Greek Lessons

Book of the Year 2023 according to New Yorker, TIME magazine, and Kirkus. A powerful novel about the saving grace of language and human connection, from the celebrated author of The Vegetarian.

"Breathtaking... She is simply my favourite living writer to read, and think with, and see the world with." - Max Porter

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, as he is day by day losing his sight.

Soon they discover a deeper pain that binds them. For her, in 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.

Greek Lessons is a tender love letter to human connection, a novel that awakens the senses, vividly conjuring the essence of what it means to be alive. Translated by Deborah Smith and Emily Yae Won.

"Another stunning gem: quiet, sharply faced, and devastating." - Kirkus

"Han Kang is a writer like no other. In a few lines, she seems to traverse the entirety of human experience." - Katie Kitamura.