In June 2016, Time included the book in its mid-year list of best books of 2016.[7]
Awards
The second part of the novella, "Mongolian Mark", was awarded the Yi Sang Literary Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in South Korea.[2]
2016 Man Booker International Prize
In 2016, the English translated edition of the book won the Man Booker International Prize for fiction, with the judging panel citing it as "unforgettably powerful and original".[3] The book became the first winner of the prize for which only one work of the author was judged, as compared to previous prizes which were awarded for collective works by an author. The novel beat The Story of the Lost Child by the Italian writer Elena Ferrante and A Strangeness in My Mind by the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, both of which were considered as frontrunners.[38]
The prize money of £50,000 was shared by Han and Smith.[3] The prize catapulted the book's international sales, as a further 462,000 copies were ordered and printed by Changbi Publishers to assuage the demand. Commenting on the sales, Han said, "I am overwhelmed. I had thought the previous 20,000 copies sold was good enough. I feel that Korean literature is starting to become a trend, now is just the beginning."[6]
List of awards
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Yi Sang Literary Prize | Awarded to Monggobanjeom [Mongolian Mark], a short story published in a South Korean literary magazine Literature & Society in 2004, which was included afterwards as a second piece of 2007 novel, Chaeshikjueuija [The Vegetarian] published by Changbi Publishers. |
| 2016 | Man Booker International Prize | Shared by author Han Kang and translator Deborah Smith |
