Before my own words of context have had a chance to dull the glisten of this year’s literary find, have yourselves a glimpse of The Vegetarian.
South Korean writer Han Kang’s novella charts the unexpected, frightening consequences of a woman’s decision to take up vegetarianism, an almost unheard-of practice in her culture. The blurb describes it thus:
A novel about modern day South Korea, but also a novel about shame, desire and our faltering attempts to understand others, from one imprisoned body to another.
The Man Booker International Prize, which consists of $50,000 and epic bragging rights, is given to a single book in English translation and shared equally between author and translator.
This year’s 13 shortlisted nominees included Elena Ferrante, the mysterious author of the Neapolitan trilogy and a hot favourite of the literary world’s who’s who. Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk, nominated for A Strangeness in My Mind, also presented a formidable challenge, having established himself as a powerhouse on the international market.
Han Kang’s win, therefore, gives us not only an exciting new read to add to our summer lists but also a scrappy underdog story to love.