Han Kang's father attributes Nobel Prize to 'delicate, beautiful and sad' writing

The father of Han Kang, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, said on Friday that his daughter’s achievement was sooner than expected and attributed the achievement to her writing technique — extremely delicate, beautiful and sad.

Han Seung-won, left, father of Han Kang, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024, speaks to reporters at a press conference held in South Jeolla on Friday. [YONHAP]

The father of Han Kang, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, said on Friday that his daughter’s achievement was sooner than expected and attributed the achievement to her writing technique — extremely delicate, beautiful and sad.

During a press conference held in South Jeolla, Han Seung-won, the 84-year-old novelist, said he thought his daughter would have a chance of winning several years later as the Swedish Academy tends to comprehensively assess authors’ books published over their lifetime and award the Nobel Prize to older writers and poets.

“My daughter is now 53, and I thought she would be in the Swedish Academy’s consideration around four years from now because one laureate won the prize at 57,” the father said.

Han said, “Sentences written by my daughter are extremely delicate, beautiful and sad.”

“My daughter embodied beautiful literature by combining mystical elements with magical realism. Although older generations call realism an author's grave, young writers like my daughter are not ashamed of incorporating realism into their pieces but consider it a merit.”

The father noted that his daughter’s novel “Human Acts” (2014) is poetic, and her latest novel, “We Do Not Part” (2021), drags readers into magical realism through eerie and mystical words.

“Human Acts” is based on the democratic movement that happened in Gwangju in May 1980, and “We Do Not Part” centers on the April 3, 1948 uprising on Jeju Island, in which thousands lost their lives when it was brutally suppressed.

Elementary students attending the school where Nobel Prize winner Han Kang graduated learn about Han on Friday, the day after her award was announced. [NEWS1]

He said Han’s writing is “best suited” to depicting historical trauma and the love of fragile human beings. He also pointed to the critical role of the English translator.

“Regarding the award-judging, how to translate the original Korean meaning of sadness into a foreign language is critical because our Korean language has its own unique sentiment.”

He said the translator of "The Vegetarian" (2007), Deborah Smith, was an “expert” in preserving the original nuance of Korean words, noting that her childhood background in a traditional British family and educational journey of learning Korean for seven years in both Britain and Korea helped her develop a perspective on Korean society.

“When writers wish to make their pieces well renowned worldwide, they should choose the right translator.”

The father also noted he conversed with his laureate daughter, who decided not to hold her press conference in an era "where countless deaths happened in the war between Russia and Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Palestine." She felt that now was not the right time to celebrate, according to her father.

“Now, my daughter has a global sensibility, transcending her previous sensibility as a writer living in Korea.”

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]