White

Name: White
ISBN: 9787541163760

韩江 / hoochootongSichuan Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaSep 2022

4.5

Word count: 20K words
Chapters: 68
ISBN: 9787541163760

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Summary

This is the novel Han Kang wrote with force on white paper: sixty-three memories of all things white. White is that half-moon rice cake of a child, so fair and beautiful. White is a white butterfly resting with folded wings beside the reeds. White is ten thousand snowflakes drifting down from the sky, soundless, neither mourning nor rejoicing. White is time slipping away in pale light. White is every memory of my life. White is the beautiful thing that is fragile, easily broken, gone in an instant. White is the person who once died or was destroyed, and who, upon the scorched remains, keeps restoring herself, and so remains new to this day. White is the white vapor of breath from the nostrils, the proof that we are alive; it is our life, a miracle scattered through the void in faint, clear form. White is the white spark burning in the dark, an inextinguishable conviction. I believe that if we believe we cannot be destroyed, we will not be destroyed.

Editor's review

White is Korean author Han Kang's profound follow-up to The Vegetarian, and another work that won a major international literary award (the International Booker Prize). This is not a novel in the traditional sense but a prose-poem meditation made of sixty-three fragments about "white." With a deeply personal touch, Han Kang elevates white from a color into a philosophical vessel for life, death, memory, and resurrection. In these pages, white is first snow, mother's milk, moonlight, bone, salt, silence—and the swaddling clothes of a lost infant. Through the layering of fragmented images, the author explores loss, trauma, maternity, and the nature of pure existence. Her prose is cold, precise, and lyrical, holding immense emotional tension within a minimalist use of blank space. For readers familiar with the sharp bodily narratives of Han Kang's earlier work, White reveals another side of her inward exploration, one with a more metaphysical, contemplative temperament. Reading this book is like taking part in a silent ritual: amid pure "white," the reader is made to face what is most fragile, most primal, and most difficult to put into words in life. It is not merely a book but a literary artwork that demands immersive experience.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who love Han Kang's work and wish to explore another side of her literary style
Literary enthusiasts drawn to poetic fiction, fragmentary writing, and philosophical meditative texts
Readers currently experiencing or reflecting on loss and trauma, seeking literary consolation and resonance
Readers interested in modern and contemporary East Asian literature, especially Korean literature's female perspectives and inner narratives

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a traditional, continuous plot and strong dramatic conflict
Readers who find overly private, image-driven introspective texts difficult to read

Reading tips

Read in a quiet, undisturbed setting, ideally slowly, savoring the texture of the language word by word
Don't feel obliged to finish it in one sitting or to "understand" it fully; treat it like a bedside book, dipping into a few fragments at a time and letting your thoughts drift with the words
Read it alongside other works by Han Kang, such as The Vegetarian and Human Acts, for a fuller picture of her creative trajectory and core themes

About the publisher

Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1984

Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House is a professional literary and art publishing institution. It mainly publishes books on contemporary and modern literature, foreign literature, poetry and prose, music and art, and literary theory. Judging from the books in the database, the house places considerable emphasis on classic works and foreign literature. Representative titles include Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. Its translator resources include Deng Jiawan, Shi Zhongge, Du Yunci, and Zhu Shenghao. Common categories include social fiction, classic works, foreign literature, world classics, literary appreciation, and classical poetry, reflecting a publishing profile that balances Chinese and foreign literary classics with literary appreciation.

版权信息
第一章我
门
襁褓
婴儿服
半月糕
雾
白城
黑暗中的某些事物
有光的方向
奶水
她
蜡烛
第二章她
霜花
霜
翅膀
拳头
雪
雪花
万年雪
海浪
雨夹雪
白狗
暴风雪
骨灰
盐
月亮
蕾丝窗帘
哈气
白鸟
手帕
银河
粲然一笑
白木兰
药糖
方糖
灯光
数以千计的银光点
闪光
白石
白骨
沙子
白发
白云
白炽灯
白夜
光之岛
薄纸的白色反面
纷飞
致寂静
界限
芦苇林
白蝴蝶
灵魂
米和饭
第三章所有的白
你的眼睛
寿衣
姐姐
如同写在白纸上的几句话
丧服
烟雾
沉默
下齿
告别
所有的白
作者的话

FAQ

Is this book very different in style from The Vegetarian?

Markedly different. The Vegetarian is more narrative and socially critical, using a shocking story to explore alienation and resistance; White turns entirely inward, taking the form of a collection of prose poems, with themes leaning more toward philosophy and personal memory, and a more condensed, image-driven language.

What exactly does "white" refer to in the book?

"White" is a highly open, fluid symbol. It is both concrete things (snow, rice, waves, light) and abstract concepts (emptiness, purity, mourning, beginning and end). Han Kang offers no single answer; instead, through sixty-three facets she keeps enriching its meaning, inviting readers to complete their own personal interpretation of "white."

Is this book suitable as an introduction to Han Kang?

Perhaps not the most typical starting point. Though it showcases Han Kang's exceptional command of language, its unconventional form and highly introspective themes may leave first-time readers feeling somewhat at a distance. It is usually recommended to begin with the more story-driven The Vegetarian before moving on to a work like White, which explores the boundaries of language and thought more purely.

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About the author

韩江 Author

Han Kang is a Chinese-language author who has drawn considerable attention in recent years; publicly available information is limited, and details of her life remain unclear. The library holds fifteen of her works, spanning categories such as family stories, foreign literature, and classic works. Representative titles include The Vegetarian, The Voiceless, White, No Farewell, and Putting Dinner in a Drawer. The Vegetarian has been issued in a new edition and is associated with the description of a Nobel laureate in literature. Judging from these works, Han Kang's writing often revolves around family relationships, the body and silence, and repression and resistance in everyday life. Her narratives are restrained yet tense, and her language is concise but often poetic. A collected edition of her works is titled "Writing as a Blade," suggesting the sharp edge of words within them. Overall, Han Kang's writing is highly recognizable in contemporary literary reading and merits attention from readers interested in family stories and foreign literature.

hoochootong Author · Taiwan, China

Hoochootong is a full-time Taiwanese translator of Korean literature. Curious about "why Korean dramas are so popular, yet Korean novels go unread," she entered the translation field. She has long translated Korean literary and nonfiction works, including Han Kang's The Vegetarian and The White Book, Cheon Myeong-kwan's Whale, Kim Young-ha's I Have the Right to Destroy Myself, Sohn Suk-hee's The Cricket Song, as well as Lies and You Have Been Logged into Room N. Her translations often fall under family stories and foreign literature, touching on women's circumstances, social realities, and individual experience, and serve as a bridge for Chinese-language readers of contemporary Korean writing. Public information about her birth and death dates, education, and awards is limited; her confirmed works are the translations held in this catalog.