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Human Acts
A Novel
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Human Acts
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This novel is suited to readers interested in historical fiction and political themes, as well as those who appreciate poetic prose that confronts social and human trauma. Fans of international literary fiction and works exploring human rights and memory will find this deeply resonant and thought-provoking.
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See moreWhen a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed in the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial, and the echoing agony of the massacre. Through their collective heartbreak and acts of hope unfolds the tale of a brutalized people in search of a voice.
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Description
FROM HAN KANG, WINNER OF THE 2024 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
“[Han Kang’s] intense poetic prose . . . confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”—The Nobel Committee for Literature, in the citation for the Nobel Prize
The internationally bestselling author of The Vegetarian presents a “rare and astonishing” (The Observer) portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice.
“Compulsively readable, universally relevant, and deeply resonant . . . in equal parts beautiful and urgent.”—The New York Times Book Review
Shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award • One of the Best Books of the Year: The Atlantic, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, HuffPost, Medium, Library Journal
Amid a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.
The story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial, and the echoing agony of the massacre. From Dong-ho’s best friend who meets his own fateful end; to an editor struggling against censorship; to a prisoner and a factory worker, each suffering from traumatic memories; and to Dong-ho's own grief-stricken mother; and through their collective heartbreak and acts of hope is the tale of a brutalized people in search of a voice.
An award-winning, controversial bestseller, Human Acts is a timeless, pointillist portrait of an historic event with reverberations still being felt today, by turns tracing the harsh reality of oppression and the resounding, extraordinary poetry of humanity.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781101906743
Publisher: Hogarth Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 17 October 2017
Imprint: Hogarth Press
Contributors:
- Translated by Deborah Smith
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 16.0mm
Width: 131.0mm
Height: 203.0mm
Weight: 198g
Pages: 240
Collections
About the Author
Han Kang was born in 1970 in South Korea. She is the author of The Vegetarian, winner of the International Booker Prize, as well as Human Acts, The White Book, Greek Lessons, and We Do Not Part. In 2024, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
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The Vegetarian by Han Kang is an intoxicating and visceral novel that delves into the psyche of a woman seeking transformation and liberation from societal norms. The story centres around Yeong-hye, an unremarkable yet dutiful wife living in Seoul, South Korea. Her life is thrown into turmoil when she decides to stop eating meat, a decision that baffles and enrages...Paperback$2200Elsewhere:$3200Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Human Acts
Gwangju, South Korea, 1980. In the wake of a viciously suppressed student uprising, a boy searches for his friend's corpse, a consciousness searches for its abandoned body, and a brutalised country searches for a voice. In a sequence of interconnected chapters, the victims and the bereaved encounter censorship, denial, forgiveness, and the echoing agony of the original trauma. Human Acts...Paperback$2399Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
We Do Not Part
Like a long winter's dream, this haunting and visionary new novel from 2024 Nobel Prize winner Han Kang takes us on a journey from contemporary South Korea into its painful history. Beginning one morning in December, We Do Not Part traces the path of Kyungha as she travels from the city of Seoul into the forests of Jeju Island, to...Hardback$3900Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
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WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 'A strange, painfully tender exploration of the brutality of desire indulged and the fatality of desire ignored... Exquisite.' Eimear McBride Yeong-hye and her husband are ordinary people—dutiful wife and mild-mannered office worker. One day, prompted by grotesque recurring nightmares, Yeong-hye decides to become a vegetarian. But in South Korea, where vegetarianism is almost unheard-of...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Greek Lessons
A powerful novel of the saving grace of language and human connection, from the celebrated author of The Vegetarian. In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice. Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing...Paperback$2400Elsewhere:$2600Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The White Book
From the author of The Vegetarian and Human Acts comes a book like no other. The White Book is a meditation on colour, beginning with a list of white things. It is a book about mourning, rebirth, and the tenacity of the human spirit. It is a stunning investigation of the fragility, beauty, and strangeness of life. Translated from the...Paperback$2600Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Light and Thread
What is love? It is the gold thread connecting between our hearts. In this light-filled and multi-faceted book, her first since being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, Han Kang draws together the threads of her work and life, tracing the connections between her interior and exterior worlds through a sequence of essays, poems, photographs and diaries. A book of...Hardback$2999Elsewhere:$3500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
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FROM HAN KANG, WINNER OF THE 2024 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE “[Han Kang’s] intense poetic prose . . . exposes the fragility of human life.” —The Nobel Committee for Literature, in the citation for the Nobel Prize NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • A dazzling novel about the saving grace of language and human connection, from the “visionary” (New York...Paperback$4800Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks -
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