South Korean author Han Kang wins Nobel Prize in Literature

The South Korean author Han Kang has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, making her the first Asian woman to receive the prestigious accolade.

The 54-year-old writer was honoured “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life”, the Academy said in its citation.

Han, born on November 27, 1970, in Gwangju, South Korea, is only the second Korean to win the prize, regardless of gender. She currently resides in Seoul and is the daughter of novelist Han Seung-won.

The Academy praised Han’s unique awareness of the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead, and her innovative approach to contemporary fiction through her poetic and experimental style.

Mats Malm, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, said he had spoken to Han by telephone. “She seemed to be having an ordinary day – she had just finished dinner with her son. She wasn’t really prepared for this, but we have started to discuss preparations for December”, he said, referring to the award ceremony.