This morning it was announced that Chinese author Mo Yan won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature. He is the first Chinese author to win. Here is the citation:
Through a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives, Mo Yan has created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel García Márquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition.
I myself have never read any of his work, but it does sound interesting.
For more information, I suggest following M.A. Orthofer’s coverage at The Complete Review. He will be updating this post throughout the day.
Just a minor correction – Gao Xingjian was the first Chinese author to win the Nobel.
Mo Yan’s Shifu, You’ll Do Anything for a Laugh has long been a favorite. I’ve yet to read any of his longer works, but hope to rectify that soon.
True point. I should say first Chinese national, since Gao Xingjian was a French citizen when he won.