Why Han Kang is a worthy winner of the Nobel literature prize

It’s been a particularly busy week for literary prizes: the Forward prizes for poetry winners were announced, as was the PEN writer of courage, while the Baillie Gifford prize for nonfiction unveiled its 2024 shortlist. And South Korean author Han Kang was named Nobel laureate – more on that after this week’s top picks. And scroll down to read recommendations from Ian Rankin, whose latest Rebus novel was one of the 1,900 to be published in the UK on Thursday – publishing’s busiest day of the year.

Most of the time, as journalists, we get a heads up before a prize is awarded, so that we have time to prepare a news story in time for the announcement. No such luck when it comes to the Nobel prize in literature – the Swedish academy keep their cards close to their chest, and we only get to find out who has won when permanent secretary Mats Malm walks out of the gilded door and announces it.

So it was a (very happy!) surprise to me that Han Kang was named this year’s laureate – though her name had come up briefly in conversations about the Nobel, most people deemed her too young at 53 to be a likely candidate, and the Ladbrokes odds on her winning were only 33/1 – the favourite was the Chinese avant-garde author Can Xue.

I wasn’t as surprised as Han herself, though, who was apparently so shocked when she was called with the news that she thought it might be a scam. She chose not to speak to the press on the day of her win. “She said given the fierce Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine wars and people dying every day, how could she celebrate and hold a joyous press conference?” her father, Han Seung-won, also an author, said.

Best known for her international Booker-winning allegorical novel, The Vegetarian, Han is the first South Korean writer to be awarded the Nobel. Her win comes at a time when South Korean culture is very firmly “in” – largely thanks to the phenomenon of K-pop, the world has fallen in love with the country’s culture in recent years, with everything from movies to food becoming fashionable. Does Han’s win mean K-lit is next?!

Certainly, it marks a well-needed departure from the Nobel’s historical bias towards white European male winners – Han is also only the 18th woman to win the prize; there have been 103 male winners.

Anton Hur, the South Korean writer and translator, says he was “overjoyed” at the news, for her but also “for what it says about Korean literature in the world. We have truly arrived.”

Simon Mason is an author new to me but I saw his novel Missing Person: Alice in a bookshop and noticed that both Mick Herron and David Peace had praised it. That was good enough for me. It is a short, elegant novel about an enigmatic investigator and his search for Alice. A real find.

Louise Minchin, in her first novel, Isolation Island, brings intrigue and murder to reality television. A group of celebrities must live as monks on a Scottish island while cameras track their every move. But there are secrets to be unlocked and motives to be uncovered. Gripping and filled with memorable characters, this updates Agatha Christie with contemporary ingenuity.

• Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin is published by Orion (£25). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.