New york: Han Kang has been honored with the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) prize for fiction for her novel "We Do Not Part," solidifying her standing as one of literature's most significant voices. This recognition follows her receipt of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Han Kang's award-winning novel was published in English translation in 2024 and was celebrated during the NBCC's annual awards ceremony held in New York. Heather Scott Partington, chair of the NBCC's fiction committee, praised the novel as "a work of blinding melancholy, bleak weather, and murmuring syntax," highlighting its haunting exploration of trauma.

Although Han Kang was unable to attend the ceremony, David Ebershoff, vice president and editor-in-chief of Hogarth, accepted the award on her behalf. In her acceptance speech, Kang expressed gratitude to those who supported her during the seven-year writing process of the novel. She described the novel as an exploration of mourning, with characters choosing to remain in a state of tenacious remembrance instead of bidding farewell.

"We Do Not Part" delves into the tragic history of the 1948 Jeju massacre in South Korea, capturing the perspectives of three women affected by the event. The uprising, a protest against U.S. military-led rule, was falsely labeled as a communist revolt, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. The novel's protagonist, Jung-shim, embodies resilience amidst sorrow, reflecting the indomitable human spirit in the face of historical tragedy.

The novel has achieved international acclaim, with its French edition, "Impossibles adieux," earning France's prestigious Prix Medicis for foreign literature in 2023 and the Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature in 2024. Han, who began her literary career as a poet in 1993, has candidly shared the challenges of bringing the novel to fruition. Her efforts culminated in what she described as the happiest moment of her writing career.

The NBCC, established in 1976, annually recognizes outstanding books published in English across six categories. Han Kang's achievement marks the second consecutive year a Korean writer in translation has received an NBCC award and the first time a translated work has won the fiction prize.