South Korean writer Han Kang’s book, "The Vegetarian," came out in her home country many years ago. But the book was published in English only recently. Han was named the winner of the Man Booker International Prize for Fiction on Monday. The prize is one of the most important awards given for books translated into English and available in Britain. This is the first year is was awarded based on a single book. In the past, it was given to authors based on the full scope of their work. The Vegetarian is the first of Han’s books to be published in English. She has another book, "Human Acts," now available in English. The Vegetarian was put on the short list of contenders for the award in April. Han learned she won the prize earlier this week. The other contenders were "A General Theory of Oblivion," by Angolan writer Jose Eduardo Agualusa, and "The Story of the Lost Child," by Italy’s Elena Ferrante. Han will split her $72,000 in prize money with her translator, Deborah Smith of England.