Mo Yan Contemporary Chinese writer Date of Birth: 17.02.1955 Country: China

Biography of Mo Yan

Mo Yan is a contemporary Chinese writer, known for his novels and short stories. In 2012, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born Guan Moye in 1955, in the town of Gaomi in Shandong province, China, he adopted the pen name Mo Yan, which can be translated from Chinese as "don't speak" or "be silent".

During the Cultural Revolution, Guan left school and joined the Chinese army in 1976, serving as a platoon commander, political instructor, and security officer. Even while in the army in the early 1980s, Mo Yan began publishing his works. In 1984, he was transferred to the Department of Literature in the Army's Cultural Academy, and in 1991, he obtained a doctorate degree from Beijing Normal University.

Mo Yan's first published work was the novel "Falling Rain on a Spring Night" in 1981. Many of his books have been translated into English by Howard Goldblatt, a professor of East Asian languages and literature at the University of Notre Dame. However, as of the time of his Nobel Prize award, his works had not yet been translated into Russian.

Mo Yan is known for his realistic style of writing, which captivates readers with its authenticity. He explores a wide range of themes in his works, from simple peasant stories to the issue of population growth in China. Overall, Mo Yan has authored around ten novels.

Mo Yan is one of the most renowned and deserving writers in contemporary China, with his works receiving numerous awards, including the Newman Prize for Chinese Literature in 2009 and the Mao Dun Literature Prize in 2010. In 2012, he was honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature.

While Mo Yan is a prominent figure in his homeland, his works have faced criticism for their literary language liberties and candid portrayal of reality. Nevertheless, he firmly stands by his ideals, which he openly expresses. In 2009, during the opening of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Mo Yan stated that literature has the power to break down barriers between countries and peoples. He believes that Chinese people should read more foreign authors.

The Nobel Prize in 2012 was a great honor for the whole country, as Mo Yan became the first mainland Chinese resident to receive the award, as previous laureates were usually Chinese living in other countries. When literature enthusiasts worldwide flocked to bookstores to purchase the latest book by the new Nobel laureate, Russian readers will have to wait a little longer for the translations to be rushed and published, as they should have been translated and published yesterday.