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Yan Lianke

エン・レンカ

Yan Lianke

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1958-08-24 （Henan, China）
Nationality
Chinese
Languages
Chinese
Residence History
Henan, China (birthplace) → Beijing, China (residence)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Essayist
Active Years
1980-
Memberships
Royal Society of Literature (International Writer)
Influenced By
Lu Xun, Albert Camus

Education

Henan University
Politics and Education / Politics and Education
Degree: 学士
Period: 1981–1985
Year of Graduation: 1985
Country: China
Graduated with a degree in politics and education
People's Liberation Army Arts College
Literature / Literature
Degree: 学位（文学）
Period: 1988–1991
Year of Graduation: 1991
Country: China
Completed studies in literature

Awards

Lu Xun Literary Prize
1997
Work: Huang Jin Dong
Organization: Lu Xun Literary Prize Committee
Result: winner
Lu Xun Literary Prize
2001
Work: Years, Months, Days
Organization: Lu Xun Literary Prize Committee
Result: winner
Lao She Literary Award
2004
Work: Shou Huo (Lenin's Kisses)
Organization: Lao She Literary Award Committee
Result: winner
Yazhou Zhoukan Best Ten Books
2005
Work: Ding Zhuang Meng (Dream of Ding Village)
Organization: Yazhou Zhoukan
Result: winner
Franz Kafka Prize
2014
Organization: Franz Kafka Society
Result: winner
Man Booker International Prize
2016
Work: The Four Books
Organization: The Booker Prizes
Result: shortlist
Dream of the Red Chamber Award
2016
Work: Rixi (The Day the Sun Died)
Organization: Dream of the Red Chamber Award Committee
Result: winner
Grand Prix of Literary Associations
2017
Work: Zhalie Zhi (The Explosion Chronicles)
Category: Belles-Lettres
Organization: Grand Prix of Literary Associations
Result: shortlisted
Man Booker International Prize (longlist)
2017
Work: The Explosion Chronicles
Organization: The Booker Prizes
Result: longlisted
Newman Prize for Chinese Literature
2021
Organization: Newman Prize Committee
Result: winner
Royal Society of Literature International Writer
2021
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: elected

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Serve the People!

2005 Fiction (satire)

Set during the Cultural Revolution, the novel recounts an affair between a commander's wife and a young soldier and satirizes political fanaticism and personal choices under Maoist rule; controversial for its sexual and political content.

Cultural RevolutionPower and the individualSatire
Translations
  • English translation: Julia Lovell (2008)

Dream of Ding Village

2006 Fiction (social novel)

A novel about a village affected by an AIDS epidemic resulting from illegal blood donations; it depicts rural social corruption and human suffering based on extensive field research.

Rural societyMedical ethicsCorruption
Translations
  • English translation: Cindy Carter (2011)

Lenin's Kisses

2004 Fiction (allegorical, satirical)

An allegorical and satirical novel that critiques aspects of Chinese history and ideology, noted for its imaginative and surreal elements.

Critique of ideologyAllegorization of historySatire
Translations
  • English translation: Carlos Rojas (2012)

The Four Books

2011 Fiction (experimental)

Uses multiple perspectives and experimental structure to portray contemporary China through mythorealist techniques; its English translation brought international acclaim.

MythorealismContemporary ChinaTranscending reality
Translations
  • English translation: Carlos Rojas (2015)

The Explosion Chronicles

2013 Fiction (experimental, allegorical)

A novel with imaginative structure that allegorically depicts anxieties and social fractures in modern China; shortlisted for several international prizes.

Social anxietyAllegoryImagination
Translations
  • English translation: Carlos Rojas (2016)

The Day the Sun Died

2015 Fiction (experimental, mythorealist)

Against the backdrop of a large-scale event, the novel portrays fear and chaos within individuals and communities through mythorealist techniques; it sparked discussion domestically and internationally.

FearCollapse of communityMythorealism
Translations
  • English translation: Carlos Rojas (2018)

Bibliography

  • The Hell of Feelings (1991)
  • The Last Female Educated Youth (1993)
  • The Passage of Time (1998)
  • Hard as Water (2001)
  • Lenin's Kisses (2004)
  • Serve the People! (2005)
  • Dream of Ding Village (2006)
  • The Four Books (2011)
  • The Explosion Chronicles (2013)
  • The Day the Sun Died (2015)

Translations of Works

  • Serve the People! — English translation by Julia Lovell (2008)
  • Dream of Ding Village — English translation by Cindy Carter (2011)
  • Lenin's Kisses — English translation by Carlos Rojas (2012)
  • The Explosion Chronicles — English translation by Carlos Rojas (2016)
  • The Day the Sun Died — English translation by Carlos Rojas (2018)
  • Heart Sutra — English translation by Carlos Rojas (2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Mythorealism: experimental, myth-infused realismSurreal and satirical narrative voiceUse of imagination and allegory to transcend conventional realism
Recurring Motifs
Rural–urban contrastBureaucracy and corruptionCarnivalesque, grotesque elementsIndividual interiority and collective tragedy

Legacy

Despite facing censorship and bans in China, Yan Lianke has achieved international recognition for his unique mythorealist style. His works have been widely translated and have won or been shortlisted for multiple international literary prizes.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature (International Writer)

Quotes

  • Mythorealism … abandons the seemingly logical relations of real life and explores a 'nonexistent' truth, an invisible truth, and a truth concealed by truth.
    Source: Yan Lianke (on mythorealism) (2011)

Trivia

  • His childhood home was reportedly demolished in a disputed incident.
  • He has admitted practicing self-censorship while writing.
  • Some works such as Serve the People! and Dream of Ding Village were banned in mainland China.