1. Yan, Mo (2) China

2. Mo Yan (1955 - )

3. IA – Mo Yan (1955 - ) Mo Yan was born in Shandong province to a family of farmers. During the Cultural Revolution, he worked in a factory. At 20, he joined the People ’ s Liberation Army; & while he was there, he began writing, eventually becoming a teacher. His name literally means “ don ’ t speak ” in Chinese. It is a pen name chosen to remind himself to be cautious with his words (he was already slightly reckless with his writing opinions). His real name is Guan Moye. His large body of work has been translated by Professor Howard Goldblatt of Notre Dame University. Yan ’ s writing style contains social criticism & incorporates magical realism that can be vivid and violent. Needless to say, his views don ’ t please some government authorities. He wrote his latest novel, Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, in only 43 days. In October of 2012, he won the Nobel Prize for literature.

4. Mo Yan (1955 - ) Mo Yan ’ s writing is impetuous; he has been called a “ wild man of fiction ” by Washington Post reviewer Steven Moore. In Life….Out, Yan revives the Buddhist idea of reincarnation. The story begins in hell with Lord Yama(king of the underworld) sending a farmer back to his village as a donkey so the farmer can ponder his guilt for being a wealthy landowner. The story takes several turns as the farmer is reincarnated as different animals as the history of China, the Cultural Revolution, and post-Cultural Revolution facts are revealed. The book is written as satire, & the author himself pops in and out of the narrative, lending veracity to the historical elements that are revealed about China as a country in flux. Hopefully you will see parallels with Animal Farm.

5. Mo Yan – Works Cited Chinese author: Mo Yan Sources for information (and photo) on Mo Yan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Yan Other Info from: www.amazon.com