Han Kang confronts historical horrors

This year's Nobel laureate depicts a violent world filled with beauty. Suppressed historical traumas and human fragility are themes in the South Korean author Han Kang's work.

» Published: October 10 2024

Han Kang confronts historical horrors
Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

When Han Kang received the international Booker Prize in 2016 for the absurdist "Vegetarian", South Korea's President Park Geun-hye refused to congratulate her. "Vegetarian", about Yeong-hye who wants to become a plant, can be read as an allegory over a brutal and oppressive society, but the president's silence was due to the novel she had written afterwards, "Living and Dead".

In it, Han Kang tackles what is still South Korea's painful wound, the 1980 Kwangju massacre, when the military crushed a popular uprising.

The fact that the regime does not like the book shows that they do not like the truth about the Kwangju massacre. They do not like it to be remembered and talked about, but after I published this book, so many other people said thank you, explained Han Kang in an interview with TT, where she also told that she initially felt embarrassed by all the appreciation.

Hidden Photo Album

Han Kang's family had moved from Kwangju in 1979, just a few months before the brutality that followed. As a 12-year-old, she found a photo album with pictures from the massacre that her parents had tried to hide away.

In the novel, Han Kang tells how something broke inside her when she saw the pictures of the many who were tortured and shot by the military.

Based on documentary sources, she portrayed the violence, but also the goodness and self-sacrifice that was expressed in Kwangju.

I think the book is more about human nature, which makes it perhaps more universal, what does it mean to be human? I saw something universal in Kwangju, she said to TT.

"Outstanding"

Her Swedish translator Anders Karlsson highlights Han Kang's "outstanding observational ability" which he thinks is condensed into an exact language. She takes on the horrific, but without the reader backing away.

Her literary method can be described as a kind of linguistic archaeology where she uncovers the forgotten people. The Gothenburg Book Fair hosted her in 2019 with "The White Book", a largely autobiographical and poetic novel that is rooted in the story of her sister, her parents' firstborn, who died just a few hours old, a sorrow that her family has always carried with them.

"Don't die, please, don't die" she lets the mother say to her child, a sentence that, Han Kang discovered much later, was also in "Living and Dead".

Maybe it's the most important sentence in my life, she has explained to TT.

Born: 1970.

Grew up: In Kwangju and later in a suburb of Seoul. Her father was also a writer.

Lives: In Bundang, just outside Seoul.

Family: A son.

Books: "Vegetarian", her third novel, was published in 2007 in South Korea and 2017 in Swedish. She has also published poetry, short stories, and essays. In Swedish, "Living and Dead" (2016), "The White Book" (2019), and "I Don't Say Goodbye" (2024) are also available.

In 1980, the then South Korean regime introduced martial law throughout the country to quell popular demonstrations. In the city of Kwangju, students and industrial workers who worked under hazardous conditions protested. The uprising was, however, crushed by the military. Hundreds of civilians died. It wasn't until 1997 that the massacre got an official memorial day, and the death toll is still deeply disputed.

Source: Deborah Smith's foreword to "Living and Dead", translated into Swedish from the English translation.

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Tarantino's Hollywood Sequel May Land
1 MIN READ

Tarantino's Hollywood Sequel May Land on Netflix with Fincher Directing

New Films and Series: Minecraft
3 MIN READ

New Films and Series: Minecraft Movie Debuts and More This Week

Susanne Yakes Could Be Chosen
2 MIN READ

Susanne Yakes Could Be Chosen as Listeners' Summer Host on P1

Munich 1972: How Live TV
3 MIN READ

Munich 1972: How Live TV Coverage Changed Journalism Forever

Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor from
2 MIN READ

Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor from Top Gun and Batman, Dies at 65

The Hives Announce New Album
1 MIN READ

The Hives Announce New Album and European Tour Starting October

Meg Westergren Honored with 2023
1 MIN READ

Meg Westergren Honored with 2023 Fatima Prize by Karl Gerhard Society

Authors Demand UK Action on
1 MIN READ

Authors Demand UK Action on Meta Over Alleged Book Copyright Breach

Ane Brun Cancels Istanbul Concert
1 MIN READ

Ane Brun Cancels Istanbul Concert Following Protest Backlash

Marion Brunet Wins Alma Prize
4 MIN READ

Marion Brunet Wins Alma Prize for Young Adult Literature

Oliver Stone to Testify in
1 MIN READ

Oliver Stone to Testify in Congress on New JFK Documents

Maria Montazami and Samir Badran
1 MIN READ

Maria Montazami and Samir Badran Join The Traitors on TV4

Masked Singer Tops TV Ratings
1 MIN READ

Masked Singer Tops TV Ratings with 1.5 Million Viewers

New Beatles Biopics Cast Revealed:
1 MIN READ

New Beatles Biopics Cast Revealed: Mescal, Quinn, Keoghan, Dickinson

World's Largest Children's Book Prize
3 MIN READ

World's Largest Children's Book Prize Set for 1 PM Announcement

Micke Syd Joining Noice as
1 MIN READ

Micke Syd Joining Noice as Drummer Revealed as April Fool's Joke

Meet the New Faces of
2 MIN READ

Meet the New Faces of Married at First Sight Season 12

Sweden's Creative Industries Generate 650
2 MIN READ

Sweden's Creative Industries Generate 650 Billion Kronor Annually

Lady Gaga Adds Third Stockholm
1 MIN READ

Lady Gaga Adds Third Stockholm Show to European Tour

Net Fishing in Torneälven Nominated
1 MIN READ

Net Fishing in Torneälven Nominated for UNESCO Cultural Heritage

Pernilla Wahlgren Welcomes Second Grandchild
1 MIN READ

Pernilla Wahlgren Welcomes Second Grandchild as Oliver Ingrosso Celebrates New Arrival

British Schools to Screen Netflix
1 MIN READ

British Schools to Screen Netflix Hit Adolescence After PM's Endorsement

Laleh's New Album I Am
1 MIN READ

Laleh's New Album I Am Drops June 27 with Summer Tour

New Novels by Sandgren and
1 MIN READ

New Novels by Sandgren and Schulman Explore Teachers' Journeys

Love is Blind Season 2
1 MIN READ

Love is Blind Season 2 Reunion Arrives on Netflix April 3

Sweden Revives Field Artist Training
1 MIN READ

Sweden Revives Field Artist Training After 25-Year Hiatus

Örebro Museum Plans Exhibition on
2 MIN READ

Örebro Museum Plans Exhibition on Risbergska School Tragedy

Netflix Unveils Live-Action Scooby-Doo Series
1 MIN READ

Netflix Unveils Live-Action Scooby-Doo Series Exploring First Mystery

Richard Chamberlain, Iconic TV Star,
2 MIN READ

Richard Chamberlain, Iconic TV Star, Dies at 90

Richard Chamberlain, Beloved TV Icon,
2 MIN READ

Richard Chamberlain, Beloved TV Icon, Dies at 90

Genre image
1 MIN READ

Actor Bruce Glover, Known for Bond Role, Dies at 92

Sigge Eklund's Play Bolero Brings
3 MIN READ

Sigge Eklund's Play Bolero Brings Family Drama to Stockholm Stage

Bob Hund's Thomas Öberg Honored
1 MIN READ

Bob Hund's Thomas Öberg Honored with Hassepris for Humanistic Spirit

Roger Daltrey Shares Vision Loss
1 MIN READ

Roger Daltrey Shares Vision Loss News at Charity Concert

Ferry Svan Advances in Let's
2 MIN READ

Ferry Svan Advances in Let's Dance as Ciara Zelmerlöw Exits

Academy Apologizes to Director Hamdan
1 MIN READ

Academy Apologizes to Director Hamdan Ballal After Criticism

Mammas Nya Kille Returns for
1 MIN READ

Mammas Nya Kille Returns for a Ninth Season on Sveriges Radio

Hov1 Expands Farewell Tour with
1 MIN READ

Hov1 Expands Farewell Tour with New Dates in Sweden and Finland

Olympic Champion Sarah Sjöström First
2 MIN READ

Olympic Champion Sarah Sjöström First Out on Masked Singer Sweden

Zelda Film Set for 2027
1 MIN READ

Zelda Film Set for 2027 Release with Live-Action Adventure