Yan Lianke
Yan Lianke is a Chinese writer of novels and short stories, based in Beijing. His work is highly satirical, which has resulted in some of his most renowned works being banned in China.
He has admitted to self-censorship while writing his stories in order to avoid censorship.
He started writing in 1978 and his works include: Xia Riluo, Serve the People!, Enjoyment, and
Dream of Ding Village. He has also published more than ten volumes of short stories. Enjoyment, which was published in 2004, received wide acclaim in China. His literature has been published in various nations.
Life
Yan Lianke was born in Song County, Henan Province, China. Though he lives in Beijing, he has said that his heart remains in Henan, and he has based numerous works on life in Henan, including Dream of Ding Village. He entered the army in 1978. He graduated from Henan University in 1985 with a degree in politics and education. In 1991, he graduated from the People's Liberation Army Art Institute with a degree in Literature.Literary career
Fiction
Yan published his first short story in 1979. He had published 14 novels and over 40 short stories. His novels include The Passing of Time, Hard as Water, Lenin’s Kisses, Dream of Ding Village , Books of Odes, The Four Books, The Dimming Sun ; over 50 novellas including “The Dreams of the People of Yao Valley”, “Summer Sunset”, The Years, Months, Days, “Awaking in Spring Peach Garden”. His early writings are mostly Realist pieces heavily influenced by 19th century Realism. But towards the end of the 1990s his style displayed a major change. His subsequent works are more infused with wild imagination and creative allegories. His sometimes myth-like dramatic plots are often allegorical depictions of the human conditions. His representative works, including the novellasYears Months Day and Marrow, and the novel The Passing of Time have received critical acclaim from critics. His Peace Regiment Series, Yao Valley Series and Balou Mountain Series are particularly influential.A good number of his fictions are set in the natural environment of Balou Mountain. It has become the most important setting of Yan's literary world, and the most noted fictional landscape created in Chinese literature. This is particularly true with the publication of the “Balou Mountain Series” comprising The Passing of Time , Hard as Water and Lenin’s Kisses around 2000. The depictions of Chinese history and reality in these novels are characterised by a sharp edge which is simultaneously profound, absurd and carnivalesque. Yan's protagonists are strange in behavior, and psychologically twisted and complex. This represents another major change in Yan's style from his earlier works. They often provoke surprise in his readers and critics, and debates and controversies at the time of their publication.
Yan became “sensitive” in China at the time of publication of Lenin’s Kisses. He openly challenged what he described as Realism of the spirit , and advocated for a return to “a realism that transcends reality”:File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn1|. This has revived the prolonged debate in the Chinese literary circles on Realism. In France, the French translation of Lenin’s Kisses has also received critical acclaim. Its translations in other languages have been equally popular. A writer of Le Monde rates Yan's writings highly, and rates him one among the great writers in the world. The same writer suggests that Yan distinguishes himself with his sophisticated insights on the society expressed in his fictions, and that his writings often shows a devastating humour.:File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn2| The Guardian describes him as a master of satire with a rich imagination:File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn3|. Vanity Fair notes Yan's mastery in writing between magic and reality.:File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn4|.The Frankfurt Christian Science Monitor suggests that Yan possesses both the talent for writing great works and the courage to confront difficult issues:File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn5|. The Japanese magazine The World considers Yan and his writings important setters of standard for Chinese literature and freedom of expression:File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn6|.
The bans imposed on Serve the People and Dream of Ding Village have turned him into the most noted, therefore the most controversial Chinese writer.”:File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn7|. The Four Books was published in 2011 in Taiwan. In this novel Yan has shown attainment of his imagination to a new level. It was also around the same time when he advocated a Realism of the spirit :File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn8|, purporting that Chinese literature should represent “the invisible reality”, “the reality that is covered up by reality”, and “the non-existing reality”. This advocacy in the construction of an “absolute reality” is put into practice in his own novels The Explosion Chronicles and The Dimming Sun. The characters in these works are “Chinese through-and-through”. Their plots are depictions of a reality that is “Chinese through-and-through”, but filled with imaginative “possibilities” and “mytho-realist” “impossibilities”, which express his vision of his China being a “dark”, “desperate” place where the idea of “future” only brings “anxieties”:File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn9|.
These works are his practice of his avowed aspiration in Discovering Fiction to create a Chinese literature endowed with the modern spirit of world literature, and differentiate themselves from Western Surrealism, Absurdism and Magical Realism, and that is modern and belongs to the East. In this sense, Yan Lianke can be appreciated as a writer of world literature. His novels Serve the People, Dream of Ding Village, Lenin’s Kisses, The Four Books and The Explosion Chronicles have been translated into a number of languages and distributed widely in the Americas, Europe and the Australia. Almost all these translations have attracted attention and critical acclaim for the novels in their respective literary markets. Further, The Explosion Chronicles extended its fame to Africa, being shortlisted with Carlos Rojas' English translation for the GPLA 2017, one of the most international literary contests on the continent.
In terms of the contents, Yan's fictions have all shown tremendous anxieties in his vision of “the Chinese people”, Chinese reality and history. In terms of generic treatment, every one of his novels has displayed a new structure and linguistic style. To many it is his diverse styles, his readiness to break norms, and his capacity to create new literary norms that have differentiate him from other Chinese writers. It is in this connection that he describes himself as “a traitor of literary writing”:File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn10|. His is a pioneer of 20th Century Chinese literature, and is the only Chinese writer who has gained international acclaim without any support, either strategic or financial, of the Chinese Government.
Literary criticism
Yan is the only contemporary Chinese creative writer who has systematically published critical appreciations of 19th and 20th century literatures. These include numerous speeches and dialogues he has given and participated in around the globe, and various pieces of theoretical writings. They are collected in My Reality, My -ism , The Red Chopsticks of the Witch , Tearing Apart and Piling Up , Selected Overseas Speeches of Yan Lianke , and Silence and Rest . In these works he expresses in detail his understanding of Chinese literature, world literature, and the changes literature has gone through in the past decades. His 2011 publication Discovering Fiction is an exegesis of his re-discovery of 19th and 20th century Chinese literature and world literature. The book is characterised by his personal style of argument and rationality. It is also in this book that he advocates the differentiation of “full causal relations”, “zero causal relations”, “half causal relations” and “inner causal relations” in the plots of fiction. He considers this a “new discovery” of fiction writing, and designates it a “Mytho-realism”:File:///C:/Users/admin/Desktop/Literary Career.docx# ftn11| of Chinese literature. This is the first attempt from a Chinese writer active in the international literary circles to contribute to the theoretical discussions of Realism in the global context. This view of his has been discussed in the academe internationally.In 2016 Yan Lianke was appointed Visiting Professor of Chinese Culture by the Hong Kong University of Science Technology to teach writing courses. The course material is collected in Twelve Lectures on 19th Century Writings and Twelve Lectures on 20th Century Writings. They contain his analyses of and arguments about the most influential writers of world literature in the 19th and 20th centuries. Of the two Twelve Lectures on 20th Century Writings is more influential, since it represents an attempt of a Chinese writer to review and research on in a comprehensive manner the dissemination and impacts of 20th century world literature on China. It can be used as a research reference or a writing guide.
In the area of critical and theoretical writings, Yan Lianke is the most prolific and vocal among contemporary Chinese writers. Not all writers and critics agree with his views, but he is widely recognised as being unique among contemporary Chinese writer in terms of his persistence in reflecting on methodologies of creative writing.
Essays
Yan Lianke's body of creative works include not only fiction, but also a considerable number of lyrical essays which read in stark contrast to his fiction. While his fiction is characterised by an acute sense of contemporaneity, rich imagination and a compelling creative impulse, his essays are characterised by a conventional aesthetic of the Chinese essay which comes across as gentle, lyrical, and showing much finesse. His long essay My Father’s Generation and Me , House No.711 and his other collections of essays mostly depict the daily life of the Chinese people, and nature in the four seasons, in a lyricism that comes across familiar to Chinese readers. The styles of his fiction and that of his essays are so different that it is difficult to reconcile them as the same body of works by a single writer. His non-fiction works have created an image of the author in both positive and negative light, so that the author becomes a figure who is rich and multi-faceted in his personality.Famous works
Serve the People!
This phrase was coined by Mao Zedong in 1944 when he wrote an article, "To Serve The People", to commemorate the death of a red army soldier Zhang Side. In that article Mao said:" To die for the benefit of the people, is more important than Tai mountain; working for the fascists and dying for those who oppress and exploit the people, that death would be lighter than a feather. Comrade Zhang Side died for the benefit of the people, so his death is heavier than Tai mountain."During the Cultural Revolution, this article was required reading for millions of Chinese; it was also one of the Three Old Articles. "To serve the people" became one of the most popular slogans of all times, even being used today. However, there was evidence suggested by author Jung Chang's book, indicating that Comrade Zhang Si-De was in fact killed while processing raw opium when the kiln collapsed on him.
Yan Lianke used Mao's phrase for the name of his novel Serve The People!, which contains vivid and colorful descriptions of sex scenes, resulting in extensive controversy when it was featured in 2005 in a magazine "Flower City". The Chinese government ordered the publisher to stop the release of 30,000 copies of the magazine, which in turn created huge demand for the novel.
Dream of Ding Village
Another award-winning novel by Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding Village, is about a heavy subject: AIDS sufferers with almost no outside help. To get first hand knowledge about the subject, Yan Lianke visited AIDS sufferers, eventually seven times, and even lived with villagers for periods of time. Dream of Ding Village has been compared with Albert Camus' The Plague. Dream of Ding Village was published in Hong Kong in 2006, where it was again banned by the Chinese government. The reasons put forward were its use of "dark descriptions, to exaggerate the harm and fear of AIDS".Major works
Yan started publishing in 1979. So far the body of works he has produced includes 15 novels, more than 50 novellas, more than 40 short stories, 3 extended essays, 5 collection of essays, 6 collections of literary criticisms, and about a dozen TV and film scripts, amount to over 10 million Chinese characters. However, because of both the controversial nature of and the Chinese government's ban on his works, a considerable part of this body of works has not been published in China. These include the novels Serve the People , Dream of Ding Village , The Four Books, , The Dimming Sun , and a range of his essays and speeches. Many of his works have been translated and circulated in more than 30 languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Czech, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Mongolian.Major Works published in Chinese:
Novels
| Title | Publisher | Year |
| The Hell of Feelings 情感獄 | PLA Art and Literature Press 解放軍文藝出版社 | 1991 |
| The Last Female Educated Youth 最後一名女知青 | Hundred Flowers Art and Literature Press 百花文藝出版社 | 1993 |
| Crystal Yellow in Life and Death 生死晶黃 | Tomorrow Publishing Company 明天出版社 | 1995 |
| How are You, Pan Jinlian 金蓮，你好 | China Art and Literature Press 中國文藝出版社 | 1997 |
| The Passage of Time 日光流年 | Huacheng Press 花城出版社 | 1998 |
| The Passage of Time 日光流年 | Lianjing Publishing Co. Ltd. 聯經出版事業公司﹙台北﹚ | 2010 |
| Hard as Water 堅硬如水 | Changjiang Art and Literature Press 長江文藝出版社 | 2001 |
| Hard as Water 堅硬如水 | Rye Field Publishing House 麥田出版﹙台北﹚ | 2009 |
| Cock Fight 斗雞 | Changjiang Art and Literature Press 長江文藝出版社 | 2001 |
| Transgression 穿越 | PLA Art and Literature Press 解放軍文藝出版社 | 2001 |
| Summer Sunset 夏日落 | Lianjing Publishing Co. Ltd. 聯經出版事業公司﹙台北﹚ | 2010 |
| Lenin’s Kisses 受活 | Chunfeng Art and Literature Press 春風文藝出版社 | 2004 |
| Lenin’s Kisses 受活 | Rye Field Publishing House 麥田出版﹙台北﹚ | 2007 |
| Dream of Ding Village 丁莊夢 | Art and Literature Press 文化藝術出版社﹙香港﹚ | 2006 |
| Dream of Ding Village 丁莊夢 | Rye Field Publishing House 麥田出版﹙台北﹚ | 2006 |
| Dream of Ding Village 丁莊夢 | Lingzi Media Pte Ltd. 玲子傳媒私人有限公司 ﹙新加坡﹚ | 2006 |
| Serve the People 為人民服務 | Rye Field Publishing House 麥田出版﹙台北﹚ | 2005 |
| Serve the People 為人民服務 | Lingzi Media Pte Ltd. 玲子傳媒私人有限公司 ﹙新加坡﹚ | 2005 |
| Serve the People 為人民服務 | Art and Literature Press 文化藝術出版社﹙香港﹚ | 2005 |
| The Odes of Songs 風雅頌 | Rye Field Publishing House 麥田出版﹙台北﹚ | 2008 |
| The Odes of Songs 風雅頌 | Phoenix Publishing Group 鳳凰出版集團 | 2008 |
| The Four Books 四書 | Rye Field Publishing House 麥田出版﹙台北﹚ | 2011 |
| The Four Books 四書 | Ming Pao Publishing Ltd. 明報出版社﹙香港﹚ | 2011 |
| The Explosion Chronicles 炸裂志 | Shanghai Art and Literature Press 上海文藝出版社 | 2013 |
| The Explosion Chronicles 炸裂志 | Rye Field Publishing House 麥田出版﹙台北﹚ | 2013 |
| The Day the Sun Died 日熄 | Rye Field Publishing House 麥田出版﹙台北﹚ | 2015 |
| Want to Sleep Together Quickly 速求共眠 | INK 印刻文學 | 2018 |
Collections of Novellas and Short Stories
| Title | Publisher | Year |
| Stories of the Neighbourhood 鄉里故事 | Hundred Flowers Press 百花文藝出版社 | 1992 |
| Peace Allegory 和平寓言 | Changjiang Art and Literature Press 長江文藝出版社 | 1994 |
| The Road to Heaven 朝着天堂走 | China Youth Press 中國青年出版社 | 1995 |
| Collected Works of Yan Lianke 閻連科文集﹙5卷﹚ | Jilin People's Press 吉林人民出版社 | 1996 |
| Collected Stories by Yan Lianke 閻連科小說自選集 | Henan Art and Literature Press 河南文藝出版社 | 1997 |
| Happy Home 歡樂家園 | Beijing Press 北京出版社 | 1998 |
| The Golden Cave 黄金洞 | Literature Press 文學出版社 | 1998 |
| Waxing and Waning: A Second Look on the Legendary Slut Pan Jinlian 陰晴圓缺：重說千古淫婦潘金蓮 | China Literature Press 中國文學出版社 | 1999 |
| To the Southeast 朝著東南走 | Zuojia Press 作家出版社 | 2000 |
| Marrow 耙耧天歌 | Bei’e Art and Literature Press 北岳文藝出版社 | 2001 |
| The Hammer 三棒槌 | New World Press 新世界出版社 | 2002 |
| Days in the Village 鄉村歲月 | Xinjiang People's Press 新疆人民出版社 | 2002 |
| Years, Months, Days 年月日 | Xinjiang People's Press 新疆人民出版社 | 2002 |
| Years, Months, Days 年月日 | Mingpao Publishing Ltd. 明報月刊出版社﹙香港﹚ | 2009 |
| Works by Contemporary Writers: Yan Lianke 當代作家文庫 閻連科卷 | People's Literature Press 人民文學出版社 | 2003 |
| The Map of Heaven 天宮圖 | Jiangsu Art and Literature Press 江蘇文藝出版社 | 2005 |
| Revolutionary Romanticism: Representative Short Stories of Yan Lianke 革命浪漫主義：閻連科短篇小說代表作 | Chunfeng Art and Literature Press 春風文藝出版公司 | 2006 |
| Mother is a River 母親是條河 | Dazhong Art and Literature Press 大眾文藝出版社 | 2006 |
| Dream of the People of Yao Valley 瑤溝人的夢 | Chunfeng Art and Literature Press 春風文藝出版公司 | 2007 |
| Works by Yan Lianke 閻連科文集﹙12卷﹚ | People's Daily Press 人民日報出版社 Yunnan People's Press, Tianjin People's Press 云南人民出版社、天津人民出版社 | 2007 |
| Representative Works of Yan Lianke 阎连科作品精选集（17卷） | People's Daily Press 人民日報出版社 Yunnan People's Press, Tianjin People's Press 云南人民出版社、天津人民出版社 | 2007 |
| No. Four Restricted Zone The Map of Heaven 四號禁區 天宮圖 | Wanjuan Publishing Co. 萬卷出版公司 | 2009 |
| To the Southeast 朝着東南走 | Wanjuan Publishing Co. 萬卷出版公司 | 2009 |
| Representative Works of Yan Lianke 閻連科小說精選集 | Sun Hung Kai Properties Arts Culture Co. 新地文化﹙台北﹚ | 2010 |
| Awaking in the Cherry Garden 桃園春醒 | Huangshan Books 黃山書社 | 2010 |
| Geisha Blossoms: Novellas by Yan Lianke 1988-1990 藝妓芙蓉 ：閻連科中篇小說編年 1988-1990 ﹙第1輯﹚ | Zhejiang Art and Literature Press 浙江文藝出版社 | 2011 |
| The Scholar Returns: Novellas by Yan Lianke 1991-1993 中士還鄉 ：閻連科中篇小說編年 1991-1993 ﹙第2輯﹚ | Zhejiang Art and Literature Press 浙江文藝出版社 | 2011 |
| Balou Mountains: Novellas by Yan Lianke 1993-1996 耙耬山脉 ：閻連科中篇小說編年 1993-1996 ﹙第3輯﹚ | Zhejiang Art and Literature Press 浙江文藝出版社 | 2011 |
| Awaking in the Cherry Garden: Novellas by Yan Lianke 1996-2009 桃園春醒：閻連科中篇小說編年 1996-2009 ﹙第4輯﹚ | Zhejiang Art and Literature Press 浙江文藝出版社 | 2011 |
| Representative Works of Yan Lianke 閻連科短篇小說精選 | Yunnan People's Press 雲南人民出版社 | 2013 |
| Yan Lianke in Black and White: Novella in Four Books 黑白閻連科——中篇四書﹙四卷﹚ | People's Literature Press 人民文學出版社 | 2014 |
| Yan Lianke in Black and White: Novella in Four Books 黑白閻連科——中篇四書﹙四卷﹚ | Two Fishes Culture 二魚文化﹙台北﹚ | 2014 |
Collections of Essays
Awards and honors
- 1998 Lu Xun Literary Prize for "Huang Jin Dong".
- 2001 Lu Xun Literary Prize for "Nian Yue Ri".
- 2005 Yazhou Zhoukan, "The Best Ten Books Award" for Dream of Ding Village.
- 2005 Lao She Literary Award for Enjoyment
- 2005 Asia Weekly 10 Best Novels award for Dream of Ding Village
- 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize, Dream of Ding Village, longlist.
- 2014 Franz Kafka Prize, winner.
- 2016 Man Booker International Prize, The Four Books, shortlist.
- 2016 Dream of the Red Chamber Award, Death of the Sun, winner.
- 2017 Grand Prix of Literary Associations, The Explosion Chronicles, shortlisted in the Belles-Lettres Category.
Novels