Her brother Han Dong Rim is also a writer.[10]

She studied Korean literature at Yonsei University.[9][10] In 1998 Hang was enrolled at the University of Iowa International Writing Program.[9]

Career

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Kang began her published career when five of her poems, including "Winter in Seoul," were featured in the Winter 1993 issue of the quarterly Literature and Society. She made her fiction debut in the following year when her short story "The Scarlet Anchor" was the winning entry in the Seoul Shinmun Spring Literary Contest. Since then, she has gone on to win the Yi Sang Literary Prize (2005), Today's Young Artist Award, and the Korean Literature Novel Award.[10]

Kang has taught creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts.[10][better source needed]

Kang's debut work, A Love of Yeosu, was published in 1995 and attracted attention for its precise and tightly narrated composition.[11] Kang wrote The Vegetarian, and its sister-work, Mongolian Mark by hand, as overuse of the computer keyboard had damaged her wrist.[12] It has been reported that in her college years Kang became obsessed with a line of poetry by the Korean modernist poet Yi Sang: "I believe that humans should be plants."[8] She understood Yi's line to imply a defensive stance against the violence of Korea's colonial history under Japanese occupation, and took it as an inspiration to write her most successful work, The Vegetarian. The Vegetarian was Kang's first novel translated into English, although she had already attracted worldwide attention by the time Deborah Smith translated the novel into English.[13] There has been some controversy over the translation of the novel, as scholars have detected mistakes in it; among other issues, there is concern that Smith may have attributed some of the dialogue to the wrong characters.[14] The translated work won the Man Booker International Prize 2016 for them both. She is the first Korean to be nominated for the award. The work was also chosen as one of "The 10 Best Books of 2016" from The New York Times Book Review.[15] Kang's third novel, The White Book, was shortlisted for the 2018 International Booker Prize.[16]

Kang's literary career began when she published five poems including “Winter in Seoul", in the winter issue of Literature and Society in 1993. Her career in fiction began the following year when her story "Red Anchor" won the Seoul Shinmun Spring Literary Contest. Her first story collection, Love of Yeosu, was published in 1995. In 1998, Kang participated in a program at the University of Iowa International Writing Program.[17] Her works published in Korea include Fruits of My Woman (2000) and Fire Salamander (2012); novels including The Black Deer (1998), Your Cold Hands (2002), The Vegetarian (2007), Breath Fighting (2010), Greek Lessons (2011), Human Acts (2014), The White Book (2016), and We Do Not Part (2021); poetry I Put the Evening in the Drawer (2013); essay books including Love, and the Things Around the Love (2003), Quietly Sung Songs (2007).

Kang is also a musician and interested in visual art, and her work often reflects this multi-disciplinary focus.[10] "Your Cold Hand (2002)" revolves around the story of a sculptor and his model. When she published an essay book Quietly Sung Songs (2007), she released a CD with ten songs that she composed, wrote lyrics for and recorded.[18] At first she was not intending to sing, but Han Jung Rim, a musician and music director, insisted Kang should record the songs herself.[19]

Kang won the 25th Korean Novel Award with her novella Baby Buddha in 1999, the 2000 Today's Young Artist Award, the 2005 Yi Sang Literary Award with Mongolian Mark, and the 2010 Dong-in Literary Award with Breath Fighting. Baby Buddha and The Vegetarian have been made into films. The Vegetarian was turned into a movie that was one of only 14 selections (out of 1,022 submissions) for inclusion in the World Narrative Competition of the prestigious North American Film Fest. The film was also a critical success at the Busan International Film Festival.[20]

Mongolian Mark won the Yi Sang Literary Award. The rest of the series (The Vegetarian and Fire Tree) were delayed by contractual problems.[8] Kang was the youngest to receive the Yi Sang Literary Award in 2005[21] until 2013 when Kim Aeran received it at the age of 32. Kang's Human Acts was released in January 2016 from Portobello Books.[22][23] Kang received the Premio Malaparte in 2017 for the Italian translation of Human Acts, "Atti Umani" from Adelphi Edizioni, 2017 in Italy on 1 October 2017.[24][25]

Han Kang's 2017 autobiographical novel The White Book centers on the loss of her older sister, a baby who died two hours after her birth.[26] In 2018 Kang became the fifth writer chosen to contribute to the Future Library project.

In 2023, her fourth full-length novel was translated into English, Greek Lessons. The Atlantic called it a book in which "words are both insufficient and too powerful to tame."[27]

Han’s most recent novel, We Do Not Part, will be published in English in 2025. The book tells the story of a writer researching the 1948-49 Jeju uprising and its impact on the family of her friend. The French translation of the novel won the prix Médicis Étranger in 2023.[28]

She was elected as a Royal Society of Literature International Writer in 2023.[29]

She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2024 by the Swedish Academy.[5][6]

Personal life

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Kang has stated that she suffers periodically from migraines, and credits these migraines with "keeping her humble."[26]

Awards

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Publications

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Original publicationEnglish publication
YearOriginal titleEnglish translationGenrePublisherTitleYearTranslatorPublisher
1995여수의 사랑Love in YeosunovellasMoonji
1998검은 사슴Black DeernovelMunhakdongne
2000내 여자의 열매My Woman's FruitsnovellasChangbi
2002그대의 차가운 손Your Cold HandsnovelMoonji
내 이름은 태양꽃My Name is Sun FlowernovellaMunhakdongne
2003붉은 꽃 이야기The Red Flower StorynovellaYolimwon
사랑과, 사랑을 둘러싼 것들Love and Things Surrounding LoveessaysYolimwon
2007가만가만 부르는 노래A Song to Sing CalmlyessaysBichae
천둥 꼬마 선녀 번개 꼬마 선녀Thunder Little Fairy, Lightning Little Fairyshort storyMunhakdongne
채식주의자The VegetariannovelChangbiThe Vegetarian2015Deborah SmithPortobello Books (ISBN 9781846275623)[32]
2008눈물상자Tear Boxshort storyMunhakdongne
2010바람이 분다, 가라The Wind Blows, GonovelMoonji
2011희랍어 시간Greek TimenovelMunhakdongneGreek Lessons2023Deborah Smith and Emily Yae WonPenguin Random House (ISBN 9780593595275)[33][34][35][36]
2012노랑무늬영원Yellow Pattern EternitynovellasMoonji
2013서랍에 저녁을 넣어 두었다I Put Dinner in the Drawerpoetry collectionMoonji
2014소년이 온다A Boy Is ComingnovelChangbiHuman Acts2016Deborah SmithPortobello Books (ISBN 9781846275968)[37][38][39]
2016흰WhitenovelNandaThe White Book2017Deborah SmithPortobello Books (ISBN 9781846276958)
2021작별하지 않는다Don't Say GoodbyenovelMunhakdongneWe Do Not Part2025Emily Yae Won and Paige Aniyah MorrisHamish Hamilton

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Eyes that Pierce into the Hinterland of Life Novelist Han Kang". Korean Literature Now (in Korean). Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  2. ^ "한강 " biographical PDF available at: http://klti.or.kr/ke_04_03_011.do# Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Jump up to:a b Alter, Alexandra (17 May 2016), "Han Kang Wins Man Booker International Prize for Fiction With 'The Vegetarian'", The New York Times, archived from the original on 17 May 2016, retrieved 17 May 2016
  4. ^ Jump up to:a b Fan, Jiayang (8 January 2018). "Han Kang and the Complexity of Translation". The New Yorker. Retrieved 21 November 2021. In 2016, "The Vegetarian" became the first Korean-language novel to win the Man Booker International Prize, which was awarded to both its author, Han Kang, and its translator, Deborah Smith.
  5. ^ Jump up to:a b c "The Nobel Prize in Literature 2024". Nobel Media AB. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  6. ^ Jump up to:a b c "The Nobel Prize in Literature 2024 - Press release". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  7. ^ Creamer, Ella (10 October 2024). "South Korean author Han Kang wins the 2024 Nobel prize in literature" – via The Guardian.
  8. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Humans As Plants". english.donga.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  9. ^ Jump up to:a b c d "Han Kang". Literary Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10 October 2024. Ed. by Helen Rachel Cousins, Birmingham Newman University: The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.2.3: Korean Writing and Culture. Vol. editors: Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University)
  10. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e "Sunday meeting with Han Kang (한강) author of The Vegetarian (채식주의자), Korean Modern Literature in Translation, 11 June 2013". Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  11. ^ Korean Writers: The Novelists, Minumsa Publishing p. 78
  12. ^ Montgomery, Charles (15 November 2015). "Review of Han Kang's (한강) "The Vegetarian"". www.ktlit.com. KTLit. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016. Han revealed in an interview at the Seoul ABC book club (7 November 7, 2015) that she wrote this work in longhand, because too much keyboarding had injured her wrist.
  13. ^ Khakpour, Porochista (2 February 2016). "The Vegetarian, by Han Kang". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  14. ^ Yun, Charse (22 September 2017). "How the bestseller 'The Vegetarian,' translated from Han Kang's original, caused an uproar in South Korea". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  15. ^ "The 10 Best Books of 2016". 1 December 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  16. ^ "The Man Booker International Prize 2018 shortlist". The Booker Prizes. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  17. ^ "HAN Kang". The International Writing Program. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  18. ^ 한강 (2007). 가만가만부르는노래. 비채. ISBN 9788992036276. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016.
  19. ^ "[한강] 가만가만, 꿈꾸듯 노래한 한강". Archived from the original on 24 April 2016.
  20. ^ ""Vegetarian" to Compete at Sundance 2010". HanCinema. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Interview with Han Kang - The White Review". www.thewhitereview.org. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  22. ^ "Human Acts". Portobello Books. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018.
  23. ^ McAloon, Jonathan (5 January 2016). "Human Acts by Han Kang, review: 'an emotional triumph'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  24. ^ Jump up to:a b DEL CORONA, MARCO. "Premio Malaparte ad Han Kang". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Archived from the original on 15 September 2017.
  25. ^ Jump up to:a b "Il Malaparte 2017 ad Han Kang – Premio Malaparte". www.premiomalaparte.it (in Italian).[permanent dead link]
  26. ^ Jump up to:a b Beckerman, Hannah (17 December 2017). "Han Kang: 'I was looking for answers to fundamental questions, then I realised so is every writer'". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  27. ^ Chihaya, Sarah (4 May 2023). "A Novel in Which Language Hits Its Limit—And Keeps On Going". The Atlantic. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  28. ^ Creamer, Ella (10 October 2024). "South Korean author Han Kang wins the 2024 Nobel prize in literature". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  29. ^ "RSL International Writers: 2023 International Writers". Royal Society of Literature. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  30. ^ Service (KOCIS), Korean Culture and Information. "Novelist Han Kang is Korea's first to win famed French award : Korea.net : The official website of the Republic of Korea". www.korea.net. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Han Kang". The Ho-Am Foundation. 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  32. ^ Filgate, Michele (17 April 2023). "Why 'The Vegetarian' author Han Kang's newly translated novel is her gutsiest yet". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  33. ^ Novey, Idra (18 April 2023). "A Narrator Locked in Silence, Who Finds Solace in an Ancient Language". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  34. ^ "Book review of "Greek Lessons" by Han Kang". The Washington Post. 19 April 2023.
  35. ^ Cheuk, Leland (20 April 2023). "'Greek Lessons' is an intimate, vulnerable portrayal of two lonely people". NPR.
  36. ^ Woods, Cat (4 May 2023). "Han Kang's Greek Lessons". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  37. ^ "Human Acts". Portobello Books. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018.
  38. ^ "On Translating Human Acts by Han Kang - Asymptote". www.asymptotejournal.com. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  39. ^ McAloon, Jonathan (5 January 2016). "Human Acts by Han Kang, review: 'an emotional triumph'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
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