Oct 12, 2024

Han Kang: Nobel Prize in Literature 2024: The Vegetarian and Other Works

 

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2024 is awarded to South Korean author Han Kang "for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life." 

Review first posted October 6, 2017 

The Vegetarian by Han Kang (October 30, 2007) Hogarth

I think of Franz Kafka's The MetamorphosisYeong-Hye stops eating meat and soon imagines herself one with the plant world, needing only sunlight. But her body remains the same, a human body needing food, even if meat-free. (publisher)

I am not sure if this book is a psychological study of extreme delusion or a study of a woman reacting to the strictures of a patriarchal world and a society with strict laws, especially when it comes to women's status. It could be both.

The story is told from three points of view - that of Yeong-Hye; of her brother-in-law who becomes obsessed with her; and of her older sister, the supposedly responsible, sane sister in the family. It's a bit disturbing, this story, but with a lot to ponder.


Book beginning:

Before my wife turned vegetarian, I'd had always thought of her as completely unremarkable in every way. To be frank, the first time I met her I wasn't even attracted to her. Middling height, bobbed hair neither long nor short; jaundiced, sickly-looking skin, somewhat prominent cheekbones; her timid, sallow cheekbones told me all I needed to know. As she came up to the table where I was waiting, I couldn't help but notice her shoes - the plainest black shoes imaginable. And that walk of hers - neither fast nor slow, striding nor mincing.  

 

Her other book, Human Acts, deals with an historic event - a violent student uprising against political oppression in South Korea and the bloody putdown and massacre that ensued.   

“After you died I could not hold a funeral,
And so my life became a funeral.”
― Han Kang, Human Acts

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Another memorable author from South Korea is known for her novel, Please Look After Mom, which I reviewed May 16, 2011 

Please Look After Mom


Please Look After Mom: a Novel by Kyung-Sook Shin tells us about the children of a Korean woman whose mother is missing after being separated from her husband on a visit to the big city in the crowded and unfamiliar subway. 

The mother is elderly and becoming disoriented and forgetful; her daughter has only recently realized that her mother cannot read or write. They don't know how to go about finding the mother, apart from posting newspaper notices, searching through the streets, and passing out leaflets with her picture.

During their search, the children find out more about their mother and each member of the family gradually comes to have a deeper understanding of her and the life of sacrifice she has lived.

Set in Korea, I find the novel both culturally revealing and haunting in its view of a family's dynamics and a mother's relationship with her children and husband.
 

“Either a mother and daughter know each other very well or they are strangers.”
― Kyung-Sook Shin, Please Look After Mom
 

Kyung-Sook Shin is the first South Korean and first woman to win the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2012, for 'Please Look After Mom'. 

What are you reading/watching this week? 

30 comments:

  1. I haven't read a lot of Korean authored books, and the Nobel Prize winning one sounds "interesting". I'm going to add it to my list because I like stories that are out of the box. Thanks for visiting my blog. hugs-Erika

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  2. Thanks for sharing! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com

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  3. I was surprised to see that Han Kang had won the Nobel Prize for Literature. She has only published two books, I think. I haven't read The Vegetarian, but it seems like it must be a powerful story. I'm glad to see how thoughtful you found it to be.

    I like it that this author is from South Korea. It seems like the focus for great literature often misses literature from areas outside America and Europe.

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    1. She has written at least six books, including Human Acts, which deals with the violent student protests in Korea that resulted in massacre and violence. I believe the violent put down of protests on Jeju Island was covered in Lisa See's The Island of Sea Women, and in Netflix K drama, Welcome to Samdal-ri.

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    2. I was impressed and moved by this quote from Human Acts that helps explain her interest in "historical trauma and the fragility of human life."

      “After you died I could not hold a funeral,
      And so my life became a funeral.”
      ― Han Kang, Human Acts

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    3. Thank you so much for clarifying this, Harvee.

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    4. You’re welcome, Deb Nance. I’m glad to discover Kahn as I’m enjoying her books. Looking at Greek Lessons right now and enjoying the preview. The library wait is super long for all her books!

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    5. Deb, she has actually published many books, alas so few translated into English, but more than two

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  4. Kang is quite an amazing writer and a worthy recipient of the Nobel.

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  5. Great idea to reread The Vegetarian, as you mentioned on my blog. I want to try Greek Lessons

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  6. I loved Please Look After Mom but for the life of me I couldn't get into Vegetarian. It sucks when I can't get into a book no matter how much I want to read it. LOL

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  7. What an accomplishment! Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Interesting books. They sound like great authors.

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  9. "The Vegetarian" sounds particularly thought-provoking and disturbing. The concept of a woman rejecting societal norms and embracing a different identity is fascinating and challenging.

    I'm also interested in "Human Acts" and its exploration of historical events and their impact on individuals. The quote about a mother and daughter being strangers is haunting and resonates with me.

    I'll definitely be checking out these books and learning more about Han Kang's work.

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  10. The Vegetarian has an interesting beginning. It has me a little intrigued.

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  11. I have had The Vegetarian on my list for a long time. Hopefully this will finally compel me to read it.

    Jill
    https://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/

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  12. I haven't read any of Han Kang's books, though I've had her novel Human Acts on my TBR list for awhile now. That's cool she won.

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  13. Ooh, that sounds fascinating. I might have to give it a shot.

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  14. It's great you were able to read her works.

    Anne - Books of My Heart

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  15. I'm happy she won the prize, though I didn't finish Please Look After Mom. It didn't seem to be going anywhere.

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    1. Please Look After Mom was written by a different author, NOT Han Kahn the Nobel winner

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  16. Congrats to Han Kang. I've only read The Vegetarian... liked it but didn't love it. I would be open to trying another of her novels.

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  17. The Vegetarian sound like a book that would have you thinking. That opening paragraph grabs the attention right away! Wonderful that Ms. Kahn won!

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  18. Reading this post lets me know just how insular my reading is. I've seldom read anything not by an American author. Of course, I do have to remember that I read genre books and not "literary" ones. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  19. Don’t let genre books exclude your reading literary fiction or women’s fiction

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  20. I have been wanting to read Please Look After Mom for a while now, and I'm also very interested to try Han Kang as an author. My online bookclub is doing a buddy read for Human Acts now and I'm swamped but sorely tempted to join!

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  21. I had not heard of Han Kang, but I’m saving these books to my Goodreads list. Quite intriguing.

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  22. I remember when The Vegetarian came out. It looks intriguing but I've been a bit back and forth on it.

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  23. I have read Please Look After Mom but I need to read Han Kang still. Her books seem symbolic in meaning ... or perhaps have multiple meanings.

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