In Han Kang’s latest novel, the protagonist endures a severe woodworking accident that results in a grotesque injury. The surgical procedure to reattach her severed fingertips is not only painful but requires ongoing anguish where caregivers press needles into the stitches to stimulate blood flow – an agonizing reminder of the intertwining relationship between suffering and survival. "They said we have to let the blood flow, that I have to feel the pain," she confides. “Otherwise, the nerves below the cut will die.”
Through her fiction, Han dives deep into the scars of her nation’s past, focusing resolutely on two of South Korea's gravest historical moments: the 1980 Gwangju massacre that quashed a pro-democracy uprising, and an even more catastrophic event on Jeju Island that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands.
Since receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature last year, Han's voice has resonated both locally and globally. The English translation of her novel, “We Do Not Part,” which centers on the harrowing events at Jeju, is finally being made available to American readers, three years post its initial publication in Korean.
Kang's ability to articulate the rich tapestry of human suffering has opened doors to a wider audience, inviting readers to reflect on how memories of pain and loss are interwoven into the broader narrative of humanity. Her literature serves as a powerful reminder that the acknowledgment of historical atrocities is essential for collective healing and understanding.
