Han Jiang can write and sing, and pays attention to transformational justice with the tip of his pen_1

Han Kang has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. In a 2016 press conference in South Korea, Han’s literary spirit was already evident. Scholars have highlighted her focus on transformative justice and her commitment to narrating her nation’s story, while also praising the substantial support from South Korean conglomerates for the translation of literature.

Han Kang stands out as the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature and only the second South Korean, after Kim Dae-jung received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000, to achieve such an honor.

Dr. Ong Chih-chi, an assistant professor at National Taipei University of Education and a former visiting professor at Pusan National University in South Korea, noted that Han has consistently engaged with themes of transformative justice and reinterpreted her country’s history through grassroots historical materials. This aligns well with current global trends that emphasize grassroots movements’ strength in influencing official narratives and decisions.

Dr. Ong pointed out that since 2015, Han’s works have received significant sponsorship from the South Korean Cultural Foundation, supported by the Kyobo Life Insurance Foundation, leading to numerous translation opportunities that have dramatically increased her visibility. The acclaim for her English version, which won the Booker Prize, further bolstered her international recognition, while government support began to emerge only after she won the Booker.

Dr. Ong also emphasized that Han is not only a gifted writer but also excels in various literary forms, including singing, poetry, and children’s stories, showcasing her rare versatility as a writer.

Hong Kong writer Dung Hsiao-hua expressed her admiration for Han’s poetic language and her exceptional ability to vividly portray historical trauma. Dung noted that, while third-world literature, as Fredric Jameson has described it, often represents oppressed national literature, Han’s perspective as a woman uniquely narrates national trauma, providing an inspiring alternative.

Li Yanan, the editor-in-chief of a literary magazine, shared during a phone interview that they were one of the first publishers to sign Han Kang’s notable work, “The Vegetarian,” after it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2016. Although she had not yet won, the decision to publish was made, and the book later received widespread acclaim and support from readers after her victory.

Li emphasized the strong literary quality of Han’s works, detailing that “The White Book” blends autobiography with experimental elements, featuring 65 short pieces derived from it. The narrative begins with Han’s experience writing in Warsaw while recalling memories of her late sister, weaving together poignant and powerful reflections on her life’s experiences associated with the theme of “white.”

Born in 1970, Han Kang graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Korean literature and currently teaches at the Department of Creative Writing at the Korea National University of Arts. Coming from a family of writers, her career began in 1993 with poetry published in the journal “Literature and Society.” The following year, she won the Seoul Shinmun’s Annual Spring Literature Prize for her novel “Red Anchor,” marking her entrance into the literary scene. In 2005, her novella “The Birthmark” earned her the Yi Sang Literary Prize, making her the first writer from the “70s generation” to receive this prestigious award.

Han won the Booker Prize in 2016 for “The Vegetarian,” and her work “The Fruit of My Womb” received the Maralapatti Literary Prize in 2017. In 2018, her publication “The White Book” was again shortlisted for the Booker Prize and was selected by The Guardian as “Book of the Day.”