This year's Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Han Kang, a South Korean female writer. Since the inception of the Nobel Prize in the early 20th century, it has often been Eurocentric and male-dominated.
According to the family magazine service of SaedNews, citing Hamshahri Online, in Iran, readers have been familiar with some of her works for years, especially after the success of her novel "The Vegetarian," which brought her numerous literary awards and made her name widely known.
Han Kang was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature for her "powerful poetic prose that confronts historical trauma and reveals the fragility of human life."
This South Korean author began her writing career in 1993 by publishing poetry in the magazine "Literature and Society." Her first prose work followed in 1995 with a collection of short stories, and she has since written several other works, including novels and short stories. Notable contenders for this year's Nobel Prize in Literature included Chinese author Can Xue, Australian author Gerald Murnane, and Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Last year's Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Norwegian author Jon Fosse for his "innovative plays and prose that express the inexpressible." His works, including "Beautiful and Dream of Autumn," "The Girl on the Couch," "The Night Sings Its Songs," and "A Girl with a Yellow Raincoat," have been translated into Persian.
Finally, the long-awaited moment for literature enthusiasts arrived when the Royal Swedish Academy announced on Thursday, October 10, that the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Han Kang, a South Korean writer. The jury stated that this prize was given for her "highly poetic prose that confronts historical trauma and reveals the fragility of human life."
In Iran, readers have been familiar with some of her works for years, especially after the success of her novel "The Vegetarian," which brought her numerous literary awards and made her name widely known. In 2016, Han Kang won the Man Booker International Prize for her novel "The Vegetarian," a story about a woman's decision to stop eating meat, which leads to devastating consequences.
Three of her novels—"The Vegetarian," "Human Acts," and "The White Book"—have been translated into Persian. Since 1901, the Nobel Committee has awarded a prize in literature. In the 117 years since then, the prize has been awarded 121 times, with 103 men and only 18 women receiving it.
Han Kang was born in 1970 in Gwangju, South Korea, and moved to Seoul with her family at the age of 9. She grew up in a literary family, with her father being a well-known novelist. Besides writing, she has dedicated herself to art and music, which is reflected in all her literary works.
