Fiction & Poetry, Modern & Contemporary Fiction
Human Acts

Human Acts: Winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature

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Paperback Published on: 03/11/2016
£9.99
9 reviews
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Bookseller Reviews

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Human Acts
Affecting & thought-provoking!
You'll probably need a long sit down after this. It's a pretty serious book. It does not paint a pretty picture - but it does call on us to remember, and l... READ MORE
Megan @ Inverness
Human Acts
bleak and brilliant
I absolutely loved this book. The book is set in South Korea and follows the experiences of young people killed by, or witnesses of, government troops sup... READ MORE
Amy Wilson at Leeds
Human Acts
Striking
This book leaves you in a very serious mood. You lose all sense of humour and the ability for light - hearted chatter for a little while after reading. Des... READ MORE
Lindsay Seddon at Chester
Human Acts
Han Hang NEVER fails to amaze, break and mend me.
Han Hang NEVER fails to amaze, break and mend me. Human Acts is a heart wrenching, interconnected story narrating the Gwangju student uprising in 1980 So... READ MORE
Léa at Brighton

Synopsis

A riveting, poetic and powerful work from the author of the International Booker Prize-winning novel The Vegetarian.

'Exquisite, painful and deeply courageous' Philippe Sands, Best Books of the Year, Guardian

Gwangju, South Korea, 1980. Amid a violent student uprising a young boy named Dong-ho is killed. As his friend searches for Dong-ho's corpse, we also meet an editor struggling against censorship, a prisoner and a factory worker, each suffering from traumatic memories, and Dong-ho's grief-stricken mother. Through their collective heartbreak and acts of hope comes a tale of a brutalised people in search of a voice.

A modern classic, Human Acts has been both a controversial bestseller and an award-winning book in Korea, and it confirmed Han Kang as a writer of international importance.

'[Han Kang's] way of telling about the events of a 10-day insurgency in Gwangju, South Korea in 1980 and its psychological, spiritual and political aftermath opened my eyes' Susie Orbach, Best Books of the Year, Guardian

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Granta Books
  • ISBN: 9781846275975
  • Number of pages: 224
  • Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 14 mm
  • Weight: 173g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Human Acts
Extraordinary
Before reading this book I had read the Vegetarian, Han Kang's previous novel, and thoroughly enjoyed the wackiness of its imagery as well as the darkness ... READ MORE
Rory
Human Acts
Poignant
I came to read this book knowing nothing of the South Korean uprising, and I was stunned at how brutal it must have been. The beautiful poetic style of Han... READ MORE
Leonie Robertshaw
Human Acts
Horrifying but amazing
We read this at bookclub and, for the first time ever, it was loved by everyone - though everyone took something different from it. Han Kang (and her trans... READ MORE
Sophie
Human Acts
A Harrowing Masterpiece
"When a living person looks at a dead person, mightn’t the person’s soul also be there by its body’s side, looking down at its own face?" As someone who... READ MORE
Rachael Carver
Human Acts
Haunting
A very strong read from Kang, although it did take me forever to finish. I think the story is very profound and important, and Kang does a great job at bri... READ MORE
holly can read