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Yang Lian

ヤン・リアン

Yang Lian

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1955-02-22 （Bern, Switzerland）
Nationality
China, Switzerland, New Zealand, United Kingdom
Languages
Mandarin Chinese, English
Residence History
Beijing → Auckland, New Zealand → London, United Kingdom → Berlin, Germany → Saas-Fee, Switzerland

Career

Occupations
Poet, Translator, University professor
Active Years
1974-
Affiliations
European Graduate School (EGS), Nanjing University of the Arts (guest professor), The Arts College of Hebei University (guest professor), Yangzhou University (guest professor), Shantou University (distinguished professor / writer in residence), Wissenschaftskolleg Fellowship (Berlin)
Memberships
The Norwegian Academy for Literature and Freedom of Expression (member)
Influenced By
Bei Dao, Mang Ke, Misty Poets
Nominations
Nobel Prize in Literature (reported nomination)

Awards

Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award
2024
Organization: Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Dead in Exile

1990 Poetry collection

A collection of poems dealing with exile, oppression, memory and identity. Includes works that could not be published on the Chinese mainland.

ExileMemoryPolitics and history

YI

2002 Book-length poem

A book-length poem engaging with self and historical consciousness, mixing traditional elements with modern experimental techniques.

SelfHistoryLinguistic experimentation

Narrative Poem

2016 Book-length poem

A long poem with autobiographical elements, where personal and social histories intersect.

AutobiographyMemoryHistory

Venice Elegy

2018 Poetry sequence

A sequence of poems on Venice. Special artist-book editions created in collaboration with visual artists (e.g. Ai Weiwei) exist.

Sense of placeLossLandscape
Adaptations
  • [Artist's book] Venice Elegy (artist's book) (2018)

Bibliography

  • Dead in Exile
  • Masks & Crocodile
  • Where the Sea Stands Still
  • Non-Person Singular
  • YI
  • Concentric Circles
  • Notes of a Blissful Ghost
  • Unreal City
  • Riding Pisces
  • Lea Valley Poems
  • Jade Ladder (editor)
  • Narrative Poem
  • Venice Elegy
  • Anniversary Snow
  • A Tower Built Downwards

Adaptations

  • Venice Elegy (artist's book collaboration with Ai Weiwei, limited edition)

Translations of Works

  • English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Danish, Swedish, Slovenian, Arabic, Portuguese, Hungarian, etc.

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Modernist, experimental poetic styleBlend of classical Chinese allusion and contemporary poeticsUse of ellipsis and fragmented imagery (influence of Misty Poets)
Recurring Motifs
Exile and exclusionMemory and historyPlace and landscapeVoice and narrative

Legacy

Yang Lian is a major figure in contemporary Chinese poetry associated with the Misty Poets and the Searching for Roots movement. His experience of exile and confrontation with censorship has shaped his work, which is widely translated and internationally recognized. His 2024 Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award underlines his reputation as an advocate for freedom of expression.

Academic Societies

  • The Norwegian Academy for Literature and Freedom of Expression

Archives

  • European Graduate School related materials

Quotes

  • “one of China’s most eminent living poets and an unwavering freedom of speech campaigner”
    Source: Polskie Radio (article on Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award) (2024)

Trivia

  • He has translated all of George Orwell's fiction into Chinese (publication in China has been blocked or delayed due to censorship).
  • He was in Auckland during the 1989 Tiananmen events and was subsequently blacklisted in China.
  • Associated with the Misty Poets and the Searching for Roots (Xungen) movement.
  • Invited to membership of a Norwegian academy in 2013.