8 HKFOCUS Monday, May 21, 2018 DAILY HONG KONG EDITION 9 WRITING A NEW CHAPTER ’S BIO By throwing his weight behind the Lui Che Woo Prize, Mo Yan, Nobel-laureate for literature, is extending the scope of the altruistic impulse that shines through much of his writing. Chitralekha Basu reports.

resumably China’s most inter- sheep and plants, understanding them the mother of his son. A sudden fl ush of Wearing di erent hats nationally well-known writer, more intensely than kids my age nor- love for the woman he had once raped The unshakable bond between a land the Nobel-laureate Mo Yan mally would.” stops him from committing a similar act and the people who draw their sustenance A peek inside Mo’s mind acknowledged his literary debt The theme of hunger has been master- on another helpless woman. from it is still quite central to Mo’s writing. Pto the Hong Kong writer Dung Kai- fully maneuvered by writers like Knut This is exemplifi ed particularly ingenious- Q: Looking back on the old days, who do you feel the most grateful to? cheung during an interview with China Hamsun and Franz Kafka to depict man’s From page to stage ly in the novel Life and Death Are Wearing A: One of the teachers I want to thank is Mao Zhaohuang, editor of Lian Chi, a bimonthly Daily last month. Mo’s raising of the hat ability to rise above his state, turn abject- Mo isn’t fi nished with Me Out (2006), in which the benevolent literary publication based in Baoding, Hebei province. At that time writing was fashion- to the much younger Dung is aligned to ness into a creative enterprise, howsoever yet. More than 20 years after its publi- landowner Ximen Nao, executed in the able among the youngsters. Every editor would receive submissions by the sackful, so it the spirit of generosity that runs through bizarre. There are many such instances cation and several play and fi lm adap- wake of the land reform movement, is rein- was very di cult to make one’s work catch the reader’s attention. Once Mao had read much of his fi ction. The ability to see the in Mo’s fi ction, including a particularly tations (including a much celebrated carnated as donkey, ox, pig, dog, monkey my work he rushed all the way to the mountains, where I was living then, to look for me. regenerative elements of life in the most macabre but nonetheless captivating one by Zhang Yimou) later, he keeps and ultimately a human child, revisiting Later, he took me to Baiyang Lake. That experience led to my debut story, Falling Rain dire of situations is the hallmark of Mo’s scene in Red Sorghum (1986). Gaomi coming back to the story — commonly his land and folks in subsequent births, on a Spring Night. writing, to say nothing of the stunningly county is seized by the Japanese troops. recognized as a representative novel of watching them deal with the newer exi- vivid, powerful images he creates to pres- Enraged by the passive but steadfast China the world over. Unhappy with the gencies of a steadily and sometimes radi- Q: What would you suggest to reignite the youth’s zeal for reading in today’s technological era? ent these goriest of truths. His faith in the resistance shown by uncle Arhat, the play-scripts based on the novel in circu- cally altering China through the second A: Some still believe a true reading experience is only possible by fl ipping through the pages irrepressible human spirit that fi nds a commanding officer orders him to be lation, Mo recently adapted the fi rst two half of the 20th century. of a physical book, but I think it’s too conservative. If you are reading a classic, irrespec- way of rea rming its resilience against skinned alive. Mo describes the scene in chapters of the book into a play, to be During his life as a pig in the 1970s, tive of the mode of reading, the book a ects you in similar ways. I think we should take a immeasurable odds seems to issue out of unsparing graphic detail. The peeling of published in People’s Literature (Renmin Ximen Nao becomes a victim of corruption broader view of the term “reading”. a fountainhead of compassion and large- uncle Arhat, by the village butcher who Wenxue) magazine. He has also written in the ranks. The fodder served to him at heartedness. It’s a quality often found in is made to act at gunpoint, is a metic- an opera based on the historical novel the village pig-raising farm is mixed with Q: How has China’s reform and opening-up policy impacted your life and career? the works of the world’s fi nest writers — a ulously performed, perfectly executed Sandalwood Death (2001), set against the rat droppings and eventually, after a par- A: We could read a lot of Western literature in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Later, in the Age: 63 sign of what the poet John Keats might feat — almost a tribute to the deceased. backdrop of the “Boxer Rebellion” (1899- ticularly harsh winter when agricultural 1990s, a large number of contemporary works by Chinese authors had been translated Born: Feb 17, 1955 have called “the holiness of heart’s a ec- The climax is cathartic, with heavy rains 1901), due out soon in Shiyue magazine. production is at an all-time low and there into various languages like English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. While we were Hometown: Gaomi, Shandong tions”. By becoming an ambassador of washing away the last drop of blood from While the ravishing, intense, sensual is no pig-feed left to go around, with the learning from the West, Western writers were also learning from us, reciprocally. the Lui Che Woo Prize, Mo seems to have the execution site and uncle Arhat’s story imagery generic to Mo’s fi ction often con- meat of dying pigs — playing havoc with province extended the scope of a similar altruism apotheosized as part of the local lore. jures up a cinematic experience for his the food chain and vitiating the ecosystem. at the core of his writing. “Doubtless, poverty brings out the readers, Mo, it turns out, has always been The memory of those years serves as Career: The eponymous prize, started by the worst in human beings,” said Mo. “Then in love with the theater. “I am drawn to a reminder to use the natural resources Hong Kong-based philanthropist Lui at the same time, under extreme poverty, plays,” he said. “I was infl uenced by the at our disposal with care and use them • Enlisted in the People’s Liberation Che-woo in 2015, is one of the world’s the benign side of human beings shines local Chinese opera. I had long fantasized well — one of the core values the Lui prize Army in 1976; most valuable awards given to individu- even more gloriously, dazzling us.” His about composing an opera that actors seeks to uphold and help enhance. • Started working at Procuratorial als and organizations for outstanding short story Man and Beast, in which the will sing on stage.” “We have to develop the economy on a achievements toward building a safe and protagonist Yu Zhan’ao from Red Sor- He recently published an opera script sustainable basis,” said Mo. “We shouldn’t Daily in 1997; sustainable world, replete with positive ghum reappears, illustrates this rather in People’s Literature, based on a tale he think only of our own generation but • Currently the dean of the values. In Hong Kong to promote the Lui well. Waiting to ambush the advancing had heard from his mother. It will be also need to consider the needs of the Literature Institute of the Chinese award, Mo talked about the range and Japanese troops, Yu, the leader of a rag- staged this year, Mo informed us. thousands of generations who will come National Academy of Arts value of the award and his role in short- tag rebel army, fi nds himself stepping Understandably, he wants to see his after us, so that our o spring can live in a listing the candidates, even as he seemed into a fox’s lair. Much like a feral animal stories come to life in their di erent man- clean, beautiful environment.” conscious, perhaps even slightly regret- himself, Yu has no qualms about dislodg- ifestations, across di erent literary and Like Ximen Nao, who was reborn on Education: ful, of drawing some attention to himself ing the fox couple from their den and performance art forms. The man who earth in his several di erent incarnations, • Master of Literature and Art at in the process. He kept reiterating that pushing them to their deaths following a never stepped out of his provincial life in narrating the story of the making of pres- charity loses some of its sheen when the protracted battle. A while later, the sight Gaomi county until he was 21 is welcom- ent-day China, Mo Yan too has been tell- Beijing Normal University (1991); donator tries to gain brownie points out of a lost Japanese woman brings out the ing and ready to embrace the tremen- ing the China story over the years. It’s just • Graduate of People’s Liberation of the act and, true to his words, declined animal in him again. He proceeds to rape dous changes China has witnessed since that sometimes he likes wearing di erent Mo Yan is internationally celebrated and his works routinely translated into English discussing his personal contributions her, unleashing the pent-up racial hatred then. And that includes young people hats — be it that of a novelist, librettist or Army Arts College (1984-86) and other languages. PHOTOS BY EDMOND TANG AND PARKER ZHENG / CHINA DAILY to humanitarian causes. “Giving away lodged deep in his heart. And then a who might be reading his books on a an ambassador of the Lui prize. money is not about doing the recipients a black patch sewn to her undergarment phone as they use the other hand to hold Personal achievements: favor,” said Mo. “Rather it’s about helping reminds him of the fi rst meeting with the handrail of a moving escalator. Honey Tsang contributed to the story. • Awarded the Nobel Prize in others to fulfi ll their needs in a meaningful way. Such an act Literature (2012); becomes valuable by making • awarded the Winner prize the giver feel blessed.” of the Mao Dun Literature Prize Son of the soil (2011); Having been through a life of • Life and Death Are Wearing Me unrelenting hardship between Out awarded the Winner prize of around age 11 and 21, Mo Yan’s the Newman Prize for Chinese commitment to work toward human welfare comes as no Literature (2009) surprise. During those years, classes were scrapped. Stu- Known literary works: dents were made to engage in a life of hard labor. Mo was • A Transparent Radish (1984); forced to drop out of school Mo Yan senses literary greatness for HK • Red Sorghum (1986); and became a cowherd, graz- • (1988); ing cattle on the arid, uncul- By HONEY TSANG in Hong Kong Yichang, Jin Yong and Xi Xi (a close cent phase. The unprecedented level authors’ knack for writing to new physics and math. tivable land in his hometown [email protected] friend of Mo’s), and the vibrant movie of partnership between cities will open heights, he added. “It (literature) educates people through • (1992); in Gaomi county in Shandong, industry are testament to the city’s the door to a great diversity of writers This year marks the 40th anniver- abstraction, helps improve one’s disposition, • Big Breasts and Wide Hips (1996); an eastern costal province of When the plane taxied down the storied cultured aura. and new genres of literature, music sary of the reform and opening-up. purify one’s soul and enhance relationships • Sandalwood Death (2001); China. He went hungry on runway at Hong Kong International The literary savant holds that Hong and arts, he added. In the early stages, Mo was one of between people,” he said. most days, with barely enough Airport on April 26, Mo Yan sni ed Kong will see more forms of stellar the authors tapping into the influx As such, he recommends youths in Hong • Pow (2003); clothing to cover his bottom. something di erent. The scent ema- literature and art emerging under the Sense and sensibility of Western literature. And now, he Kong read as much and as broadly as they • Life and Death are Wearing Me The scene in his novel Frog nating from this city is so distinct that development of the Guangdong-Hong As idiosyncratic as it sounds, Mo expects the infl uence of Chinese lit- can, to use their gadgets to read in brief Out (2006); (2009) where a whole bunch of he had never smelt anything like it Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. sni s out Hong Kong’s attributes by erature and culture will be exported snatches to broaden knowledge, but also to • Frog (2009) pre-teens starts nibbling lumps elsewhere before. It smelt fresh, crisp Under the Bay Area framework, the its inconspicuous traces of smells. to other parts of the world, having a pore over the classics in minute detail. of coal, pretending to enjoy it — and modern. Hong Kong Special Administrative He has an extraordinary sensibility positive impact on avid readers and Close to the end of the interview, Mo recit- after a point, is a re-creation of “It could be an amalgamation of Region is integrating closely with the regarding scent, able to discern from writers worldwide. ed the poem Happy Rain by Du Fu, a poet a lived experience. the scents of cosmetics, seafood and Macao SAR and nine cities of Guang- the mixed odors that drift by anything At a tender age, well before his writ- of the Tang Dynasty (618-907): “Sweet rain Mo still has deep regrets many other things, creating a ‘Hong dong province, with the intention to from heady perfume to the faint whi ing talent had fully developed, Mo waters nature quietly and imperceptibly”. about missing out on school. Kong scent’,” recounted Mo, a revered build a world-class city cluster in the of grass. It’s a skill he picked up in his already had a great zeal for reading For Mo, literature is like the rain, nurturing He hastens to add, however, Chinese novelist and winner of the region. Mo thinks such integration youth when he spent much solitary that he said helped cultivate his liter- people’s knowledge and traits. He believes it that his early entry into the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature. is the key to innovation, and when time pasturing cows on farmland in ary fi nesse. The revered writer sees the can lead Hong Kong and cities within the complicated and often mor- It could also be the city’s unique people from di erent cities interact his hometown Gaomi, Shandong prov- educational function of literature as Bay Area toward a better, harmonious and ally corrupted world of adults “scent of the arts”, Mo muses, which more frequently, the increased com- ince. It’s a reward the arduous peasant very di erent from other subjects like peaceful future. in a country in deep turmoil derives from the people and writers munication is a huge boon, spurring life rendered him, he said. was in fact “a unique opportu- living in town. the arts and cultural advancement Mo, who dropped out of school nity to enrich my writing abili- To Mo, Hong Kong has always been a within the region. around 11 and never received formal ties”. And while life was a daily singular place, with its distinct aroma, “It works like cooler and warmer education, won the Nobel Prize in Lit- struggle to hold out against the language, history and culture under- waters colliding under the ocean, erature in 2012. His novels have been forces of nature, “it helped me pinning the city’s inimitable character. wherein the intersection breeds a wide widely praised for their outre literary connect with nature, forge very Hong Kong has been recognized as a diversity of aquatic species,” Mo eluci- imagination, submerged in a peasant intimate ties with it,” said Mo. stronghold of fi nancial activity, swank dated metaphorically. spirit. “I became particularly sensi- and modern attitudes, while also being He believes the prospect of the Bay He explained that the literary tive to the pasture, cattle and criticized as a “cultural desert” that Area is comparable to that of Quan- caprices and talents he forged in the cold-shoulders arts development. But zhou, Fujian province — which was the early days are very much attributed to Mo dissented from this critique back starting point of the ancient maritime China’s reform and opening-up — the in the 1990s. silk route and the intersection of Arabic policy pursued since 1978 to engage Literature educates people through and Western cultures. When Mo vis- international trade and foreign invest- A cultural oasis ited the place several years ago, he was ment, contributing to the nation’s abstraction, helps improve one’s “I think Hong Kong is in fact a cul- dazzled by the amicable coexistence of robust economic growth. disposition, purify one’s soul and tural oasis, as opposed to a desert,” various cultures and religions, enabling “The policy also opened the door to he told China Daily in an exclusive one to feel and resonate with them. Western classical literature and poems, enhance relationships between interview. Having a wide diversity of cultures which fi rst entered China in the 1980s,” Mo Yan (left) smiles as he poses next to his wife Du Qinlan after people.” All the while, the city has been a and races, and benefiting from the recalled Mo. All of a sudden, he had receiving his prize during the Nobel Prize award ceremony at melting pot that has bred umpteen fas- push of the strategic plans of the Bay access to a whole slew of literary clas- the Stockholm Concert Hall in Stockholm on Dec 10, 2012. Mo Yan, Nobel-laureate for literature cinating literary works, Mo explained. Area, Mo holds that Hong Kong’s liter- sics to learn from and relate to, and PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Exceptional local authors like Liu ary scene is set for a far more e erves- this brought his and other Chinese