Korean novel stands at the top of America’s most prestigious literary award

The English version ('We Do Not Part') of author Han Kang's (55) full-length novel, 'We Do Not Part', won the National Book Critics Circle Award in the novel category, one of America's most prestigious literary awards. This is the first time in history that a novel by a Korean author has received this award.

At the awards ceremony held in New York on the 26th (local time), the National Book Critics Association (NBCC) selected the English version, translated by Yewon Lee and Paige Morris, as the winner and evaluated it as "a deep examination of creation and truth in the midst of loss." The association added, "This artistic novel creates a strange atmosphere and leaves a long lasting impression like an overwhelming dream."

Since author Han Kang was unable to attend the awards ceremony in person, the editor-in-chief of Hogarth Publishing Company read his acceptance speech. The author conveyed the message, "I want to believe that there is still a flickering light within us. And I hope to hold on to that light firmly and move forward."

A work that interprets the Jeju April 3 tragedy in poetic language.

“No Goodbye,” published in Korea in 2021, is a novel that poetically depicts the tragedy and human suffering of the Jeju April 3 Incident through the perspectives of three women. At the time of publication, author Han Kang explained the meaning of the title as "a determination not to say goodbye, a determination not to end anything, whether it be love or mourning, and a determination to embrace and walk forward until the end."

This work has already received international recognition, winning the French Emile Guimet Asian Literature Award (2024) and the Japanese Yomiuri Literary Award in the research and translation category (2025). Since being introduced to the English-speaking world through Hogarth Publishing, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House, in January 2024, it has received steady attention in the American reading community.

In the United States, which is known to be conservative when it comes to translated literature from non-English languages, the fact that a translated book received the most prestigious award selected by book critics is considered an unusual achievement.

The trend of globalization of Korean literature

Korean literature has begun to receive attention on the world stage, forming a distinct trend in recent years. Author Han Kang became the first Korean to win the Man Booker International Prize for “The Vegetarian” in 2016, and was a finalist for the Booker Prize in 2018 for “White.” Winning the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature was the culmination of these achievements.

The progress of not only Han Kang but also other Korean artists is noteworthy. Author Jeong Bo-ra was a finalist for the Booker Prize in 2022 with “The Cursed Rabbit,” and Cheon Myeong-gwan’s “Whale” (2023) and Hwang Seok-young’s “Three Generations of Railroad Workers” (2024) were also named to the Booker Prize shortlist.

In the poetry sector, poet Kim Hye-soon played a pioneering role. He became the first Korean writer to win the 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award in the poetry category for “Wing Phantom Pain,” and in the same year, he became the first Asian to receive the German World Culture House (HKW) International Literary Award for “Autobiography of Death.”

In the field of children's literature, author Suji Lee became the first Korean to win the 2022 Andersen Award and author Baek Hee-na won the 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, broadening the base of Korean literature. Author Lee Geum-i is a finalist in the writing category for the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award.

Results created by the power of translation [AI analysis]

Experts point to the qualitative maturation of translation culture as the reason for the global advancement of Korean literature. The analysis is that the high-quality translation that fully conveys the writer's literary qualities has moved the hearts of overseas readers and critics.

Jeon Su-yong, head of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, expressed his intention to expand translation support, saying, “It is the result of the combination of the author’s deep literary character and high-quality translation that fully conveys it.”

However, some say that policy support for translators is essential for this trend to continue. In order for the symbolic achievements of winning the Nobel Prize in Literature and the National Book Critics Circle Award to not be a one-time event, it is highly likely that it will need to be accompanied by improvements in the training and treatment of translators who promote Korean literature to the world.

Author Han Kang's award is expected to be a milestone showing that Korean literature has gone beyond the framework of Asian literature and entered the center of world literature.