FROM HAN KANG, WINNER OF THE 2024 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
“[Han Kang’s] intense poetic prose . . . exposes the fragility of human life.”—The Nobel Committee for Literature, in the citation for the Nobel Prize
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • A dazzling novel about the saving grace of language and human connection, from the “visionary” (New York Times Book Review) author of the International Booker Prize winner The Vegetarian
“Both a disquieting journey about the loss of sense and a return to the sensorium of touch and intimacy, Greek Lessons soars with sensuous and revelatory insight.”—Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, Time, Chicago Public Library, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal
"Now and then, language would thrust its way into her sleep like a skewer through meat, startling her awake several times a night."
In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice. Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing his sight.
Soon the two discover a deeper pain binds them together. For her, in the space of just a few months, she has lost both her mother and the custody battle for her nine-year-old son. For him, it's the pain of growing up between Korea and Germany, being torn between two cultures and languages, and the fear of losing his independence.
Greek Lessons tells the story of two ordinary people brought together at a moment of private anguish—the fading light of a man losing his vision meeting the silence of a woman who has lost her language. Yet these are the very things that draw them to each other. Slowly the two discover a profound sense of unity—their voices intersecting with startling beauty, as they move from darkness to light, from silence to breath and expression.
Greek Lessons is the story of the unlikely bond between this pair and a tender love letter to human intimacy and connection—a novel to awaken the senses, one that vividly conjures the essence of what it means to be alive.
Human Connection and Understanding
"Han Kang's Greek Lessons is a deeply introspective novel that explores language, loss, and human connection. Through fragmented prose, she immerses readers in the experiences of two protagonists-one who loses her ability to speak due to aphasia and another who is gradually losing his sight. Their silent yet profound bond unfolds as they navigate isolation and self-discovery. The novel's unconventional structure mirrors aphasia itself, making the reading experience as disorienting as the protagonist's struggle. Han Kang's writing is poetic yet emotionally piercing, evoking empathy while reflecting on the oppressive weight of existence. Greek Lessons is subtler, demanding patience to unravel its meaning. The protagonist, a former literature teacher, suffers from aphasia following personal tragedies, including a divorce, her mother's death, and the loss of her child. Her silence amplifies the surrounding world's sounds, deepening her solitude. Meanwhile, the male protagonist, a Greek teacher losing his vision, finds solace in memory and language. Their interactions, marked by quiet understanding, highlight the paradox of communication-how silence can hold as much meaning as words. Han Kang also subtly weaves feminist themes, depicting how societal pressures and personal trauma strip women of their voices. The novel suggests that silence, rather than signifying defeat, can be a form of resistance and self-preservation. While its fragmented style and lack of a conventional plot may challenge readers, this structure enhances the novel's meditation on incompleteness, identity, and resilience. Ultimately, Greek Lessons is not about finding answers but about embracing the complexity of human existence, where loss does not define the self but reshapes it. Though the novel may not leave a lasting impression in terms of plot, it lingers in emotion-like aphasia itself, leaving one speechless."
