Han Kang had just had dinner with his son at home in Seoul when the Swedish Swedish Academy’s permanent secretary Mats Malm called.
– When I was interviewed by the Nobel Prize committee, I thought it was a hoax, but at the end I understood that it was real.
Since then, she has not wanted to talk to journalists. In a first interview since the announcement, Han assures Kang that she likes to celebrate, but that she did not want to hold a press conference or have a big party.
– I don’t want to be in the spotlight right now. I like to live in peace and quiet, and I need some time to think about what the price means, says Han Kang to SVT.
“Hope we can learn from our past”
A few days after the announcement, the phone has stopped ringing and the 53-year-old author has found his way back to peace and has been able to write.
– I want to focus on writing.
Her writing is characterized by themes such as violence, trauma and identity. The latest novel, I do not say goodbye, is about the massacre in South Korean Jeju. She is greatly influenced by the current world situation.
What can we learn by confronting terrible, historical events?
– We have had many opportunities to learn through our history and through the word, but obviously it seems to be repeating itself. I hope we can at least someday learn from our past. That we should stop killing is a very obvious conclusion from what we have been taught.
Coming to the Nobel celebration
Han Kang doesn’t think the award will change anything for her. She tells us that she doesn’t write very fast and that she wants to continue at her own pace.
– It’s as if I can write a novel a year, or something like that. For example, it took me seven years to complete We do not part. I take my time and I keep writing and I don’t think anything will change.
She will try to get to the award ceremony in Stockholm. As soon as she has finished the novel she is currently writing, hopefully in October, November, she will start writing her Nobel lecture.