What made your first book in German translation, “Die Vegeratierin”, such a risk? Were there any doubts in the publishing house, for example in the infamous representatives conference?
Sure, the pitch – a woman who turns into a plant in protest against the prevailing conditions – sounds very special at first and would perhaps be even more difficult to pull off today. But at the time it was more of an adventure than a risk. The license was cheap; I think we paid a low four-figure amount. And at Aufbau-Verlag at that time, we were looking for special books with publishing director Gunnar Cynybulk and my colleague Lina Muzur in order to sharpen the publisher's profile. I didn't have to convince them of Han Kang, there was quickly a mutual enthusiasm and Lina Muzur continued to look after the title. So it was a real community project. And at the time of its release in Germany, Han Kang won the Booker International, which was good timing, and then it worked. (Also thanks to Volker Weidermann's portrait in the mirror.)
When and under what circumstances did you meet her?
We met during her reading tour in Berlin. I got to know her as a very charismatic woman. Very level-headed.
In her two major books “The Vegetarian” and “Human Work” she has found a language about the reality of the civil war and the reality of a woman in strongly patriarchal South Korea that has enabled a new and special compassion that succeeds in making experiences when reading almost physical to be transferred to the readers. In her home country, as far as I can tell from a distance, she has greatly influenced and changed the way we talk about realities. I am very happy about this award because it proves – please forgive me if it sounds like a cliché – that literature is still first and foremost about language.
