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Han Kang Becomes First South Korean to Win Nobel Prize in Literature

Oct 10, 2024, 11:17 AM

South Korean author Han Kang has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, marking the first time a writer from her country has received the prestigious honor. The Swedish Academy recognized Han Kang for her 'intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.' Born in Gwangju in 1970, she moved to Seoul at the age of nine and comes from a literary family; her father is a reputed novelist. Han Kang's major international breakthrough came with her novel 'The Vegetarian', originally published in 2007 and translated into English in 2015. She began her literary career in 1993 with poetry published in 'Literature and Society' and made her prose debut in 1995 with the short story collection 'Love of Yeosu'. Alongside her writing, she teaches creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts. Her work is noted for its unique exploration of the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead.