The Nobel Prize in Literature 2024

• 14 Oct 2024

Source: IE 

Why in News?

South Korean author Han Kang has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature by the Swedish Academy, Stockholm, Sweden for her "intense poetic prose" that explores historical traumas and the fragility of life.  

• Han Kang is the first South Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, marking a historic moment for South Korea’s literary scene. 

                               

Who is Han Kang? 

• About:  Born in 1970, Han Kang is a renowned novelist and poet, she is recognized for her intense poetic prose, which combines lyricism with narrative. Her style has redefined contemporary literature by blending physical and emotional empathy in a unique manner. 
• Key Literary Contributions: 
  • The Vegetarian (2007): It was her breakthrough novel, translated by Deborah Smith in 2015, and it won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize. 
    • The International Booker Prize, established in 2005 as the Man Booker International Prize, is awarded for a single book of fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland, promoting global literature and celebrating the contributions of both the author and the translator. 
  • Human Acts (2016): Focuses on the 1980 Gwangju massacre, where South Korean military forces killed protesting students and civilians. 
    • Explores trauma and collective memory in a visionary yet concise manner. 

Note:

Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 1913 for his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, which he expressed in his own English words and made a part of the literature of the West. 

• Notable literary contributions by Rabindranath Tagore are Manasi, Gitanjali, Sâdhanâ: The Realisation of Life, and Chitra: a Play in One Act. 
• The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2023 was awarded to Jon Fosse, a Norwegian author and dramatist, for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable." 

Reference to Other Announcements of the Nobel Prizes 2024: Nobel Prize in  Physics, Physiology or Medicine, Chemistry