South Korean author Han Kang made history this week as the first South Korean writer ever to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, NPR reported.
At 53, she is now the 121st laureate of the prestigious award, widely regarded as the highest honor in world literature. The Nobel Committee celebrated Han for her “intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”
Only the eighteenth woman to have received the coveted prize, Han joins a distinguished list of past recipients that includes literary giants such as Toni Morrison, Gabriel García Márquez, and William Faulkner.
Han’s work has garnered international acclaim, particularly her 2016 novel The Vegetarian, which earned her the Man Booker International Prize, making her the first South Korean author ever to win that accolade as well.
Known for its haunting portrayal of a woman’s choice to renounce meat as an act of rebellion, The Vegetarian helped introduce Han’s work to a global audience.
The Swedish Academy cited Han’s unique ability to explore the profound connection between body and soul, the living and the dead, and how her poetic and experimental style has pushed the boundaries of contemporary prose.