NYT Names Korean Translated Novel as One of 10 Best Books of 2016

Korean writer’s 2007 novel, The Vegetarian, has placed its name on the list of 10 best books of the year selected by The New York Times.

On December 1, The New York Times released their list of books of the year, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Among the list was Han Kang’s novel, The Vegetarian.

The Vegetarian is a novel that draws attention to unsettling questions about human desire, existence, and submission. Translated by Deborah Smith, the novel has won the Man Booker International Prize this year.

“Han’s treatments of submission and subversion find form in the parable, as the housewife’s self-abnegation turns increasingly severe and surreal,” The New York Times introduces. Smith’s translation was highly praised as well, for “preserving Han’s penetrating exploration of whether true innocence is possible in a vicious and bloody world.”

By Heewon Kim