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Han Kang

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(Redirected fromMongolian Mark)
Not to be confused withHan River (Korea).
In thisKorean name,the family name isHan.

Han Kang
Han Kang in 2017
Han Kang in 2017
Born(1970-11-27)November 27, 1970(age 54)
Gwangju,South Korea
Pen nameHan Kang-hyun
OccupationWriter
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
Spouse
Hong Yong-hee
​
(divorced)​
Children1
ParentsHan Seung-won(father)
Signature
Korean name
Hangul
한강
Hanja
Hàn Giang
Revised RomanizationHan Gang
McCune–ReischauerHan Kang
Website
www.han-kang.net

Han Kang(Korean:한강;born 27 November 1970) is a South Korean writer. From 2007 to 2018, she taught creative writing at theSeoul Institute of the Arts.[1]Han rose to international prominence for her novelThe Vegetarian,which became the firstKorean languagenovel to win theInternational Booker Prizefor fiction in 2016.In 2024,she became the first Korean writer and the first female Asian writer to be awarded theNobel Prize in Literature.

Early life and education

[edit]

Han Kang, who according to her father is named after theHan River(Korean:한강;RR:Hangang),[2]was born on 27 November 1970[3]inGwangju,South Korea. Her family is noted for its literary background. Her father is novelistHan Seung-won.Her older brother, Han Dong-rim, is also a novelist, while her younger brother, Han Kang-in, is a novelist and cartoonist.[4]

At 9, Han moved toSuyu-riinSeoul,when her father quit his teaching job to become a full-time writer, four months before theGwangju Uprising,a pro-democracy movement that ended in the military's massacre of students and civilians. She first learned about the massacre when she was 12, after discovering at home a secretly circulated memorial album of photographs taken by a German journalist.[5]This discovery deeply influenced her view on humanity and her literary works.[3][6]

Han's father struggled to make ends meet with his writing career, which negatively impacted his family. Han later described her childhood as "too much for a little child"; however, being surrounded by books gave her comfort.[7]In 1988, she graduated from Poongmoon Girls' High School, now Poongmoon High School, where she had been a class president.[8][9]In 1993, Han graduated fromYonsei University,where she majored in Korean language and literature.[3]In 1998, she was enrolled at theUniversity of IowaInternational Writing Program.[3][10]

Career

[edit]

After graduating fromYonsei University,Han briefly worked as a reporter for the monthlySaemteomagazine.[9]Han's literary career began the same year when five of her poems, including "Winter in Seoul", were featured in the Winter 1993 issue of the quarterlyLiterature and Society.She made her fiction debut the next year, under the name Han Kang-hyun, when her short story "The Scarlet Anchor" won the New Year's Literary Contest held by theSeoul Shinmun.[11][12]Her first short story collection,A Love of Yeosu,was published in 1995 and attracted attention for its precise and tightly narrated structure. After the publication, she quit her magazine job to solely focus on writing literature.[13]

In 2007, Han published a book,A Song to Sing Calmly(가만가만 부르는 노래), that was accompanied by a music album. At first she did not intend to sing, but Han Jeong-rim, a musician and music director, insisted that Han Kang record the songs herself.[14]The same year, she started working as a professor in the Department of Creative Writing at theSeoul Institute of the Artsuntil 2018.

In her college years Han became obsessed with a line of poetry by the Korean modernist poetYi Sang:"I believe that humans should be plants."[15]She understood Yi's line to imply a defensive stance against the violence ofKorea's colonial history under Japanese occupation,and took it as an inspiration to write her most successful work,The Vegetarian.The second part of the three-part novel,Mongolian Mark,won theYi Sang Literary Award.[16]The rest of the series (The VegetarianandFire Tree) was delayed by contractual problems.[15]

The Vegetarianwas Han's first novel translated into English, although she had already attracted worldwide attention by the timeDeborah Smithtranslated it.[17]The translated work won theInternational Booker Prize 2016for both Han and Smith. Han was the first Korean to be nominated for the award, and, in its English translation, it was the firstKorean languagenovel to win theInternational Booker Prizefor fiction.[18][19][20][21]The Vegetarianwas also chosen as one of "The 10 Best Books of 2016" byThe New York Times Book Review.[22]The English translation, however, sparked controversy due to Smith's basic errors stemming from her unfamiliarity with the Korean language and culture, as well as her shift in style from Han's original Korean.[23]

Han's novelHuman Actswas released in January 2016 by Portobello Books.[24][25]Han received thePremio Malapartefor the Italian translation ofHuman Acts,Atti Umani,by Adelphi Edizioni, in Italy on 1 October 2017.[26][27]The English translation of the novel was shortlisted for the 2018International Dublin Literary Award.[28]

Han's third novel,The White Book,was shortlisted for the 2018International Booker Prize.[29]An autobiographical novel, it centers on the loss of her older sister, a baby who died two hours after her birth.[30]

Han's novelWe Do Not Partwas published in 2021. It tells the story of a writer researching the 1948–49Jeju uprisingand its impact on her friend's family. The French translation of the novel won thePrix MédicisÉtranger in 2023.[31]

In 2023, Han's fourth full-length novel,Greek Lessons,was translated into English by Deborah Smith and E Yaewon.[32]The Atlanticcalled it a book in which "words are both insufficient and too powerful to tame".[33]

Personal life

[edit]

Han was married to Hong Yong-hee, a literary critic and professor atKyung Hee Cyber University.[34][35]In 2024, Han stated that they had been divorced for many years.[36][unreliable source?]Han has a son, with whom she had run a bookstore inSeoulfrom 2018 to November 2024, when she stepped away from its management.[37][38]

Han has said that she suffers from periodicmigraines,and credits them with "keeping her humble".[30]

Awards and recognition

[edit]

Han won theYi Sang Literary Award(2005) forMongolian Mark(the second part ofThe Vegetarian),[16]the 25th Korean Novel Award[clarification needed]for her novellaBaby Buddhain 1999, the 2000 Today's Young Artist Award from theKorean Ministry of Culture,and the 2010 Dongri Literary Award forThe Wind is Blowing.[39]

In 2018, Han became the fifth writer chosen to contribute to theFuture Library project.Katie Paterson,the project's organizer, said that Han had been chosen because she "expands our view of the world".[40]Han delivered the manuscript,Dear Son, My Beloved,in May 2019. In the handover ceremony, she dragged a white cloth through the forest and wrapped it around the manuscript. She explained this as a reference to Korean culture, in which a white cloth is used both for babies and for mourning gowns, describing the event as "like a wedding of my manuscript with this forest. Or a lullaby for a century-long sleep".[41]

Han was elected aRoyal Society of LiteratureInternational Writer in 2023.[42][43]

The Vegetarianplaced 49th inThe New York Times's "100 Best Books of the 21st century" in July 2024.[44]

In 2024, Han was awarded theNobel Prize in Literatureby theSwedish Academyfor her "intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life".[45][46][47]This made her the first Korean writer[48]and the first female Asian writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.[49]

Awards

[edit]
–Ho-Am Prize in the Arts[52]
–Nobel Prize in Literature[45][46]
– Pony Chung Innovation Award[53]

Bibliography

[edit]

Novels

[edit]
  • —— (1995).여수의 사랑[Love in Yeosu] (in Korean). Moonji.ISBN8932007500.
  • —— (1998).검은 사슴[Black Deer] (in Korean). Munhakdongne.ISBN8982811338.
  • —— (2000).내 여자의 열매[My Woman's Fruits] (in Korean). Changbi.ISBN8936436570.
  • —— (2002).그대의 차가운 손[Your Cold Hands] (in Korean). Moonji.ISBN8932013047.
  • —— (2007).채식주의자[The Vegetarian] (in Korean). Changbi.ISBN9788936433598.
  • —— (2010).바람이 분다, 가라[The Wind Blows, Go] (in Korean). Moonji.ISBN9788932020006.
  • —— (2011).희랍어 시간[Greek Lessons] (in Korean). Munhakdongne.ISBN9788954616515.
  • —— (2012).노랑무늬영원[Fire Salamander] (in Korean). Moonji.ISBN9788932023533.
  • —— (2014).소년이 온다[A Boy Comes] (in Korean). Changbi.ISBN9788936434120.
  • —— (2016).흰[White] (in Korean). Nanda.ISBN9788954640718.
  • —— (2021).작별하지 않는다[We Do Not Part] (in Korean). Munhakdongne.ISBN9788954682152.

In translation

[edit]

Short fiction

[edit]
Collections
Stories
Title Year First published Reprinted/collected Notes
"The Middle Voice" 2023 Han Kang (6 February 2023)."The middle voice".The New Yorker.98(48). Translated from the Korean byDeborah Smithand Emily Yae Won: 50–58. The story is an excerpt from the novelGreek Lessons.
"Heavy Snow" 2024 Kang, Han (10 November 2024)."Heavy snow".The New Yorker.Translated from the Korean by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris. The story is an excerpt from the novelWe Do Not Part.

Poetry

[edit]
  • 서랍에 저녁을 넣어 두었다 ( "I put dinner in the drawer" ), Moonji, 2013,ISBN978-89-320-2463-9.

Essays

[edit]
  • 사랑과, 사랑을 둘러싼 것들 ( "Love and things surrounding love" ), Yolimwon, 2003,ISBN978-89-7063-369-5.
  • 가만가만 부르는 노래 ( "A song to sing calmly" ), Bichae, 2007,ISBN978-89-92036-27-6.

Adaptations

[edit]

Baby BuddhaandThe Vegetarianhave been made into films. Lim Woo-Seong wrote and directedVegetarian,which was released in 2009.[62]It was one of only 14 selections (out of 1,022 submissions) included in the World Narrative Competition of the North American Film Fest, and was noticed at theBusan International Film Festival.[63]

Lim also adaptedBaby Buddhainto a screenplay, in collaboration with Han, and directed the film version. TitledScars,it was released in 2011.[63]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Who is Han Kang, winner of 2024 Nobel literature prize?".The Korea Times.11 October 2024.Retrieved13 October2024.
  2. ^"한강, 전쟁으로 사람 죽는데 노벨상 축하잔치 안 된다고 해".한겨례(in Korean). 20 October 2024.
  3. ^abcd"Han Kang".Literary Encyclopedia.Archivedfrom the original on 19 October 2021.Retrieved10 October2024.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)
  4. ^"딸이 쓴 문장에 질투심이 동했다"...아버지 한승원 작가의 고백.Maeil Business Newspaper(in Korean). 11 October 2024.Retrieved13 October2024.
  5. ^[풀영상] 한강 작가 아버지 한승원 "전쟁 중에 무슨 잔치냐".11 October 2024.Retrieved16 October2024– via YouTube.
  6. ^Armitstead, Claire (5 February 2016)."Han Kang: 'Writing about a massacre was a struggle. I'm a person who feels pain when you throw meat on a fire'".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved14 October2024.
  7. ^Alter, Alexandra (2 February 2016)."'The Vegetarian,' a Surreal South Korean Novel ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 21 June 2024.Retrieved11 October2024.
  8. ^"Chronology of major events in Han Kang's life".Yonhap News Agency.10 October 2024.
  9. ^ab"How those who knew Han Kang remember her".The Korea Times.15 October 2024.Retrieved16 October2024.
  10. ^"HAN Kang".The International Writing Program.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2019.Retrieved8 March2019.
  11. ^권윤희 (10 October 2024).소설가 한강, 한국 최초 '노벨 문학상' 쾌거…서울신문서 등단.Seoul Shinmun(in Korean).Retrieved16 October2024.
  12. ^필명 '한강현'에서 '한강의 기적'까지…역사적 순간 모아보니.Seoul Shinmun(in Korean).Retrieved25 October2024.
  13. ^Korean Writers: The Novelists,Minumsa Publishing p. 78
  14. ^[한강] 가만가만, 꿈꾸듯 노래한 한강.Archivedfrom the original on 24 April 2016.
  15. ^ab"Humans As Plants".The Dong-A Ilbo.Archivedfrom the original on 13 January 2019.Retrieved13 January2019.
  16. ^abcSmith, Deborah; Shin, Sarah (March 2016)."Interview with Han Kang".The White Review.Archivedfrom the original on 27 November 2018.Retrieved27 November2018.
  17. ^Khakpour, Porochista (2 February 2016)."The Vegetarian,by Han Kang ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 1 October 2017.Retrieved5 February2016.
  18. ^"Eyes that Pierce into the Hinterland of Life Novelist Han Kang".Korean Literature Now(in Korean).Archivedfrom the original on 22 September 2019.Retrieved25 July2018.
  19. ^abAlter, Alexandra (17 May 2016),"Han Kang Wins Man Booker International Prize for Fiction With 'The Vegetarian'",The New York Times,archivedfrom the original on 17 May 2016,retrieved17 May2016
  20. ^Fan, Jiayang (8 January 2018)."Han Kang and the Complexity of Translation".The New Yorker.Archivedfrom the original on 9 November 2020.Retrieved21 November2021.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.
  21. ^"Han Kang's The Vegetarian wins Man Booker International Prize".BBC.16 May 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 24 January 2023.Retrieved17 May2016.
  22. ^"The 10 Best Books of 2016".The New York Times.1 December 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 5 May 2019.Retrieved13 January2019.
  23. ^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.Archivedfrom the original on 25 September 2021.Retrieved3 May2021.
  24. ^"Human Acts".Portobello Books.Archived fromthe originalon 28 April 2018.
  25. ^McAloon, Jonathan (5 January 2016)."Human Acts by Han Kang, review: 'an emotional triumph'".The Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 21 April 2016.Retrieved7 April2016.
  26. ^abDel Corona, Marco."Premio Malaparte ad Han Kang".Corriere della Sera(in Italian).Archivedfrom the original on 15 September 2017.
  27. ^ab"Il Malaparte 2017 ad Han Kang".Premio Malaparte(in Italian).Capri.12 September 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2023.Retrieved25 October2024.
  28. ^"Awards: Graywolf Press Africa; International Dublin Literary".Shelf Awareness.6 April 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 30 January 2023.Retrieved30 January2023.
  29. ^"The Man Booker International Prize 2018 shortlist".The Booker Prizes.Archivedfrom the original on 23 August 2019.Retrieved23 August2019.
  30. ^abBeckerman, Hannah (17 December 2017)."Han Kang: 'I was looking for answers to fundamental questions, then I realised so is every writer'".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 23 April 2018.Retrieved22 April2018.
  31. ^Creamer, Ella (10 October 2024)."South Korean author Han Kang wins the 2024 Nobel prize in literature".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved10 October2024.
  32. ^Taylor, Catherine (10 October 2024)."Han Kang's Nobel win is testament to importance of small press publishing".The Guardian.Retrieved12 October2024.
  33. ^Chihaya, Sarah (4 May 2023)."A Novel in Which Language Hits Its Limit—And Keeps On Going".The Atlantic.Archivedfrom the original on 8 May 2023.Retrieved8 May2023.
  34. ^Woo Jae-yeon (17 May 2016)."Man Booker Int'l Prize winner Han Kang says writing book was journey for truth".Yonhap News Agency.Retrieved12 October2024.
  35. ^Hwang Ji-yoon; Lee Tae-hoon; Kim Seo-young (11 October 2024)."Discovering Han Kang: Nobel laureate bridging history and humanity through literature".The Chosun Daily.Retrieved12 October2024.
  36. ^Kim Minjoo (15 October 2024)."Han Kang Divorces With Her Husband, A Literary Critic Who Changed His Mind On 'Dink'".Maeil Business Newspaper.Retrieved15 October2024.
  37. ^노벨상 작가님이 직접 운영한다고?…'3평' 골목책방 앞은 인산인해.Maeil Business Newspaper(in Korean). 12 October 2024.Retrieved13 October2024.
  38. ^리포터, 김옥영 (28 November 2024)."[문화연예 플러스] 한강, 독립서점 책방 운영에서 손 떼".MBC 뉴스(in Korean).Retrieved29 November2024.
  39. ^abcdefgh"Biography".Han Kang.Retrieved11 October2024.
  40. ^Flood, Alison (31 August 2018)."Han Kang to bury next book for almost 100 years in Norwegian forest".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 23 October 2018.Retrieved11 October2024.
  41. ^Flood, Alison (28 May 2019)."Han Kang hands over book to remain unseen until 2114".The Guardian.Retrieved11 October2024.
  42. ^"RSL International Writers: 2023 International Writers".Royal Society of Literature. 3 September 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 20 January 2024.Retrieved3 December2023.
  43. ^Spanoudi, Melina (30 November 2023)."RSL announces two new awards and appoints 12 authors to International Writers programme".The Bookseller.Archivedfrom the original on 1 December 2023.Retrieved12 October2024.
  44. ^Staff, The New York Times Books (8 July 2024)."The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on 8 July 2024.Retrieved11 October2024.
  45. ^ab"The Nobel Prize in Literature 2024".Nobel Media AB.Retrieved10 October2024.
  46. ^ab"The Nobel Prize in Literature 2024 – Press release".NobelPrize.org.Retrieved10 October2024.
  47. ^Creamer, Ella (10 October 2024)."South Korean author Han Kang wins the 2024 Nobel prize in literature".The Guardian.
  48. ^"Han Kang becomes the first South Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature".91.9 FM WUOT, Your Public Radio Station.10 October 2024.
  49. ^Lee, Dae Woong (11 October 2024).소설가 한강, 노벨문학상 수상 쾌거… 아시아 여성 작가 최초[ "Novelist Han Kang Makes History as the First Asian Woman to Win the Nobel Prize in Literature" ].Christian Today(in Korean).Retrieved11 October2024.
  50. ^"Novelist Han Kang is Korea's first to win famed French award".Korea.net.10 November 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 23 November 2023.Retrieved10 October2024.
  51. ^"Le Prix Émile Guimet de littérature asiatique".Musée Guimet.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2024.Retrieved11 October2024.
  52. ^"Han Kang".The Ho-Am Foundation.2024.Retrieved10 October2024.
  53. ^Lee, Ho-jae (15 October 2024)."Han Kang to attend the Pony Chung Innovation Award ceremony".The Dona-A Ilbo.Retrieved23 October2024.
  54. ^Filgate, Michele (17 April 2023)."Why 'The Vegetarian' author Han Kang's newly translated novel is her gutsiest yet".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on 15 June 2023.Retrieved23 June2023.
  55. ^Novey, Idra (18 April 2023)."A Narrator Locked in Silence, Who Finds Solace in an Ancient Language".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on 28 April 2023.Retrieved23 June2023.
  56. ^"Book review of" Greek Lessons "by Han Kang".The Washington Post.19 April 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 19 April 2023.Retrieved23 June2023.
  57. ^Cheuk, Leland (20 April 2023)."'Greek Lessons' is an intimate, vulnerable portrayal of two lonely people ".NPR.Archivedfrom the original on 23 June 2023.Retrieved23 June2023.
  58. ^Woods, Cat (4 May 2023)."Han Kang's Greek Lessons".The Brooklyn Rail.Retrieved23 June2023.
  59. ^"Human Acts".Portobello Books.Archived fromthe originalon 28 April 2018.
  60. ^Smith, Deborah."On TranslatingHuman Actsby Han Kang – Asymptote ".asymptotejournal.Retrieved23 June2023.
  61. ^McAloon, Jonathan (5 January 2016)."Human Acts by Han Kang, review: 'an emotional triumph'".The Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Archivedfrom the original on 21 April 2016.Retrieved23 June2023.
  62. ^"The Nobel Prize in Literature 2024: Biobibliography".The Nobel Prize.Swedish Academy.Retrieved11 October2024.
  63. ^ab""Vegetarian" to Compete at Sundance 2010 ".HanCinema.Archivedfrom the original on 13 January 2019.Retrieved13 January2019.
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