Fatima Al-Atfi (Abu Dhabi) hosted a literary evening titled 'The Culture Sea' where the discussion focused on the Korean novelist Han Kang's works, including her Nobel Prize-winning novel 'The Vegetarian'. The evening was moderated by journalist Malyika Ahmed, who said: 'Today's discussion will be different from our usual sessions, as we will not only focus on one novel, but on the author's other works as well. Han Kang has previously won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016 for her novel 'The Vegetarian'. The Swedish Academy praised her writing style, saying it is 'a richly poetic prose that confronts historical trauma and reveals the fragility of human life.' Maha Abu Halimah referred to 'The White Book' and 'The Vegetarian' as two of Han Kang's most important works, saying: 'I cannot go back to reading 'The Vegetarian' again, nor do I have any disagreement with the language, style, and description, but it is a novel that is both exhausting and shocking, and it has sunk deep into the human psyche and Korean society, through a dream that led the protagonist to become a vegetarian, and almost became one with the plant, and immersed in the light, water, and depth of the soil.' The discussion concluded with a sense of uncertainty, but 'The White Book' was light, spiritual, and philosophical, a novel without events or characters, a white book shrouded in a white fog and snow.' Mireille Ghali, a novelist, spoke about 'The Vegetarian', saying it won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016 for its deservingness, and noted that the jury praised her for successfully conveying the strange harmony between beauty and horror through a concentrated and precise narrative that tells the story of a woman who turned into a vegetarian overnight without any explanation, except for a nightmare that awakened a dream from her sleep one night, and turned her life and the lives of those around her into hell. The novel is excellent and unique, and its uniqueness comes from its subject matter, and it has a deep impact on the rights of women in some societies. Anan Al-Safi presented a detailed study on 'The Vegetarian', saying: 'It is a narrative text that raises many questions about the nature of human existence, the impact of society on the individual, and the issue of personal freedom, through the protagonist's journey.' Al-Safi explained that the author presents the story from three different angles, which gives the events a deeper dimension and allows the reader to understand the mutual influence between the characters in a more complex way. This structure is not just a narrative technique, but a future vision that reflects how diversity can enrich our understanding of the story, and focuses on themes such as isolation, rebellion, and self-liberation, giving it a futuristic tone that matches the ideas of future writing in an era where isolation is increasing due to technological and social development.
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