While congratulations from all over the world continue for novelist Han Kang (54), the first Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, controversy is expected as an active writer writing for a major daily newspaper pours out harsh remarks disparaging him.
Novelist Kim Gyu-na posted on her Facebook page on the 10th, “It is the meaning of (Han Kang’s) winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, a decline in Nobel value, proof of literary hypocrisy, and justification of historical distortion.”
He said, “If you comment negatively, you will say it is because of envy, but it is clear that he is a winner of his time, but he is not an award that will be proud of in history. If it had to be given to an Asian country, it should have been given to China’s Yan Renke. The literature of this year’s winner and Yanenke is so drastically different in weight, texture, quality, and emotion that it cannot even be compared. If they had chosen her even after comparing the two, all of the judges at the Academy would have been political, materialistic, or fanned by the list. Or is it because she is a woman?” he said, disparaging writer Han Kang’s award.
He continued, “As I told those who attended the last cultural literacy seminar, the novels written by award-winning authors that claim to ‘face historical trauma’ are all distortions of history. ‘The Boy is Coming’ is the story of how the Korean military brutally massacred a flower-like middle school boy and an innocent citizen of Gwangju during Ohsuppal (a derogatory term for May 18). ‘We will not say goodbye’ It also unravels the story that the Jeju Sasam incident was a massacre of innocent citizens by our country’s police,” he said.
He said, “The fact that the Academy published such a review and praise shows that they know nothing about Korean history, and can only be interpreted as meaning that they are playing to the publisher’s lobby. So many readers will say, wow, I’m proud, and be enthusiastic about the book. “That’s how false history will truly be stuffed.” However, he did not specifically explain which part was a historical distortion.
Finally, he said, “Many people may celebrate and say that this is the first time in our country, but I am just embarrassed. And it’s sad. Still, I am very envious of the 1 billion won prize,” he added.
Writer Kim also posted on Facebook on the 11th, saying, “There are many people who are congratulating even among those on the right. I think it’s because you don’t know what book he wrote. I’m not writing this because my stomach hurts. It’s not that I’m not celebrating because I’m jealous. I also want to be proud of this internationally prestigious award and congratulate it. “I don’t want to be kicked out of the literary world and hated,” he wrote.
He continued, “But as someone who has entered the field of literature, and as a poor writer who believes that literature should at least keep the human spine upright, I don’t think that’s right if the reason I should be happy is just because I’m Korean. Someone has to tell the truth and make it known, right? “It’s okay to distort history because it’s fiction, and people who say that since Korea won, we should celebrate regardless of left or right, are saying this because they don’t know the power of literature and the power of novels.”
He said, “The top bestsellers in bookstores are already books by that author. It has sold a lot so far and will continue to sell a lot in the future. And that will soon become the established theory of history. Even to people from other countries. But is it really okay? “Can I really celebrate and feel proud?”
Meanwhile, according to the author’s explanation on the Yes24 website, author Kim debuted in 2006 when his short story ‘My Man’s Dream’ won the Busan Ilbo Spring Literary Contest, and in 2007, his short story ‘Knife’ won the Chosun Ilbo Spring Literary Contest. In 2017, he published his first full-length novel, ‘Trust Me’. Currently, he writes for the Chosun Ilbo under the name ‘A World Like a Novel’ and also publishes short stories in the Internet media Sky Daily.
Song Chi-hoon, Donga.com reporter [email protected]
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