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Nobel win awakens interest in novelist Hang Kang's musical side

Published: 13 Oct. 2024, 12:25

Author Han Kang's books are displayed at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul. [NEWS1]

Han Kang's Nobel Prize victory has not only celebrated her literary achievements but has also brought attention to her work in other fields, including music.

Accompanying her 2007 essay collection, "Quietly Sung Songs,” is an album featuring 10 songs that she wrote, composed and performed herself.

The essay collection describes Han’s songwriting process as “remarkably unconventional.”

"Unable to actually compose a song, she would write down the lyrics and solfege, memorize the entire song and record it,” the description reads. “A professional musician would then transcribe her recordings into arrangements for piano, cello, bass, oboe and other instruments."

"I've always wanted to hide my true self,” said Han in a 2007 interview with a local news outlet Channel Yes. “I often hide behind the stories I write. But music, which requires a very physical element, forced me out of my shell."

Han won the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday, marking the second time a Korean has won a Nobel Prize, following former President Kim Dae-jung (1924-2009), who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.

Chairman of the Nobel Committee Anders Olsson described her as having "a unique awareness of the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead."

BY LEE JI-YOUNG [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]