5 Reasons to Read Han Kang

Have you ever felt pulled in two different directions while reading the same literary piece that leaves you breathless while feeling like a breath of fresh air at the same time? What if a novel could be both beautiful and brutal, poetic and political or tender and terrifying, blending all these contradictions? If you are curious and intrigued, it’s time you stepped into Han Kang’s fictional universe. The renowned South Korean author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024 was acclaimed “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life”. Here are 5 reasons you should find a place for Han Kang’s novels on your bookshelf.

1.  Deep and disquieting subjects

Han Kang touches the core of human existence by exploring experiences that are difficult to navigate or discuss openly in society because they often cause negative reactions and misunderstandings. Whether she talks about bodily autonomy and protest against patriarchy, or personal and historical trauma and suffering, Han Kang's writing has the power to touch the readers deeply. In “The Vegetarian”, the female protagonist Yeong-hye decides to stop eating meat after a disturbing dream. Her decision isn’t perceived as expected according to societal expectations in her country, where eating meat is an unwritten rule in the Korean diet and lifestyle. Therefore, she is perceived as rebellious and nonconformist by her family members, who force her to continue to eat meat in disturbing ways. Yeong-hye’s struggles to adhere to a different lifestyle have a profound meaning because, in fact, her vegetarianism is a statement against patriarchy and conformism, and in favour of bodily autonomy and personal freedom of choice.

2.  Controversial and challenging themes

Han Kang challenges societal norms and pushes the ethical and cultural boundaries by exploring provocative themes such as autonomy, objectification, censorship, violence, mental illness, suffering, trauma, repression, survival, social stigma and death. In “Human Acts”, an emotionally devastating that centers around a real event in South Korea's history, the Gwangju Uprising (1980), themes such as trauma, suffering, censorship, violence and death take the central stage and challenge the readers by inviting them to reflect, understand and feel deeply and express empathic concern. The novel allows the reader to experience multiple perspectives and understand the consequences of this brutal event on the lives of different innocent people who fell victim to it. The Gwangju Uprising, which was violently suppressed by military force and ended up in a massacre, left a black stain in South Korea's history, and Han Kang managed to handle this controversial topic with grace and dignity in her novel.

3.  Intense and impactful emotions

Han Kang focuses on intense and raw emotions that are difficult to process for both characters and readers alike. The alienation felt by the protagonist of “The Vegetarian” is painful and realistic, while the feelings of alienation, abandonment, despair and exile are overwhelming and difficult to navigate. Grief is the emotional core of “Human Acts”, a heartbreaking story about losing a loved one to political violence. The grief felt by the characters in this novel is expressed through a range of emotions or physical manifestations such as anger, sadness, silence or tears. The feelings of longing and emptiness are expressed in one of Han Kang’s less popular novels, “The White Books”, in which the protagonist reflects upon the death of a baby sister and the difficulty of expressing this pain through proper language.

4.  Merging personal and collective history

Han Kang’s novels mingle the personal experiences of her characters with the experiences lived collectively by people over the centuries. Yeong-hye’s struggle with the patriarchal system in “The Vegetarian” isn’t just a singular experience, but a collective one that women in Korean society have endured so far. The grief in “Human Acts” is a collectively felt emotion that weighs on the hearts of the victims who lost a loved one during the Gwangju Uprising. Whether it's about the fight against patriarchy or the aftermath of shocking political events, the destinies of Han Kang’s characters intertwine with different historical, political and social aspects of South Korea.

5.  Cross-cultural universality

Han Kang’s stories are deeply rooted in Korean culture and history, but despite this fact, the universal themes resonate with readers across language and borders. Themes like alienation, grief, identity, suffering or trauma are universal and can touch the hearts of any readers in search of depth, profound understanding or intense and emotional literary experiences.

Han Kang doesn’t write lighthearted stories that give you comfort - she crafts deeply emotional stories so complex that they have the power to haunt you long after turning the last page. Therefore, if you are ready for fiction that challenges your mind and transforms your heart, Han Kang’s novels are waiting for you.

Would you give it a try? Let us know!