Nobel literature prize goes to South Korean author Han Kang

The Nobel prize in literature has been awarded to the South Korean novelist Han Kang for her "intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life". Her works include The Vegetarian, The White Book, Human Acts and Greek Lessons.

- Ella Creamer

"I was able to talk to Han Kang on the phone," said the Swedish Academy permanent secretary Mats Malm after announcing the winner. "She was having an ordinary day, it seemed - had just finished supper with her son. She wasn't really prepared for this, but we have begun to discuss preparations for December" - when Han, 53, will be presented with the Nobel prize. She is the first South Korean author and 18th woman to win the prize.

Han's novels, novellas, essays and short story collections have explored themes of patriarchy, violence, grief and humanity. Her 2007 novel The Vegetarian, translated into English in 2015 by Deborah Smith, won the International Booker prize in 2016.

Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel committee, said Han's "empathy for vulnerable, often female, lives is palpable, and reinforced by her metaphorically charged prose".