“DID YOU KNOW that Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” is banned from some public libraries in South Korea because it may promote poor gender sensitivity among young people?

So begins the post of Dr. Alex Taek-Gwang Lee, professor of philosophy at Kyung Hee University in Korea. I first met Alex at the International Critical Studies Conference held at the Ateneo de Manila University in December 2019, with Dr. Lulu Torres Reyes as the angel behind the scene.

Alex was a brilliant speaker and conversationalist, and we were planning to send abstracts for international academic conferences in 2020 in South Korea – until Covid-19 came and stopped everything.

I have since left the University of Nottingham Malaysia as Head of the School of English and Full Professor, and returned to the Philippines to teach and write. I also stayed in the United States for over a year to research and write. But Han Kang’s name was still there, floating around me like a specter. I read his books and found them poetic, innovative, even daring. And one fine day, Han Kang won the Nobel Prize.

I turned to Alex’s Facebook account to discover the perspective of a South Korean academic. He said: “The Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to Han Kang has multiple meanings, but I see it as the culmination of a second wave of feminism in South Korea. This movement, alongside the #MeToo movement, has radically transformed the landscape of Korean literature, pushing men to Although there are many critics of the Nobel Prize in Literature (myself included), I believe Han’s victory Kang is significant because she is the first Asian female writer to receive this honor. I am disappointed that Arundhati Roy did not win, I hope this marks a new opportunity for readers around the world to rediscover the richness of Asian literary production.

Hang Kang is a novelist with the heart of a poet. His words are always well chosen, his images echo in the mind. The British magazine The Conversationalist offers the same reading as mine.

He says: “It is often the case that when poets write novels, they deliver prose that is gripping, lively and agile. Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” (2007) is a good example, and it is undoubtedly the work that has had the most influence in the world. The Swedish Academy’s decision to award her the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. The committee said Kang received the prestigious prize because her “poetic and experimental style” had made her “an innovator in contemporary prose” .

Han Kang is the first South Korean writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature and, in its history of 121 winners over 117 years, the 18th woman to receive the prize. This is a travesty that must be remedied. Besides Arundhati Roy, my other bet for the Nobel Prize is Margaret Atwood, who wrote fantasy novels about dystopia and its nightmares.

“The Vegetarian” is Han Kang’s most widely read work. It was published in 2007 and translated into English for publication in the United Kingdom in 2015 and in the United States in 2016. Its title coincided with a sudden upsurge in the number of people turning to vegetarianism and veganism, particularly in the United Kingdom.

“While the novel is not a manifesto in favor of vegetarianism, it considers the impact of becoming a vegetarian when everyone around you eats meat. It chronicles protagonist Yeong-hye’s struggle to maintain her free will in response to her husband’s disgust at her decision (he sees it as disobedience), her brother-in-law’s erotic fascination with it and her father’s violent actions, the force-feeding of his pig. vegetarian” offers deep insight into patriarchal control of the female body and has been described as an anti-capitalist and eco-feminist revolt.”

Han Kang’s poetry and short stories are just as innovative and worthy as his novels, even if they are less known and their themes more obscure. His poetry often explores places (walking the streets of the city), juxtaposed with objects (street lamps, candles, mirrors) and the fragmented human body (an outstretched hand, fingertips, cheeks, tongues, eyelids frozen).

The English translation of his latest novel, “We Do Not Part,” will be published in February 2025. “We Do Not Part” is more obscure and complex than “The Vegetarian.” It’s the story of a woman named Kyungha, who goes to her friend Inseon’s rural home to care for a pet bird after Inseon is hospitalized following a logging accident. Trapped by a snowstorm, she discovers letters from the Jeju massacre of 1948-1949, where around 1,000 people were killed. I’m pretty sure Han Kang will return to town with this massacre as a starting point for another immersive novel.

The literature prize is often mired in controversy. Online communities throw out comments about the validity of winners and level accusations about the politics of choice. Some commentators are unhappy if the author is too obscure, like Norwegian Jon Fosse, winner in 2023. They are also annoyed if the prize is awarded to a dominant figure, as was the case when Bob Dylan won the prize in 2016 .

However, not everyone is happy. This victory sparked controversy from fellow South Korean author Kim Gyu Na. Kim questioned the merit of Han Kang’s work, calling his Nobel Prize “shameful” and “sad.” This review focuses on Han’s depiction of historical events such as the Gwangju Uprising and the Jeju Island Uprising.

This negative reaction is compounded by public reactions. More than 10,000 people rallied behind Kim, demanding the removal of “The Vegetarian” from school libraries. The controversy is not based solely on Han’s literature, but also reflects broader tensions within South Korean society. They revolve around the question of how literature should interact with history.

Han’s work asks painful questions about memory and identity, and his win is seen as recognition of the nuanced and often difficult exploration of these themes.

“The criticism, while fierce and perhaps bitter, also reflects the complex relationship between literature and society. Such discontent raises questions not only about individual works but also about the collective memory and history of nations. These discussions are particularly timely as South Korea grapples with its historical narrative, including events of violence and repression. The contrasting perspectives highlight how deeply personal literature can be. it resonates – or clashes – with the public conscience.

At the heart of this culture clash is the question: how does society deal with its past, and how should writers interact with the ghosts of history? The Nobel Prize awarded to Han has become emblematic of the struggle for national consciousness and collective memory.

My point of view is to view the story not just as a simple story, but as a character itself, a driving force in the story. And I guess that’s what Han Kang did – with precision, poetry and passion.

“Riverrun, A Novel” and “The Heart of Summer: Stories and Tales” by Danton Remoto were published by Penguin SEA. They are available on Fully Booked Online and www.acrephils.com.