Nobel Literature Laureate Han Kang, Increase in International Academic Papers Too

130 English Papers Published
International Journal Nature Navigator Expects Increasing Trend Triggered by Nobel Prize

On the 15th, books by author Han Kang, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature, are being exhibited at the Central Hall of the National Assembly Library in Yeouido, Seoul. To commemorate Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature, which marked a new chapter in Korean literature, the National Assembly Library is holding a special exhibition titled "Han Kang, the First Korean Nobel Laureate in Literature" for about two months starting from this day. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

International academic research on author Han Kang, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, is increasing and is expected to grow further in the future.

According to Nature Navigator, an international academic journal, the total number of academic papers published on author Han Kang was 139.

The number of papers on the author increased from 3 in 2015 to 10 in 2017. It then rose to 23 in 2020 and has maintained around 20 papers annually. This year, 15 papers have already been published. The papers identified by Nature were written in English.

Nature explained that the publication of Deborah Smith’s English translations of 'The Vegetarian', 'Human Acts', and 'White' in 2015, 2016, and 2017 sparked international academic interest in Han Kang’s literary world.

Nature also introduced that 'The Vegetarian' gaining the Man Booker International Prize and receiving worldwide attention was another reason it emerged as a research topic.

Nature stated that the research topics on Han Kang’s works are similar to the evaluation by the Nobel Committee. The papers addressed themes such as vegetarianism, violence, bodily autonomy, gender identity, and criticism of patriarchy. The Nobel Committee cited Han Kang’s award reason as her intense poetic prose that confronts historical trauma and reveals the fragility of human life.

Nature predicted that exploring the diverse academic research inspired by Han Kang’s works will be very interesting and that academic interest in her works will increase further following the Nobel Prize in Literature award.