Han Kang: "I Wanted to Capture the Miraculous Sensation of Being Connected to the World in My Novels"

90-Minute Conversation at Avignon Festival: Memory, Mourning, and the Role of Literature
"Three Novels I Want to Write... When I Finish One, Another Appears"

Han Kang, the writer who has rarely appeared in public since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, said at the Avignon Festival in France that she "wanted to capture the miraculous sensation of being connected to the world" in her novels. This year, the Avignon Festival selected Korean as its official invited language, marking the first time an Asian language has held this distinction.

Writer Han Kang attended the 'Conversation with the Writer' event at the 80th Avignon Theatre Festival on the 12th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News

On the 12th (local time), Han Kang engaged in a 90-minute conversation with French journalist Laure Adler on the theme "How Can We Leave Traces on the Snow?" She remarked, "The truthful moments that come when we read literature ultimately connect people to one another," adding, "Just as water circulates, I wanted to express the feeling that we are all connected in my works."

While writing her novel "I Do Not Bid Farewell," she deliberately touched snow every winter for seven years. She explained, "Snow is cold and soft, but in the end, it disappears," and continued, "Because we, too, are beings with limitations, it is meaningful to write upon it."

She further noted, "Even literature that deals with the most despairing stories gives readers the sense that they are not alone. In the end, literature helps us take one step closer toward life."

She also stated that she does not distinguish between personal and political writing. "Although 'Human Acts' and 'I Do Not Bid Farewell' deal with Korea's history, they are ultimately works that explore the universal inner world of humanity," she said, adding, "I wanted to write about recurring violence and unending mourning."

Regarding her creative process, she explained, "Writing a novel is a process that moves toward a single moment," and said, "I try to capture all senses—what I see, hear, smell, the warmth and the pain—within the sentences." As for her next works, she added, "There are three novels I want to write, and when I finish one, another appears."

This year marks the 80th Avignon Festival, which selected Korean as its official invited language—the first time for an Asian language. Han Kang will meet the audience again through the reading performance "Oiseau (Bird)," based on her novel "I Do Not Bid Farewell," to be held at the Honorary Courtyard of the Papal Palace on July 15-16. The performance will feature French actress Isabelle Huppert and Korean actress Lee Hye-young.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.