Author Han Kang was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for her “intense poetic prose” on Oct. 10, per a press release by The Royal Swedish Academy.
Kang’s work focuses on “historical traumas,” colonial violence, and the “fragility” of humanity, the academy continued. The South Korean author is known for works such as The Vegetarian—which won the International Booker prize in 2016—The White Book, Human Acts, and Greek Lessons. The prize for literature is awarded for an author’s full body of work, not a specific text. Like all those awarded the Nobel Prize, Kang has won 11m krona ($1.1 million) for the prize.
“I’m so surprised and honored,” Kang told the Nobel Museum in a phone call soon after she learned about the honor. “ So I can say I grew up with Korean literature, which I feel very close to. So I hope this news is nice for Korean literature readers and …