Lu Xun Literary Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (2001) Winner
Jia Pingwa
ジャー・ピンワー
Jia Pingwa
Aliases:
贾平娃 / 贾平凹（筆名表記）
Pen Names:
Jia Pingwa（A pen name playing on his given name (a character play between '娃' and '凹').）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1952-02-21 （Dihua Village, Danfeng County, Shangluo, Shaanxi, China）
- Nationality
- China
- Languages
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Residence History
- Shangluo, Shaanxi (place of origin) → Xi'an (studies and base of activity)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Novelist, Essayist, Editor
- Active Years
- 1973-
- Affiliations
- Chinese Writers Association (Shaanxi branch), Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, School of Humanities (dean positions), National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Xi'an People's Congress, Ocean University of China (writer-in-residence)
- Memberships
- Chinese Writers Association (member; held provincial leadership), Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (national committee member)
- Influenced By
- The Ming vernacular novel tradition exemplified by Jin Ping Mei, Chinese vernacular storytelling and local narrative traditions
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest University (China) | — | — | — | 1971–1975 | China |
Northwest University (China)
Period:
1971–1975
Year of Graduation:
1975
Country:
China
Admitted during the Cultural Revolution period; studied literature and later pursued editing and writing.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Best Short Story of the Year | "Full Moon" (short story) | 短編小説 | China Writers Association / literary magazines | 受賞 |
| 1991 | Pegasus Prize for Literature | Turbulence (Fuzao) | — | Pegasus Prize (U.S.-based) | 受賞 |
| 1997 | Prix Femina étranger | French translation La Capitale déchue (Ruined City) | — | Prix Femina (France) | 受賞（翻訳者へ授与） |
| 2003 | Knight of Arts and Literature | — | — | French Ministry of Culture | 授与 |
| 2004 | Lu Xun Literature Prize (essays/prose) | Jia Pingwa’s Lengthy Prose Selection | 散文・随筆 | Lu Xun Literature Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2006 | The Dream of the Red Chamber Award | Qin Qiang (The Shaanxi Opera) | — | Dream of the Red Chamber Award Committee | 受賞 |
| 2006 | Liu Qing Literature Prize (Outstanding Achievement) | — | — | Liu Qing Literature Prize Committee | 受賞（突出した業績） |
| 2007 | Pu Songling Literature Short Story Prize | Dumpling Restaurant (short story) | 短篇小説 | Pu Songling Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2008 | Mao Dun Literature Prize (7th) | Qin Qiang (The Shaanxi Opera) | — | Mao Dun Literature Prize Committee | 受賞 |
Best Short Story of the Year
1978
Work:
"Full Moon" (short story)
Category:
短編小説
Organization:
China Writers Association / literary magazines
Result:
受賞
Pegasus Prize for Literature
1991
Work:
Turbulence (Fuzao)
Organization:
Pegasus Prize (U.S.-based)
Result:
受賞
Prix Femina étranger
1997
Work:
French translation La Capitale déchue (Ruined City)
Organization:
Prix Femina (France)
Result:
受賞（翻訳者へ授与）
Knight of Arts and Literature
2003
Organization:
French Ministry of Culture
Result:
授与
Lu Xun Literature Prize (essays/prose)
2004
Work:
Jia Pingwa’s Lengthy Prose Selection
Category:
散文・随筆
Organization:
Lu Xun Literature Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
The Dream of the Red Chamber Award
2006
Work:
Qin Qiang (The Shaanxi Opera)
Organization:
Dream of the Red Chamber Award Committee
Result:
受賞
Liu Qing Literature Prize (Outstanding Achievement)
2006
Organization:
Liu Qing Literature Prize Committee
Result:
受賞（突出した業績）
Pu Songling Literature Short Story Prize
2007
Work:
Dumpling Restaurant (short story)
Category:
短篇小説
Organization:
Pu Songling Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Mao Dun Literature Prize (7th)
2008
Work:
Qin Qiang (The Shaanxi Opera)
Organization:
Mao Dun Literature Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
-
Edition 1 (2006) Winner
Mao Dun Literature Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 7 (2008) Winner
Shi Nai'an Literary Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (2011) Winner
Works
Major Works
Ruined City (Feidu)
1993 Novel (urban moral decay / semi-autobiographical)A semi-autobiographical novel about a morally compromised author from the provinces corrupted by fame; explicit sexual content led to a 17-year ban in China.
Clash between urbanization and traditionCorruption of fame and moralitySexuality and censorship
Translations
- English translation: Ruined City (translated by Howard Goldblatt, 2016)
- French translation: La Capitale déchue (translation by Genevieve Imbot-Bichet)
The Shaanxi Opera (Qin Qiang)
2005 Novel (incorporating local Shaanxi opera elements)An ambitious novel incorporating elements of local Shaanxi operas; celebrated for its portrayal of regional culture and contemporary Chinese society, winning the Mao Dun Literature Prize.
Reconstruction of regional cultureTraditional performance and modern societyIdentity
Translations
- English translation: The Shaanxi Opera (translated by Nicky Harman & Dylan Levi King, 2023)
Turbulence (Fuzao)
1987 NovelOne of his early major novels exploring tensions between city and countryside and unstable human relationships; received international attention and the Pegasus Prize after English translation.
Urban-rural divideInner turmoil
Translations
- English translation: Turbulence (translated by Howard Goldblatt, 1991)
Old Kiln (Gu Lu)
2011 NovelA novel that depicts time and memory through local history and people's lives; available in English translation.
Memory and historyLocalism
Translations
- English translation: Old Kiln (Sinoist Books, 2025; translation team)
Bibliography
- Bing Wa (Boy Soldier, short stories, 1977)
- Shandi Biji (Mountain Notes, short stories, 1980)
- Fuzao (Turbulence, novel, 1987)
- Feidu (Ruined City, novel, 1993)
- Qin Qiang (The Shaanxi Opera, novel, 2005)
- Gu Lu (Old Kiln, novel, 2011)
- Dai Deng (The Lantern Bearer, 2013)
- Lao Sheng (The Mountain Whisperer, 2014)
- Ji Hua (Broken Wings, 2016)
- Zan Zuo, Jiang Dou, etc. (2020s works)
Translations of Works
- Fuzao → Turbulence (English translation by Howard Goldblatt, 1991)
- Feidu → Ruined City (English translation by Howard Goldblatt, 2016); La Capitale déchue (French translation)
- Qin Qiang → The Shaanxi Opera (English translation by Nicky Harman & Dylan Levi King, 2023)
- Gu Lu → Old Kiln (English translation, Sinoist Books, 2025)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Use of vernacular and regional speechBlend of traditional vernacular storytelling and modern realismDetailed, localist description rooted in native-place fiction
- Recurring Motifs
- Nostalgia for native placeErosion of tradition by urbanizationConflict between fame and morality
Legacy
Jia Pingwa is a prominent native-place writer in contemporary Chinese literature, widely read for his portrayal of regional culture and narrative skill. His career has involved censorship controversies but also many domestic and international honors.
Academic Societies
- Chinese Writers Association
- Shaanxi Writers Association
In Popular Culture
- The short story 'Ugly Rock' (Chou Shi) has been used as a potential reading topic for the Putonghua Proficiency Test.
Quotes
-
Carlos Rojas: "explicitly rooted in the breathless modernization of contemporary urban China, while at the same time... [featuring] a nostalgic fascination with the historical tradition which that same modernization process simultaneously threatens to erase."
Source: Positions: East Asia Cultures Critique (Carlos Rojas, 2006) (2006)
Trivia
- His given name is Jia Pingwa (贾平娃); the pen name Jia Pingwa (贾平凹) is a play on characters.
- The novel Ruined City was banned for about 17 years in China due to explicit sexual content, which led to widespread piracy.
- His daughter Jia Qianqian is known as a poet.
- He is known for incorporating local Shaanxi speech and culture into his fiction.