Han Kang
Han Kang is a South Korean writer known for her works 'The Vegetarian' and 'Human Acts'. She has received international acclaim and several literary awards, including the Man Booker International Prize.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. The Vegetarian
This novel tells the story of Yeong-hye, a dutiful Korean wife who, after having a disturbing dream, becomes a vegetarian, a decision that disrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her rebellion manifests in ever more bizarre and frightening forms, Yeong-hye spirals further and further into her fantasies of abandoning her fleshly prison and becoming - impossibly, ecstatically - a tree. The book is a darkly allegorical, Kafkaesque tale of power, obsession, and one woman’s struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.
The 804th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org or Amazon -
2. We Do Not Part
After Kyungha responds to an urgent call from her injured friend Inseon and travels to Jeju to save Inseon’s cherished white bird, a brutal winter storm and a fraught return home set the scene for a haunting, dreamlike exploration of their friendship. The novel intertwines the intimate bond between the two women with the slow uncovering of a suppressed episode of Korean history, tracing how memory and love confront past violence without revealing its specifics.
The 3472nd Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org or Amazon -
3. Human Acts
Set against the backdrop of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising in South Korea, the narrative delves into the profound and haunting impact of political violence on individuals and society. Through interconnected stories, it explores themes of humanity, suffering, and resilience, as characters grapple with the brutal realities of oppression and the struggle for dignity. The book poignantly examines the physical and emotional scars left by such events, offering a powerful meditation on the nature of human acts in the face of unimaginable adversity.
The 3601st Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Amazon -
4. Greek Lessons
Greek Lessons (Korean: 희랍어 시간, romanized: Huilab-eo Sigan) is a 2011 novel by South Korean author Han Kang. Published in South Korea on November 10, 2011, the book received an English-language release on April 18, 2023 by Hogarth Press. The novel was translated into English by Deborah Smith and Emily Yae Won.
The 14983rd Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Amazon -
5. The White Book
The novel is a meditative exploration of life, loss, and the color white, as the narrator reflects on her own existence and the death of her older sister, who died shortly after birth. Through a series of vignettes, the narrator contemplates various white objects and phenomena, such as snow, rice, and swaddling bands, using them as a lens to examine themes of grief, memory, and the ephemeral nature of life. The narrative weaves together personal history and philosophical musings, creating a poignant and introspective journey that blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination.
The 17114th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Amazon -
6. Light And Thread
From Nobel Prize winner Han Kang comes her first work of nonfiction published in English—a singular collection of writings including her inspiring Nobel Lecture.A LITERARY HUB AND ELECTRIC LIT MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEARIn this light-filled and multi-faceted book, Han Kang draws together the threads of her work and life, tracing the connections between her interior and exterior worlds through a sequence of essays, poems, photographs, and diaries, brilliantly translated by Maya West and e. yaewon & Paige Aniyah Morris.A book of reflections, of words and light, it has at its heart the tiny, north-facing courtyard garden at her home, cultivated solely through the reflected sunlight of the mirrors which she must move throughout the day, as the earth turns on its axis.In a poem written at eight years old, Han Kang imagined a “gold thread” of connection—an idea which she explores here with luminous attention, beginning with her Nobel Lecture. She writes of the wonder of following the thread we call language into the depths of other hearts, and her profound sense of an electric current which joins writer and reader.Both intimate and illuminating, Light and Thread is a book for all readers of Han Kang’s unique body of work.
The 17114th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org
