Top 10 Chinese cultural events of 2012
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 27, 2012
Mo Yan, China's first Nobel Literature Prize laureate
Chinese writer Mo Yan, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature, received his Nobel Prize in Stockholm on Dec. 10, 2012. He became China's first Nobel Literature Prize laureate and is now one of the richest men in China.
Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, said on Oct. 11 that 57-year-old Mo Yan is one "who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary."
"Through a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives, Mo Yan created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition," the academy's citation for the award said.
Mo, one of the most celebrated Chinese writers, is known for novels including Red Sorghum, the Garlic Ballads and Big Breasts & Wide Hips.
"Mo Yan," meaning "don't speak" in Chinese, is a pen name. His real name is Guan Moye. He said in Sweden that he is a storyteller, who has found nourishment in where he grew up. "I am also well aware that literature only has a minimal influence on political disputes or economic crisis in the world, but its significance to human beings is ancient. When literature exists, perhaps we do not notice how important it is, but when it does not exist, our lives become coarsened and brutal. For this reason, I am proud of my profession, but also aware of its importance."
The amount of each Nobel Prize this year was reduced to 8 million Swedish kronor (about US$1.2 million). But Mo Yan's Nobel Prize has a great deal of cultural significance in China. A museum is being built featuring his written works, his books are being reprinted and re-reprinted and he is now the second top-earning Chinese writer for 2012. Everything around him becomes gold, and Mo has become a global icon and national hero.
Experts believe Mo will raise the level of interest in China's literature and publishing industry, while others argue that he was not the best candidate to receive the award since he is not the best writer (but he has the best translators) in China, and he is not outspoken concerning China's political practices.
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