"Death Every Day Due to War... What Celebration Is This?" Harsh Criticism
"At First, I Thought the Award News Was Fake News"
Veteran novelist Han Seung-won (85) expressed, upon hearing the news of his daughter, novelist Han Kang (54), winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, "It felt as if the world had been turned upside down." Han Seung-won conveyed that his daughter said, "With the intense wars in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine, and deaths being reported every day, what kind of celebration is there to have? I will not hold a press conference."
Novelist Han Seung-won, the father of writer Han Kang, met with reporters on the morning of the 11th at Haesantogul in Anyang-myeon, Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do (Han Seung-won Literature Museum) to share his daughter's thoughts on receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature. [Photo by Yonhap News]
On the 11th, Han Seung-won held a press conference at the Haesantogul pavilion in Anyang-myeon, Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do. Regarding why he stepped in on behalf of his daughter, he said, "I told my daughter to choose one of the domestic publishers and arrange a press conference," adding, "But when I spoke with her this morning, her thoughts had changed. She had shifted from thinking as a writer living in Korea to having a global perspective." He continued, "(My daughter) said that with the fierce wars in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine, and corpses being transported daily, what kind of celebration or press conference could there be? She said she would not hold a press conference," and asked for understanding.
He said, "The decision yesterday was sudden. It can be described as bewilderment," and added, "I cannot say I am happy or joyful." He further said, "The Hallimwon judges usually select older writers or poets. So I thought my daughter might only receive it several years later." Han Seung-won reportedly learned of his daughter's award through a reporter's contact when he was about to go to sleep. He asked the reporter who called, "Are you sure this is not a fake news alert?"
On April 15, 1995, Han Seung-won (left) and his daughter Han Kang (center) visiting the Kim Hyun Memorial Monument in the yard of the Mokpo Literature Museum in Jeonnam. [Photo by Han Seung-won]
He said, "The Nobel Prize in Literature is not only interested in recently published works but looks at the author's entire life’s body of work to reach a conclusion," and "Because of this, I thought my daughter’s turn had not yet come." Later, Han Seung-won appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and spoke about his daughter's Nobel Prize win, saying, "I was startled upon hearing the news. I had completely forgotten about it." He added, "(The Nobel committee) has often found unexpected individuals to award," and "Even if I had thought that our Kang might unexpectedly win, I had no expectations at all."
Novelist Han Seung-won, the father of Kang, met with reporters on the 11th at his writing studio, the 'Haesan Cave' pavilion in Anyang-myeon, Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, where he shared his thoughts and revealed a family photo capturing the growing-up years of Han Kang (second from the left). [Photo by Han Seung-won] [Image source=Yonhap News]
Han Kang reportedly received the news of her Nobel Prize win by phone from the Swedish side around 7:50 p.m. (Korean time), 10 minutes before the official announcement the previous day. She said, "So those people (the Nobel committee) are scary," and "That’s probably why (Kang) received the call and didn’t have a chance to share that joy with her mom and dad."
Han Seung-won evaluated his daughter's literary world as "A tragedy in Korean, but a tragedy is a tragedy wherever you put it, and she expresses that tragedy emotionally and lyrically, very deeply, beautifully, and sadly." He continued, "Starting with 'The Vegetarian,' she is probably recognized as a writer with special significance. Then came 'The Boy Who Escaped,' and then 'No Farewell.' With Gwangju and the April 3 Incident connected, there is a sense of trauma from the violence of the state and the world, and a kind of love for fragile humans that seems to be strongly conveyed. I think the judges captured that."
Novelist Han Seung-won, known as the father of Han Kang, met with reporters on the 11th at his writing studio, the 'Haesan Cave' pavilion in Anyang-myeon, Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, where he shared his thoughts and revealed a family photo capturing Han Kang's (first from the left) childhood. [Photo by Han Seung-won]
Finally, Han Seung-won said, "From my perspective, there are some of my writings that I find clumsy and want to discard, that I don’t want to promote," and "Comparing my works with Kang’s novels, there is nothing to discard in Kang’s novels. Each one is a masterpiece." He added, "This is not just because a hedgehog thinks its own baby is pretty. I look at novels with a cold, objective eye."
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