The Nobel Prize not celebrated by its winner
Han Kang was awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature but declined to celebrate the award by holding a press conference, the Korea Times reported on Oct. 14. This is the first Nobel Prize for a South Korean author, and the people of the country are eager to hear from the author, whose novels have been translated into many languages, and has previously won other prestigious awards.
Han Kang has stated that her new status brings with it greater responsibilities and she feels she is no longer just a Korean writer. She did not feel it was appropriate to celebrate the Nobel Prize, given the lives being lost daily in Ukraine and Palestine.
Often, being awarded a Nobel Prize offers writers the great opportunity to take a public stand against oppression, war, and injustice. However, not all recipients of the prize make the most of this opportunity. Reports say that the father of Han Kang, who is also a well-known author, attended a press conference to convey his daughter’s message of unwillingness to celebrate the award to the media and literature enthusiasts: “With the war intensifying and people being carried out dead every day, how can we have a celebration?”
Han Kang is the 18th woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature since it was first awarded in 1901. Though only 15 percent of the prize winners have been women, the presence of female writers on this list has significantly increased since the start of the 21st century. In the past 12 years, six winners have been women, reflecting the growing status of women in literature.
Han Kang gained fame in South Korea in the 1990 and then recognition around the world in the early part of the 21st century. Some of her famous works include Greek Lessons, Human Acts, The White Book, The Vegetarian, The Wind Blows, and We Do Not Part.
In her novels, Han Kang shows that she belongs to this epoch and has her eye on today’s world. As mentioned on the Nobel Prize website, her global awareness is highlighted as part of the reasoning for awarding her the prize: “The Nobel Prize in Literature 2024 was awarded to Han Kang for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”
It is hoped that one day Han Kang will also respond to the oppression that the Taliban regime is inflicting on the people of Afghanistan, especially women, for what is happening in Afghanistan today is part of the tragedy of our century, when humanity is suffering from war, terrorism, and anti-democratic regimes.