Nobel laureate Han Kang has further cemented her status as a titan of contemporary literature, winning the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) award for fiction in New York, per upi.com. The South Korean author’s acclaimed novel, We Do Not Part, was honoured at a ceremony on Thursday night, marking the first time a translated work has ever claimed the fiction prize in the award’s 50-year history.
The novel explores the harrowing legacy of the 1948 Jeju massacre, where 10s of thousands of civilians were killed during a period of intense political upheaval. Through the intertwined lives of three women, Han navigates the delicate boundary between historical trauma and the resilience of the human spirit. Heather Scott Partington, chair of the NBCC fiction committee, described the book as “a work of blinding melancholy” and an “arresting dream” that ruminates on truth amidst profound loss.
Although Han was unable to attend the Manhattan ceremony, her acceptance speech was delivered by editor David Ebershoff. In her address, she reflected on the seven-year journey to complete the manuscript, dedicating the win to those who “choose to stay within tenacious mourning” rather than bid an “impossible farewell” to the past.
The accolade follows a string of international successes for the novel. Its French edition, Impossibles adieux, previously secured the Prix Médicis étranger and the Émile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature. Han, who rose to global fame with The Vegetarian, noted that the writing process was physically and emotionally taxing, often leaving her longing for “spring” after years immersed in the “bleak weather” of the narrative.
This victory marks the second consecutive year a South Korean writer has been recognised by the NBCC, following poet Kim Hye-soon’s win in 2025. It underscores a growing global appetite for Korean letters, positioned at the intersection of private grief and public history.
