When South Korean author Han Kang, 54, won the Nobel Prize in Literature earlier this month, the country fell into a state of collective jubilee. The author’s book sold over a million copies within six days, and music Han recommended in past interviews has been climbing up the charts on streaming sites. Fans have been flocking to the small bookstore she runs in Seoul, prompting the author to “temporarily close” shop.
As her books draw unprecedented attention and sell out nationwide, causing bookstores to rush reprints, one of her most famous works, The Vegetarian, has been embroiled in controversy over concerns that it may not be suitable for young readers.
A parent’s association called for banning The Vegetarian from school libraries, claiming the book is “harmful to minors. “Parents are shocked at the attempt to place a book with such extreme and violent content in elementary, middle, and high school libraries simply because it was written by a Nobel laureate,” the Confederation of National Parents’ Association said in a statement on Oct. 22.
