About the author
Han Kang is a South Korean novelist and poet whose writing examines bodily autonomy, violence, memory, grief, and the fragile language available to people after historical or private catastrophe.
The Vegetarian received the International Booker Prize in Deborah Smith’s translation. Human Acts addresses the Gwangju uprising, while The White Book and Greek Lessons use formally spare structures to explore mourning and connection. Han received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024.
Where to start
Start with The Vegetarian for Han’s best-known novel, Human Acts for Gwangju and collective memory, or The White Book for her most hybrid and meditative work.
