Han Kang Wins 2024 Nobel prize in literature
South Korean author Han Kang has been awarded the 2024 Nobel prize in literature for “her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life,” the Swedish Academy announced on Thursday. The prestigious award, accompanied by a prize of 11 million Swedish crowns (approximately $1.1 million), recognizes Han’s unique literary contributions.
Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel Committee, praised Han for her innovative style, noting her “unique awareness of the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead.” He highlighted her experimental approach to prose as a defining characteristic of her work.
Han, the first South Korean to receive the literature prize, began her literary career in 1993 with poetry published in the magazine *Literature and Society*. Her first collection of short stories, “Love of Yeosu,” was released in 1995, but her major international breakthrough came with the acclaimed novel “The Vegetarian.”
As anticipation built ahead of the announcement, bookmakers had speculated on various potential winners, including Chinese author Can Xue and perennial contenders like Kenya’s Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and Australia’s Gerald Murnane.
The Nobel Prize in Literature, which has been awarded since 1901, is often met with both acclaim and criticism. The Swedish Academy’s choices can provoke debate, especially when celebrated authors, including literary giants like Leo Tolstoy and James Joyce, are overlooked.
In recent years, the prize has attracted attention for its unconventional selections, including the 2016 award to American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which sparked discussions about the definition of literature.
The literature prize is the fourth Nobel award announced each year, following those for medicine, physics, and chemistry, and it often draws significant public interest, elevating authors into the global spotlight and boosting their book sales.
Han Kang joins the ranks of notable laureates, including W.B. Yeats, Ernest Hemingway, and Gabriel Garcia Márquez. The 2023 award was given to Norwegian author Jon Fosse.
