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Gao Xingjian

ガオ シンケン

Gao Xingjian

Pen Names:

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1940-01-04 （Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China）
Nationality
Republic of China (1940–1949), People's Republic of China (1949–1998), France (since 1997)
Languages
Chinese (Mandarin), French
Religion
Atheist
Residence History
Ganzhou, Jiangxi (birth) → Nanjing → Beijing → Anhui (sent-down period) → Bagnolet / Paris area (residence) → France (after naturalization) → Taiwan (academic collaboration and residence periods)

Career

Occupations
novelist, playwright, critic, translator, screenwriter, director, painter, photographer, film director
Active Years
1962-
Affiliations
Beijing People's Art Theatre (former resident playwright), Chinese Writers' Association (historical affiliation), National Taiwan Normal University (honorary chair professor; Gao Xingjian Center collaboration)
Memberships
Royal Society of Literature (selected as an International Writer)
Influenced By
Antonin Artaud, Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, classical Chinese opera and folk culture
Influenced
The Chinese avant-garde theatre movement (e.g., influence on practitioners such as Meng Jinghui) and international theatre/literary scholars, Practitioners of theatre and stage performance in Taiwan and the Sinophone world

Education

Beijing Foreign Studies University
Faculty/Department of French / Department of French
Degree: 学士（フランス語）
Period: 1957–1962
Year of Graduation: 1962
Country: China
Studied French; after graduation worked in translation and publishing-related roles.

Awards

Nobel Prize in Literature
2000
Work: Oeuvre (especially cited: Soul Mountain)
Organization: The Swedish Academy
Result: 受賞
Chevalier, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
1992
Organization: French government
Result: 受賞
Legion of Honour
2002
Organization: French Republic
Result: 受章
DAAD Fellowship
1985
Organization: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Result: 受給
Asian Cultural Council Fellowship
1989
Organization: Asian Cultural Council
Result: 受給
Premio Letterario Feronia
2000
Organization: Literary award in Italy
Result: 受賞
Golden Plate Award (American Academy of Achievement)
2002
Organization: American Academy of Achievement
Result: 受賞
Lions Award (New York Public Library)
2006
Organization: New York Public Library
Result: 受賞
Honorary doctorates
2001
Organization: Several universities
Result: 授与
Royal Society of Literature International Writer
2023
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: 選出/加盟

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Soul Mountain

1990 Novel (semi-autobiographical, experimental)

A semi-autobiographical, experimental novel prompted by a misdiagnosed illness; it interweaves multiple narrative voices as the protagonist travels across China, encountering minorities and exploring memory, identity and cultural landscapes.

journeyidentitymemorycross-cultural encountersself and other
Adaptations
  • [stage / dance-theatre] Soul Mountain (stage/dance adaptation) (2016)
Translations
  • English translation (Mabel Lee, 2001)
  • Translated into French and other languages

The Bus Stop

1983 Play (Theatre of the Absurd)

An absurdist play presenting a group of people waiting at a bus stop; through their interactions the play raises social and existential questions and became a landmark of experimental theatre in China.

absurditywaitingsocial alienation
Adaptations
  • [stage] Bus Stop (various stage productions) / 複数（翻訳上演による） (1983)
Translations
  • English translations (various, e.g., Carla Kirkwood)

Wild Man

1985 Play (avant-garde)

Considered a pinnacle of experimental drama in China; it fuses traditional elements with avant-garde techniques and addresses issues of personal freedom and sociopolitical context.

freedomoppressiontradition vs. innovation
Adaptations
  • [stage] Wild Man (stage productions) (1985)
Translations
  • English translation (Bruno Roubicek, et al.)

The Other Shore

1986 Play (philosophical, experimental)

A play using philosophical and symbolic expression; its rehearsal was halted for political reasons and it was subsequently translated and staged abroad. It questions existence and crossing borders.

crossing/boundariesexistencelanguage and expression
Adaptations
  • [stage] The Other Shore (international stage translations) (1990)
Translations
  • English translations (Jo Riley, Gilbert C. F. Fong, etc.)
  • Swedish translation (Göran Malmqvist)

Absolute Signal

1982 Play (experimental)

An early landmark in Chinese experimental theatre that marked a breakthrough and demonstrated new possibilities for theatrical expression.

experimentationtheatre theory
Adaptations
  • [stage] Absolute Signal (stage productions) (1982)

Bibliography

  • Constellation in a Cold Night (short fiction), 1979
  • Absolute Signal (play), 1982
  • Bus Stop (play), 1983
  • Wild Man (play), 1985
  • The Other Shore (play), 1986
  • Soul Mountain (novel), 1990
  • One Man's Bible (novel), 1999
  • Collected Plays by Gao Xingjian
  • Catalogues of paintings / exhibitions (various)

Adaptations

  • Various international stage productions of Bus Stop (1980s–2000s)
  • Stage/dance-theatre adaptations based on Soul Mountain

Translations by Author

  • Translations of Samuel Beckett into Chinese
  • Translations of Eugène Ionesco into Chinese

Translations of Works

  • Soul Mountain translated into English (Mabel Lee) and many other languages
  • Plays translated into English, Swedish, French, etc.

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Avant-garde, poetic style with elements of Theatre of the AbsurdHybrid aesthetics bridging Eastern and Western traditionsExperimental narrative technique with frequent shifts of narrator
Recurring Motifs
journey and explorationloneliness and alienationmemory and traces of the pastlimits of language and expression

Health

  • Misdiagnosis (suspected lung cancer, later found to be misdiagnosed)
    1986
    The misdiagnosis prompted a long journey that became the occasion for writing Soul Mountain.

Legacy

Gao Xingjian served as a bridge between Sinophone and international literature, introducing and developing avant-garde expression across plays, novels and paintings. His 2000 Nobel Prize established his international standing, and sustained collaboration with National Taiwan Normal University has helped institutionalize study and archives of his work.

Museums

  • Gao Xingjian Center (National Taiwan Normal University) NTNU Library, 6th floor, Taipei Opened in 2012

Academic Societies

  • Research community around the Gao Xingjian Center at NTNU
  • Royal Society of Literature (association/recognition)

Archives

  • National Taiwan Normal University: Gao Xingjian Center (manuscripts and donated materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Inclusion in theatre and literature curricula and stagings across East Asia and the West

Quotes

  • “No matter whether it is in politics or literature, I do not believe in or belong to any party or school, and this includes nationalism and patriotism.”
    Source: Interview (1987) / summarized on Wikipedia (1987)

Trivia

  • During the Cultural Revolution he was sent down as an intellectual and burned many early works.
  • Misdiagnosed with lung cancer in 1986; the subsequent journey led to Soul Mountain.
  • Became a French citizen in 1997.
  • Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2000; several of his plays were subsequently banned from performance in mainland China.