Quote by Han Kang: “Humans kill the most beautiful flowers because they can’t bear their beauty.”

This powerful statement suggests a dark side to human nature, where intense beauty can provoke destructive impulses rather than admiration. It hints at jealousy, fear, or a desire to control what is perceived as overwhelmingly pure or perfect.

Reflecting on the darker aspects of human psychology, this period in literature often explored the undercurrents of violence and control within seemingly normal societies.

South Korean novelist and Nobel Prize in Literature laureate in 2024. Her novel The Vegetarian, translated into English in 2015, examines bodily autonomy, violence, and resistance through a woman's refusal to eat meat in conformist South Korean society.