I currently live in South Korea and can tell you the excitement for Han Kang's win is palpable here. Having read all four of her english translated works she definitely deserves all the acknowledgment. Human Acts is a book that resonates with me years after reading it.
Han Kang writes beautifully crafted poetic novels. As a Korean, I am very happy that her works are highly appreciated internationally. Although she is most recognized for Vegetarian, I recommend Human Acts. She writes about a tragic historical event with a humanitarian view. Han Kang refused all interviews in Korea, because there is still war going on in the Middle East and Ukraine. That is the kind of person she is.
Thanks Greg for your reaction video and really in depth analysis. I live in USA, and wish Can Xue would win the prize. However, after 2024 winner was given to Han Kang, I immediately read her book of Vegiterian, I thought Han Kang is a genius and her works are one of best in Nobel literature laureates! However I did not think some of laureates in last 15 years live up to this glory... Congratulations to Hang Kang! Her works are both fantasticly poetic and ferociously powerful... I am currently reading her Greek Lessons, and will read all her novels soon.
I really enjoyed Human Acts and The Vegetarian. Her writing definitely has an element of the grotesque to it. I've used the term "body horror" to describe The Vegetarian a few times. She gets under your skin in a profound and disturbing way. And I love that, I'm looking forward to reading more by her.
I loved this reaction video, Greg! I’m thrilled with the choice and really appreciated your very well-spoken and well-considered point of view on the subject.
It's certainly a challenge when your prize is supposed to include all literature from everywhere. This is why more regional prizes are so relevant: National Book Award, the Booker Prize, Akutagawa Prize, etc.
I do hope this will lead to opening the door, truly making the prize a global one. I loved "The Vegetarian", and "Greek Lessons", was very pleasantly surprised at the win today.
I had already ordered, from my favorite indi bookshop 😉,,“The Vegetarian” a few days before the Nobel prize was announced (on the recommendation of another book tuber😬) . Really looking forward to reading it😊!
Hello from Puerto Rico again. I had to write this to you. One of the member of our bookclub saw her in Spain. And ..she signed her book. I am green of envy.
Interesting choice - I've only read two books by her but if they're representative of the rest of them, she's certainly a worthy winner. The one that I absolutely loved was The White Book. Stunning, deeply moving, just don't go into it expecting a "novel". You touched upon it, but I think that the biggest obstacle for them to make the Nobel Prize for Literature as global as most people would like it to be is the translation factor. The eighteen members of the Academy have to be able to read the books by a nominated author, and the publishers are reluctant to translate books by unknown authors written in smaller languages, not just into Swedish (small language and small publishing market) but even into English, as you remarked regarding Han Kang. They do use external readers now, to suggest authorships that the Academy might have missed, but again; the Academy members need to be able to read the books. I know that they sometimes commission a translation of an author not yet available in an accessible language, but probably only samples to see if it's worth going forward with. And I think that's why that connection to Europe that you spoke about (Gurnah, Ishiguro) exists: their works are written in English. It would also probably be easier for them if they could rotate members or if they didn't have other commitments other than the prize! And, BTW, this is not meant as an excuse or defense - just a little context. I absolutely think they should do everything they can to mix things up and save us from the endless parade of white European men... 😜
It's an extremely important discussion and I am glad that we're having it when it comes to global literary prizes. A couple of months ago I came across a comment on RUclips stating that the reason American books dominate lists of global best books is because the work is inherently superior to that coming from other parts of the world. This person acknowledged that there might have been flukes of genius produced in other societies but the supreme quality of American literature remains undisputed. As ridiculous as this might seem, many feel this way because of the overrepresentation of American and European literature and the underrepresentation of the rest of the world. Additionally, I don't believe that the selection committees of these prestigious prizes are willing to embrace and value the significance of global literature that doesn't fit the European mould or acknowledge authors who're critical of political realities that make them uncomfortable.
Lol I can't believe that people really think that. North America is notoriously bad at importing books, but they export like crazy. Literally every other country (except the UK to an extent) imports way more. It's just cultural imperialism, not the US being "superior".
Thank you for this insightful and very important discussion, Greg! I think it's very difficult to get out of the North American/Western European culture bubble when you live within it, because the culture industry in these regions is exceptionally good at making us want to read more from writers within this bubble. This has helped me to think about challenging my own internalised biases and I'm going to make an effort to read more global literature next year.
Abdulrazak Gurnah was born in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which later became today's Tanzania. Great video. I was surprised that the Nobel Prize went this year to a writer who has no connection to Europe or North America. Han Kang deserves this award. I have read two of Han Kang's books, The Vegetarian and The White Book. I liked them both. I would recommend reading The Vegetarian first.
I think Han Kang is an excellent choice. I disagree a bit that she is an unusual kind of Nobel Prize winner. Every couple of years, there are laureates like Ishiguro, Pamuk, and Coetzee, who feel more like successful and popular but worthy contemporary writers as opposed to the more retrospective lifetime winners (Grass, Lessing, etc.). Han Kang, to me, is such an "of course her" kind of winner, and I think she was also an easy choice given that she is so popular and widely translated into English and other major languages, that she won the International Booker, and is on the NYT 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list (which doesn't have that much translated fiction on it). Not to criticize the choice-again, it's an excellent one-but while she is not connected to the US or UK in that she lives there or writes in English, she is connected to the US/UK/European literary world in that she would probably be on a very short list (5?) of obvious non-white/non-male candidates from a US/UK/European perspective. So it doesn't feel like the jury had to really search to find her. The even clearer choice to support more diversity would be to award somebody who is a major literary figure in countries/cultures/languages outside the Eurocentric world, but who is not yet well-known and translated, so to try toget a little bit more across the translation or Eurocentric reading tastes barriers, which seem to make the diversification of this prize so hard.
I’ve read three (this never happens!) 🤩 I was so thrilled for her! I’d definitely recommend you read the white book first (the style is more vignette-y poetry). But I also believe you’ll really enjoy Greek Lessons as well. I’m very curious to hear your thoughts eventually 😊 Great video, Greg!
Me too! Love Han Kang so much! I never want to read authors' complete work after they become the winner.... All these years. Han Kang is the first one to me. Her works are so beautiful while touching the souls of human beings. Her technique is also great. Most of winners works are so boring! But han Kang is definitely an exception 😊❤
I bought The Vegetarian in London in 2017, before it was translated into Norwegian. It has been sitting on my shelf ever since, and I just finished reading it. I am not quite sure what to say, but it really made an impact.
Adichie and Atwood are my two current top wishes, but i also wanna become more well versed in international lit most likely to be Nobel prize awarded so I can be prepared and maybe have more faves yknow
@@barrymoore4470 She uses Russian, as I guess many Belarusian authors do because of the prevalence of Russian in the region. But I feel the correct mention of her nationality is important, especially since a big chunk of her work and her activism is interlinked with her Belarusian identity.
I think it’s a challenge to do a global prize from the seat in Europe. There’s probably intensely warranted Nobel laureates out there in the world that just haven’t had the privilege of being translated into English. This is the biggest barrier to worldwide fair representation. More so than bias even. That being said, more women and people of color could be considered even within the North American/European continents! These countries are such melting pots, that any different cultured immigrant could give a different perspective as well. So I’m somewhat understanding the “bias” that quite frankly - is thrust upon us all by lack of availability and knowledge of the greater world of literature due to our location and bombardment of local writers. If that’s all we get, and all we are, that’s what will happen. Yes though I agree that the Nobel should do better. If they are “worldwide” then they need to branch out to find the authors - scour through earth - to find them and maybe to translate them as well for our European-blinded view! There’s just such a plethora of published works between Europe and NA, it’s hard to even see anything else. Wouldn’t it be fun to be a literary explorer, traveling with an interpreter, roaming the earth to read obscure brilliant authors? Damn, I just made up my dream job description WHO WANTS to FUND it? I’ll leave tomorrow 😂😂😂😂😂😂
A note on her surname: it sounds more like 'a' in father rather than rhyming with rang. I remember reading The Vegetarian with a group of ajumas (mothers and older women), so I'm very pleased she won the award. She's a great writer it is not wasted on her. Indeed, I don't think there's a writer who the award was wasted on, and I do disagree with the complaint about white European men winning. Such a line of thinking diminishes the prize in my mind, and last the thing we need is for DEI to get it's sleazy little grips on the committee, that will ruin it for sure. That said, I think the committee has nothing to lose by being 100% transparent and publishing their short lists. Also, at this point each year Rushdie does not win it should be considered a small sin.
@@SupposedlyFun DEI is sanctioned discrimination. It's become a cult. There's no logic in the 'movement' just this religious dogma. Once that gets is fangs into something it will suck it dry. I'm all about equality, but kind of like how Stalinism perverted communism, DEI is perverting equality. It would be really sad to see the Nobel Prize become one its many victims.
I felt exactly the same way as you did about The Vegetarian. I read it in Korean. However, I did feel that her presentation of all that ugliness was very 'poetic' and masterful.
There is by now a fairly long record of the Academy recognizing talents from outside Europe and North America, with such luminaries as Rabindranath Tagore (British-ruled India), Gabriela Mistral (Chile), S. Y. Agnon (Israel), Yasunari Kawabata (Japan), Pablo Neruda (Chile), Patrick White (Australia), Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia), Wole Soyinka (Nigeria), Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt), Nadine Gordimer (South Africa), Derek Walcott (Saint Lucia), Kenzaburō Ōe (Japan), Gao Xingjian (China), V. S. Naipaul (Trinidad and Tobago), J. M. Coetzee (South Africa), Orhan Pamuk (Turkey), Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru), Mo Yan (China), Abdulrazak Gurnah (Tanzania), and now of course Han Kang (South Korea) all awarded the prize (in 1913, 1945, 1966, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2021, and 2024, respectively). Hence I am a bit puzzled, but by no means indignant, about the Academy apparently expressing contrition at overlooking worthy authors from outside North America and Europe and pledging to become more inclusive. Ultimately, though, I think the prize should be awarded based strictly on artistic merit, with political and sociological considerations at best secondary in the selections made. To do otherwise cheapens, I think, the integrity of the award for what is touted as literature of the highest order. Your discussion on the variability of translation impinges greatly on the adequate assessment of literary merit, as ultimately any given work of literature can only truly be grasped in its original language, with any translation inevitably an interpretation of the original. These are interesting concerns and questions, and I appreciated your thoughtful presentation.
@@SupposedlyFun That's roughly a quarter of winners, a significant percentage of writers from outside Europe and North America, certainly not a majority, but as I argue, it shouldn't have to be. And a non-European, non-North American writer was honored as early as 1913.
@@barrymoore4470 That's 16.5% to be exact, so emphasis on the "roughly" a quarter there. And listen, in this context saying "I think the prize should be awarded based strictly on artistic merit" is just another way of saying "I don't think the Swedish Academy needs to address an inherent bias against non-white or non-European authors." Whenever I have this conversation, people love to hide behind the notion that non-European authors aren't winning the Nobel based on ARTISTIC merit, which means that it's fine. And that, to me, is very revealing of what your actual values are.
@@SupposedlyFun Math has never been my strong suit, but my contention remains that the Academy has indeed shown attention to and in fact rewarded a significant number of writers from outside Europe and North America, and has been doing so for over a century now. If they deliberately seek to be even more inclusive or representative of literature outside of Europe and North America, that's great, and not problematic at all as long as literature of high merit remains the fundamental criterion, rather than using political or sociological considerations in awarding the prize. I'm not at all saying that the authors thus awarded lack literary merit (I've not even read Han Kang) and your low-blow assumption about my values or lack thereof is quite unfair, since you know nothing about me other than these few posts I have made. I happen to be a progressive American citizen, supportive of multiculturalism, equality, and justice for all human beings everywhere, and recognize artistic genius in every corner of the globe.
@@barrymoore4470 You're right, I don't know you. That's why I say "Whenever I have this conversation, people love to hide behind the notion that non-European authors aren't winning the Nobel based on ARTISTIC merit, which means that it's fine. And that, to me, is very revealing of what your actual values are." Because regardless of whether or not you identify as a progressive person or not, you are parroting the same argument that people who are the opposite of progressive make. And maybe that should be food for thought for you. It might come from a place of good faith, but the conclusion still appears to be that they don't have work to do in order to improve--and while you say you aren't indignant about that work, you expressed that you are puzzled that this is even a problem in the first place. So you are telling me that you oppose systemic bias but are puzzled by evidence of it here, and don't necessarily think anything needs to be done about systemic bias because "some people" have succeeded in spite of that bias. It's the same "well-intended" rhetoric I run into every year when a new Nobel laureate is crowned. So whether or not you identify as progressive, you're in my comments being the person to argue for artistic merit over reform this year.
Angry comment! Another angry comment!!! 😇 I love you reactions and I love all the different book awards, which give people access to ideas of what to read that perhaps they wouldn't have had before. That being said, book awards are so subjective. The juries are made up of people and people's opinions are so subjective. It doesn't matter what I say is the greatest book ever written, because that is my opinion and you are allowed to disagree with it. It's like any other award. Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Booker, NBA, Pulitzer. The jury is a small group of people and their ideas and experiences are different and they will have different opinions. You prove that Greg, every time you say "I've heard very good reviews of this book and I've heard very bad reviews of this book." Or "I didn't care for this book but I know a lot of people who loved it!" Can't wait to read some Han Kang!
Very curious to read one of her books. I’m not sure about The Vegetarian given your experience, but The White Book does sound interesting. I’d be curious to hear what authors (outside the Euro/N American white world) other people would like to see win. I’m thinking Ogawa would be a good choice.
I've only read the Vegetarian, I agree with everything you said about it. I've reserved her others at the local library. Interested to check them out and see what else becomes available after translation.
I’m Mexican-American. My first language is English, but I’ve lived most of my life (63 years) in Mexico. So, I’m bilingual, but more importantly, I’m bicultural. When I read a bad Spanish translation of Pride & Prejudice, I got furious. All the incredible intelligence and character beauty of Lizzy were lost, portraying her as a bitter and ambitious “bi…” Translation has to be done through the knowledge of more than just the words. I’ve worked as a ghostwriter, but I would never dare to do so in English because I know that my knowledge doesn’t go as far as that implies. So, Spanish it is.
I felt exactly the same way about The Vegetarian. I admired the book so much and I still couldn’t get it out of my house fast enough. She succeeded too well. 😂
I have not read any Kang (have avoided The Vegetarian because, like you, I am squeamish) but think her a great choice. The topic of translation/adaptation is very interesting. Would you consider a future deep dive discussion? (Like you don't have enough to do, I know!) A while back I read an interview with Frances Riddle, who has translated many of Claudia Pineiro's books and it was fascinating to hear about her technique. She begins by literally translating the text word for word, then going back and making sure she hasn't missed anything vital, before she even begins to transform the resulting word vomit (I think she called it) into a work of literature. By the time she is done, Riddle says, she has "written" every word of the finished (translated) novel. She also makes the point that a reader experiencing a book in their native language does so on a surface level, whereas a translator has to get down much deeper inside the text. I think it would make for a great video, hint, hint. 😉
To say there were "internal problems" with the Swedish Academy is a fine understatement considering its systemic corruption (or appearance thereof, which is just as toxic) for the last few decades, but it seems to have cleaned house so let's hope it can regain its prestige. Kinda odd really, considering that Swedes generally seem to be such morally upright types (unless you read Stieg Larsson, I guess) ;) I'm so glad I stumbled on this channel, thanks for informing me of the new laureate, and for providing such a well-reasoned and engaging analysis of recent Literature Prizes and the new laureate's background. As an ex-translator, I found your discussion about The Vegetarian's English 'translation/adaptation' (transtation? adaplation?) and general translation considerations to be super fascinating - a conversation worth having, indeed. "Almost Rashomon, but I don't wanna go down that road" lol. Respect to you for admitting you traded in your copy ;) I'm deffo gonna look out for Greek Lessons. Anyway, I really enjoyed your intelligent discourse, looking forward to future videos, subscribed.
You can strengthen your argument for expanding the global reach of the Nobel prize for literature by mentioning specific non-western authors will you believe should receive the promise.
Forgive me for skepticism if you have good intent, but all too often when people make this statement it’s because they think it’s a “gotcha,” because they can’t imagine that authors outside of Europe or North America who deserve the prize exist, which is a terrible and silly notion.
@@RichardJSchwartz He would have been a great choice. I would add Kobo Abe if we're thinking about Japanese authors from the past. In the present, I think Selva Almada is building a solid case for herself. And while not everyone would be excited, Tsitsi Dangarembga would be a very interesting selection.
I've only read The Vegetarian which I also didn't enjoy, but I am nevertheless quite pleased to see Han Kang winning the Nobel Prize as she has quite a body of work, is highly regarded and she is not the standard European white male . I think I'll now pick up something else by her. Disappointed there is no Australian winner again, but hey I'm biased.
Nice video! I have read all of the four except Human Acts, and to me her work is very good at depicting intense suffering. I think the character development is great. I hope that they start translating older books of hers, too, because I would love to be able to read one every year into the near future.
Just wondering about the composition of the judging panel? Is it truly global? If not, I can see how there will be continual issue with then awards being flocsl
Anders Olsson, Ellen Mattson, Steve Sem-Sandberg, Anna-Karin Palm and Anne Swärd are in the nobel committee. They are all from Sweden. Alfred Nobel wanted the committee to be just 5 people. But literature professors from all around the world are welcome to share suggestions for them to read.
Svenska Akademien isn't going to allow non-swedish-speaking members in, I reckon. They are the backbone of the Swedish language and are responsible for publishing the national dictionary here.
I'm honestly not Kang's biggest fan - having read two of her books, i feel it's just not for me. However, i love and support what her winning represents and open paths to.
She definitely has a fascinating point of view, regardless of whether or not her books work for a reader (and many people probably won’t get into her work).
I used to read along with literary prizes like the Booker, Nobel, etc, but have long learned that that's not the way to read, enjoy, learn, and expand. There's far too much great literature to pursue out there so I don't get caught up in this kind of hype anymore. You know, I won't buy or read Han Kang precisely because she won some rich European award. There are other fish or veggies to fry.
I agree that it isn’t necessary to read along with book prizes to have an enriching reading life, but I admit I don’t see the point of not reading an author just because they won a prize.
Interesting discussion, Thanks. Just one point though, i.m.o. If one is a poetry lover, you will definitely not quibble with the Bob Dylan Nobel Prize win. ❤
13:47 I think that anyone disagreeing with the decision to award the NP to Dylan has never looked deeply into his lyrics. Some of those are among the best poems I ever came across. For me it was one of the best choices of the last 20 years.
Forgive this rambling comment but I feel that visceral literature is appropriate for our times, which arguably stretches back to the 20th century. The actual body horror of violence in the world, and especially now has become acute. Han Kang was an excellent choice; ' The Vegetarian ' in the Granta publication 2023 flawless. Visceral literature is important because it gets us out of our comfort zone. Yanagihara's ' A Little Life ' comes to mind and Dennis Cooper's ' Frisk ' as well. Excellent books in my opinion, and the latter novel raises another point. When are the Nobel Prize going to recognise LGBT literature ? Many authors come to mind worthy of the prize, but how much intrinsic homophobia in our society prevents this ? Read Garth Greenwell's ' Small Rain ' and even the best of Alan Hollinghurst. I do agree Africa and other non-European/American literature should be considered, and that the Nobel Prize doors should be opened wider on many levels.
I think many of these organisations do not want to look past their own experiences, so we tend to get winners from a small pool of people. I am sorry you get so many hateful comments about this, but I've noticed certain segments of book people get angry when anyone talks about diversity or inclusion. This attitude is incomprehensible to me.
The Vegetarian is the only one I’ve read also 🫣 & ironically (?) , though it was a couple years ago, I had just brought it up to my partner a couple nights ago - went on a ten min spiel & realized then how impactful it actually was - aka: I agree!! . 📚🪱💚
![[#2024MAMA] BIGBANG (빅뱅) - 뱅뱅뱅 (BANG BANG BANG) + FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EQsYfiPR9uM/mqdefault.jpg)
![[인터뷰] '채식주의자' 번역가 데버라 스미스 | Interview with Man Booker Intl. Prize Winner Deborah Smith (Audio Only)](/img/1.gif)
I currently live in South Korea and can tell you the excitement for Han Kang's win is palpable here. Having read all four of her english translated works she definitely deserves all the acknowledgment. Human Acts is a book that resonates with me years after reading it.
I am so so so so happy she won!!
Im so happy for you and the people of South Korea, yo must be so proud!!!! Congrats!!! ❤❤❤
Han Kang writes beautifully crafted poetic novels. As a Korean, I am very happy that her works are highly appreciated internationally.
Although she is most recognized for Vegetarian, I recommend Human Acts. She writes about a tragic historical event with a humanitarian view.
Han Kang refused all interviews in Korea, because there is still war going on in the Middle East and Ukraine. That is the kind of person she is.
Congratulations to Han Kang !! I would recommend reading The Vegetarian first.
Thanks Greg for your reaction video and really in depth analysis.
I live in USA, and wish Can Xue would win the prize. However, after 2024 winner was given to Han Kang, I immediately read her book of Vegiterian, I thought Han Kang is a genius and her works are one of best in Nobel literature laureates!
However I did not think some of laureates in last 15 years live up to this glory...
Congratulations to Hang Kang! Her works are both fantasticly poetic and ferociously powerful... I am currently reading her Greek Lessons, and will read all her novels soon.
Congratulations to Kang. I would like to see more authors from other continents win the Nobel.
Thanks, Greg, for the in-depth discussion I was looking for. Looking forward to reading her work!
Thanks!🎉for the update !
Thank you so much!
I really enjoyed Human Acts and The Vegetarian. Her writing definitely has an element of the grotesque to it. I've used the term "body horror" to describe The Vegetarian a few times. She gets under your skin in a profound and disturbing way. And I love that, I'm looking forward to reading more by her.
I loved this reaction video, Greg! I’m thrilled with the choice and really appreciated your very well-spoken and well-considered point of view on the subject.
I appreciate that! I agree that it was a great choice.
It's certainly a challenge when your prize is supposed to include all literature from everywhere. This is why more regional prizes are so relevant: National Book Award, the Booker Prize, Akutagawa Prize, etc.
I do hope this will lead to opening the door, truly making the prize a global one. I loved "The Vegetarian", and "Greek Lessons", was very pleasantly surprised at the win today.
I had already ordered, from my favorite indi bookshop 😉,,“The Vegetarian” a few days before the Nobel prize was announced (on the recommendation of another book tuber😬) .
Really looking forward to reading it😊!
What an incredible coincidence! I hope you enjoy it.
Hello from Puerto Rico again. I had to write this to you. One of the member of our bookclub saw her in Spain. And ..she signed her book. I am green of envy.
How cool!
Interesting choice - I've only read two books by her but if they're representative of the rest of them, she's certainly a worthy winner. The one that I absolutely loved was The White Book. Stunning, deeply moving, just don't go into it expecting a "novel".
You touched upon it, but I think that the biggest obstacle for them to make the Nobel Prize for Literature as global as most people would like it to be is the translation factor.
The eighteen members of the Academy have to be able to read the books by a nominated author, and the publishers are reluctant to translate books by unknown authors written in smaller languages, not just into Swedish (small language and small publishing market) but even into English, as you remarked regarding Han Kang.
They do use external readers now, to suggest authorships that the Academy might have missed, but again; the Academy members need to be able to read the books. I know that they sometimes commission a translation of an author not yet available in an accessible language, but probably only samples to see if it's worth going forward with.
And I think that's why that connection to Europe that you spoke about (Gurnah, Ishiguro) exists: their works are written in English.
It would also probably be easier for them if they could rotate members or if they didn't have other commitments other than the prize!
And, BTW, this is not meant as an excuse or defense - just a little context. I absolutely think they should do everything they can to mix things up and save us from the endless parade of white European men... 😜
It's an extremely important discussion and I am glad that we're having it when it comes to global literary prizes. A couple of months ago I came across a comment on RUclips stating that the reason American books dominate lists of global best books is because the work is inherently superior to that coming from other parts of the world. This person acknowledged that there might have been flukes of genius produced in other societies but the supreme quality of American literature remains undisputed. As ridiculous as this might seem, many feel this way because of the overrepresentation of American and European literature and the underrepresentation of the rest of the world.
Additionally, I don't believe that the selection committees of these prestigious prizes are willing to embrace and value the significance of global literature that doesn't fit the European mould or acknowledge authors who're critical of political realities that make them uncomfortable.
Lol I can't believe that people really think that. North America is notoriously bad at importing books, but they export like crazy. Literally every other country (except the UK to an extent) imports way more. It's just cultural imperialism, not the US being "superior".
Thank you for this insightful and very important discussion, Greg! I think it's very difficult to get out of the North American/Western European culture bubble when you live within it, because the culture industry in these regions is exceptionally good at making us want to read more from writers within this bubble. This has helped me to think about challenging my own internalised biases and I'm going to make an effort to read more global literature next year.
Abdulrazak Gurnah was born in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which later became today's Tanzania. Great video. I was surprised that the Nobel Prize went this year to a writer who has no connection to Europe or North America. Han Kang deserves this award. I have read two of Han Kang's books, The Vegetarian and The White Book. I liked them both. I would recommend reading The Vegetarian first.
Her poetic prose to confronts historical traumas and exposes fragility of human life.
I think Han Kang is an excellent choice. I disagree a bit that she is an unusual kind of Nobel Prize winner. Every couple of years, there are laureates like Ishiguro, Pamuk, and Coetzee, who feel more like successful and popular but worthy contemporary writers as opposed to the more retrospective lifetime winners (Grass, Lessing, etc.). Han Kang, to me, is such an "of course her" kind of winner, and I think she was also an easy choice given that she is so popular and widely translated into English and other major languages, that she won the International Booker, and is on the NYT 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list (which doesn't have that much translated fiction on it).
Not to criticize the choice-again, it's an excellent one-but while she is not connected to the US or UK in that she lives there or writes in English, she is connected to the US/UK/European literary world in that she would probably be on a very short list (5?) of obvious non-white/non-male candidates from a US/UK/European perspective. So it doesn't feel like the jury had to really search to find her. The even clearer choice to support more diversity would be to award somebody who is a major literary figure in countries/cultures/languages outside the Eurocentric world, but who is not yet well-known and translated, so to try toget a little bit more across the translation or Eurocentric reading tastes barriers, which seem to make the diversification of this prize so hard.
What an interesting debate about translation, i never really thought of this until i read Babel by RF Kuang. Loving this debate!
Translation is a fascinating process!
I’ve read three (this never happens!) 🤩 I was so thrilled for her! I’d definitely recommend you read the white book first (the style is more vignette-y poetry). But I also believe you’ll really enjoy Greek Lessons as well. I’m very curious to hear your thoughts eventually 😊
Great video, Greg!
Thank you! And thanks for the recommendations.
Me too! Love Han Kang so much! I never want to read authors' complete work after they become the winner.... All these years. Han Kang is the first one to me.
Her works are so beautiful while touching the souls of human beings. Her technique is also great.
Most of winners works are so boring! But han Kang is definitely an exception 😊❤
@@yz9016 It's so fun to be able to celebrate an author you love winning a prize like the Nobel.
I bought The Vegetarian in London in 2017, before it was translated into Norwegian. It has been sitting on my shelf ever since, and I just finished reading it. I am not quite sure what to say, but it really made an impact.
In NYC now. Picked up a copy of Human Acts yesterday. I think I will wait to get home before starting it. I have The Vegetarian at home.
Adichie and Atwood are my two current top wishes, but i also wanna become more well versed in international lit most likely to be Nobel prize awarded so I can be prepared and maybe have more faves yknow
Han Kang is such a well deserved choice too, I wouldn’t have expected it so soon but I def expected her to be a contender at some point in her career
7:55 Svetlana Alexievich is Belarusian.
True, while the language in which she composes is Russian.
@@barrymoore4470 She uses Russian, as I guess many Belarusian authors do because of the prevalence of Russian in the region. But I feel the correct mention of her nationality is important, especially since a big chunk of her work and her activism is interlinked with her Belarusian identity.
I think it’s a challenge to do a global prize from the seat in Europe. There’s probably intensely warranted Nobel laureates out there in the world that just haven’t had the privilege of being translated into English. This is the biggest barrier to worldwide fair representation. More so than bias even. That being said, more women and people of color could be considered even within the North American/European continents! These countries are such melting pots, that any different cultured immigrant could give a different perspective as well. So I’m somewhat understanding the “bias” that quite frankly - is thrust upon us all by lack of availability and knowledge of the greater world of literature due to our location and bombardment of local writers. If that’s all we get, and all we are, that’s what will happen. Yes though I agree that the Nobel should do better. If they are “worldwide” then they need to branch out to find the authors - scour through earth - to find them and maybe to translate them as well for our European-blinded view! There’s just such a plethora of published works between Europe and NA, it’s hard to even see anything else. Wouldn’t it be fun to be a literary explorer, traveling with an interpreter, roaming the earth to read obscure brilliant authors? Damn, I just made up my dream job description WHO WANTS to FUND it? I’ll leave tomorrow 😂😂😂😂😂😂
A note on her surname: it sounds more like 'a' in father rather than rhyming with rang. I remember reading The Vegetarian with a group of ajumas (mothers and older women), so I'm very pleased she won the award. She's a great writer it is not wasted on her. Indeed, I don't think there's a writer who the award was wasted on, and I do disagree with the complaint about white European men winning. Such a line of thinking diminishes the prize in my mind, and last the thing we need is for DEI to get it's sleazy little grips on the committee, that will ruin it for sure. That said, I think the committee has nothing to lose by being 100% transparent and publishing their short lists.
Also, at this point each year Rushdie does not win it should be considered a small sin.
Why is the notion of equity "sleazy?"
@@SupposedlyFun DEI is sanctioned discrimination. It's become a cult. There's no logic in the 'movement' just this religious dogma. Once that gets is fangs into something it will suck it dry. I'm all about equality, but kind of like how Stalinism perverted communism, DEI is perverting equality. It would be really sad to see the Nobel Prize become one its many victims.
I felt exactly the same way as you did about The Vegetarian. I read it in Korean. However, I did feel that her presentation of all that ugliness was very 'poetic' and masterful.
Part of me is curious to reread it now, but the rest of me is reluctant to venture back into that world. 😂
There is by now a fairly long record of the Academy recognizing talents from outside Europe and North America, with such luminaries as Rabindranath Tagore (British-ruled India), Gabriela Mistral (Chile), S. Y. Agnon (Israel), Yasunari Kawabata (Japan), Pablo Neruda (Chile), Patrick White (Australia), Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia), Wole Soyinka (Nigeria), Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt), Nadine Gordimer (South Africa), Derek Walcott (Saint Lucia), Kenzaburō Ōe (Japan), Gao Xingjian (China), V. S. Naipaul (Trinidad and Tobago), J. M. Coetzee (South Africa), Orhan Pamuk (Turkey), Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru), Mo Yan (China), Abdulrazak Gurnah (Tanzania), and now of course Han Kang (South Korea) all awarded the prize (in 1913, 1945, 1966, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2021, and 2024, respectively). Hence I am a bit puzzled, but by no means indignant, about the Academy apparently expressing contrition at overlooking worthy authors from outside North America and Europe and pledging to become more inclusive.
Ultimately, though, I think the prize should be awarded based strictly on artistic merit, with political and sociological considerations at best secondary in the selections made. To do otherwise cheapens, I think, the integrity of the award for what is touted as literature of the highest order. Your discussion on the variability of translation impinges greatly on the adequate assessment of literary merit, as ultimately any given work of literature can only truly be grasped in its original language, with any translation inevitably an interpretation of the original.
These are interesting concerns and questions, and I appreciated your thoughtful presentation.
With respect, you have cited 20 Nobel laureates. There are 121 total laureates for literature.
@@SupposedlyFun That's roughly a quarter of winners, a significant percentage of writers from outside Europe and North America, certainly not a majority, but as I argue, it shouldn't have to be. And a non-European, non-North American writer was honored as early as 1913.
@@barrymoore4470 That's 16.5% to be exact, so emphasis on the "roughly" a quarter there. And listen, in this context saying "I think the prize should be awarded based strictly on artistic merit" is just another way of saying "I don't think the Swedish Academy needs to address an inherent bias against non-white or non-European authors." Whenever I have this conversation, people love to hide behind the notion that non-European authors aren't winning the Nobel based on ARTISTIC merit, which means that it's fine. And that, to me, is very revealing of what your actual values are.
@@SupposedlyFun Math has never been my strong suit, but my contention remains that the Academy has indeed shown attention to and in fact rewarded a significant number of writers from outside Europe and North America, and has been doing so for over a century now. If they deliberately seek to be even more inclusive or representative of literature outside of Europe and North America, that's great, and not problematic at all as long as literature of high merit remains the fundamental criterion, rather than using political or sociological considerations in awarding the prize. I'm not at all saying that the authors thus awarded lack literary merit (I've not even read Han Kang) and your low-blow assumption about my values or lack thereof is quite unfair, since you know nothing about me other than these few posts I have made. I happen to be a progressive American citizen, supportive of multiculturalism, equality, and justice for all human beings everywhere, and recognize artistic genius in every corner of the globe.
@@barrymoore4470 You're right, I don't know you. That's why I say "Whenever I have this conversation, people love to hide behind the notion that non-European authors aren't winning the Nobel based on ARTISTIC merit, which means that it's fine. And that, to me, is very revealing of what your actual values are." Because regardless of whether or not you identify as a progressive person or not, you are parroting the same argument that people who are the opposite of progressive make. And maybe that should be food for thought for you. It might come from a place of good faith, but the conclusion still appears to be that they don't have work to do in order to improve--and while you say you aren't indignant about that work, you expressed that you are puzzled that this is even a problem in the first place. So you are telling me that you oppose systemic bias but are puzzled by evidence of it here, and don't necessarily think anything needs to be done about systemic bias because "some people" have succeeded in spite of that bias. It's the same "well-intended" rhetoric I run into every year when a new Nobel laureate is crowned. So whether or not you identify as progressive, you're in my comments being the person to argue for artistic merit over reform this year.
Angry comment! Another angry comment!!! 😇 I love you reactions and I love all the different book awards, which give people access to ideas of what to read that perhaps they wouldn't have had before. That being said, book awards are so subjective. The juries are made up of people and people's opinions are so subjective. It doesn't matter what I say is the greatest book ever written, because that is my opinion and you are allowed to disagree with it. It's like any other award. Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Booker, NBA, Pulitzer. The jury is a small group of people and their ideas and experiences are different and they will have different opinions. You prove that Greg, every time you say "I've heard very good reviews of this book and I've heard very bad reviews of this book." Or "I didn't care for this book but I know a lot of people who loved it!" Can't wait to read some Han Kang!
"It feels like an audacious choice, and I celebrate that." 36:30 💜👍
Congratulations Han Kang!❤
📚 🎉 🥂
Very curious to read one of her books. I’m not sure about The Vegetarian given your experience, but The White Book does sound interesting.
I’d be curious to hear what authors (outside the Euro/N American white world) other people would like to see win. I’m thinking Ogawa would be a good choice.
I've only read the Vegetarian, I agree with everything you said about it. I've reserved her others at the local library. Interested to check them out and see what else becomes available after translation.
I hope you enjoy her other books!
I’m Mexican-American. My first language is English, but I’ve lived most of my life (63 years) in Mexico. So, I’m bilingual, but more importantly, I’m bicultural. When I read a bad Spanish translation of Pride & Prejudice, I got furious. All the incredible intelligence and character beauty of Lizzy were lost, portraying her as a bitter and ambitious “bi…” Translation has to be done through the knowledge of more than just the words. I’ve worked as a ghostwriter, but I would never dare to do so in English because I know that my knowledge doesn’t go as far as that implies. So, Spanish it is.
A bad translation can ruin a whole book!
So... they will never give it to Atwood. 🙄
I felt exactly the same way about The Vegetarian. I admired the book so much and I still couldn’t get it out of my house fast enough. She succeeded too well. 😂
I have not read any Kang (have avoided The Vegetarian because, like you, I am squeamish) but think her a great choice.
The topic of translation/adaptation is very interesting. Would you consider a future deep dive discussion? (Like you don't have enough to do, I know!) A while back I read an interview with Frances Riddle, who has translated many of Claudia Pineiro's books and it was fascinating to hear about her technique. She begins by literally translating the text word for word, then going back and making sure she hasn't missed anything vital, before she even begins to transform the resulting word vomit (I think she called it) into a work of literature. By the time she is done, Riddle says, she has "written" every word of the finished (translated) novel. She also makes the point that a reader experiencing a book in their native language does so on a surface level, whereas a translator has to get down much deeper inside the text.
I think it would make for a great video, hint, hint. 😉
To say there were "internal problems" with the Swedish Academy is a fine understatement considering its systemic corruption (or appearance thereof, which is just as toxic) for the last few decades, but it seems to have cleaned house so let's hope it can regain its prestige. Kinda odd really, considering that Swedes generally seem to be such morally upright types (unless you read Stieg Larsson, I guess) ;) I'm so glad I stumbled on this channel, thanks for informing me of the new laureate, and for providing such a well-reasoned and engaging analysis of recent Literature Prizes and the new laureate's background. As an ex-translator, I found your discussion about The Vegetarian's English 'translation/adaptation' (transtation? adaplation?) and general translation considerations to be super fascinating - a conversation worth having, indeed. "Almost Rashomon, but I don't wanna go down that road" lol. Respect to you for admitting you traded in your copy ;) I'm deffo gonna look out for Greek Lessons. Anyway, I really enjoyed your intelligent discourse, looking forward to future videos, subscribed.
You can strengthen your argument for expanding the global reach of the Nobel prize for literature by mentioning specific non-western authors will you believe should receive the promise.
Forgive me for skepticism if you have good intent, but all too often when people make this statement it’s because they think it’s a “gotcha,” because they can’t imagine that authors outside of Europe or North America who deserve the prize exist, which is a terrible and silly notion.
I am very fond of Japanese literature. I would have given the prize to Junichirō Tanizaki when he was alive.
@@RichardJSchwartz He would have been a great choice. I would add Kobo Abe if we're thinking about Japanese authors from the past. In the present, I think Selva Almada is building a solid case for herself. And while not everyone would be excited, Tsitsi Dangarembga would be a very interesting selection.
I've only read The Vegetarian which I also didn't enjoy, but I am nevertheless quite pleased to see Han Kang winning the Nobel Prize as she has quite a body of work, is highly regarded and she is not the standard European white male . I think I'll now pick up something else by her. Disappointed there is no Australian winner again, but hey I'm biased.
Nice video! I have read all of the four except Human Acts, and to me her work is very good at depicting intense suffering. I think the character development is great. I hope that they start translating older books of hers, too, because I would love to be able to read one every year into the near future.
Just wondering about the composition of the judging panel? Is it truly global? If not, I can see how there will be continual issue with then awards being flocsl
I don’t know for certain, so take this with a massive grain of salt, but I THINK it’s at least predominantly European.
Anders Olsson, Ellen Mattson, Steve Sem-Sandberg, Anna-Karin Palm and Anne Swärd are in the nobel committee. They are all from Sweden. Alfred Nobel wanted the committee to be just 5 people. But literature professors from all around the world are welcome to share suggestions for them to read.
Svenska Akademien isn't going to allow non-swedish-speaking members in, I reckon. They are the backbone of the Swedish language and are responsible for publishing the national dictionary here.
Han gang!!'*
🥂
"Kang" has an "ah" sound, and the "k" has a slight "g". It should thus be pronounced more like "gahng".
I'm honestly not Kang's biggest fan - having read two of her books, i feel it's just not for me. However, i love and support what her winning represents and open paths to.
She definitely has a fascinating point of view, regardless of whether or not her books work for a reader (and many people probably won’t get into her work).
Watching on youtube..where are the time stamps?
In the description box.
That's what I'm asking. I see all the comments but I don't see the description box
Got it!!!
I used to read along with literary prizes like the Booker, Nobel, etc, but have long learned that that's not the way to read, enjoy, learn, and expand. There's far too much great literature to pursue out there so I don't get caught up in this kind of hype anymore. You know, I won't buy or read Han Kang precisely because she won some rich European award. There are other fish or veggies to fry.
I agree that it isn’t necessary to read along with book prizes to have an enriching reading life, but I admit I don’t see the point of not reading an author just because they won a prize.
Interesting discussion, Thanks.
Just one point though, i.m.o. If one is a poetry lover, you will definitely not quibble with the Bob Dylan Nobel Prize win. ❤
Ah, but there has even been discourse online about whether or not music counts as poetry. Lots of thorny areas for anyone who wants to quibble.
13:47 I think that anyone disagreeing with the decision to award the NP to Dylan has never looked deeply into his lyrics. Some of those are among the best poems I ever came across. For me it was one of the best choices of the last 20 years.
That’s fair. Many people disagree. I’ll give it this: it was a bold choice.
Had to come back from 2016, awarding the literature prize to Bob Dylan.
Re: White. In many Asian cultures white is worn at funerals.
The Neustadt International Prize has a better track record than the Nobel.
I hadn’t heard of that prize-looking it up.
Forgive this rambling comment but I feel that visceral literature is appropriate for our times, which arguably stretches back to the 20th century. The actual body horror of violence in the world, and especially now has become acute. Han Kang was an excellent choice; ' The Vegetarian ' in the Granta publication 2023 flawless. Visceral literature is important because it gets us out of our comfort zone. Yanagihara's ' A Little Life ' comes to mind and Dennis Cooper's ' Frisk ' as well. Excellent books in my opinion, and the latter novel raises another point. When are the Nobel Prize going to recognise LGBT literature ? Many authors come to mind worthy of the prize, but how much intrinsic homophobia in our society prevents this ? Read Garth Greenwell's ' Small Rain ' and even the best of Alan Hollinghurst. I do agree Africa and other non-European/American literature should be considered, and that the Nobel Prize doors should be opened wider on many levels.
I think many of these organisations do not want to look past their own experiences, so we tend to get winners from a small pool of people. I am sorry you get so many hateful comments about this, but I've noticed certain segments of book people get angry when anyone talks about diversity or inclusion. This attitude is incomprehensible to me.
European culture resonates with Nobel committee. I don't think they have capacity to actually judge literature outside of the west.
I read Greek lessons and really don’t get the hype 🥴
Fair enough, but plenty of people have like Han Kang’s work.
@@SupposedlyFun could, like you said, be a translation thing, as well🤷🏻♀️
@@rschreuer Definitely one of the tricky aspects of translation.
Lol first
What does this mean?
@@daigreatcoat44 It means first comment. 😃
to talkative. get to the point.
There are time stamps in the description box to jump to different parts of the conversation.
The Vegetarian is the only one I’ve read also 🫣 & ironically (?) , though it was a couple years ago, I had just brought it up to my partner a couple nights ago - went on a ten min spiel & realized then how impactful it actually was - aka: I agree!! . 📚🪱💚