Nobel literature laureate Mo Yan has hit back at critics who accused him of being too close to China’s government, saying in a newspaper interview he does not write on behalf of the ruling Communist party.
The writer scooped the Nobel in October for what judges called his “hallucinatory realism” and has won praise from literary critics, but is also fiercely attacked by Chinese dissidents who brand him a Communist stooge.
I have emphasised repeatedly that I am writing on behalf of the people, not the party
“I have emphasised repeatedly that I am writing on behalf of the people, not the party,” he said in an interview with the German newspaper , adding: “I detest corrupt officials.”
Mo Yan hit out at exiled-Chinese dissident author Liao Yiwu, who called him a “state poet”.
“I know (Liao) envies me for this award and I understand this. But his criticism is unjustified,” he said. “My political views are quite clear. One only has to read my books.”
In a style influenced by the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mo Yan’s works deal with some of the darkest periods of China’s recent history, and are often infused with politics and a dark, cynical sense of humour.
His latest novel, 2009’s , is considered his most daring yet, with a searing depiction of China’s “one child” population control policy and the local officials who ruthlessly implement it with forced abortions and sterilisations.
