In 2012 the Swedish Academy announced that Mo Yan had received the Nobel
Prize in Literature for his work that "with hallucinatory realism merges
folk tales, history, and the contemporary." The announcement marked the
first time a resident of mainland China had ever received the award.
This is the first English-language study of the Chinese writer's work
and influence, featuring essays from scholars in a range of disciplines,
from both China and the United States. Its introduction, twelve
articles, and epilogue aim to deepen and widen critical discussions of
both a specific literary author and the globalization of Chinese
literature more generally. The book takes the "root-seeking" movement
with which Mo Yan's works are associated as a metaphor for its
organizational structure. The four articles of "Part I: Leaves" focus on
Mo Yan's works as world literature, exploring the long shadow his works
have cast globally. Howard Goldblatt, Mo Yan's English translator,
explores the difficulties and rewards of interpreting his work, while
subsequent articles cover issues such as censorship and the
"performativity" associated with being a global author. "Part II: Trunk"
explores the nativist core of Mo Yan's works. Through careful
comparative treatment of related historical events, the five articles in
this section show how specific literary works intermingle with China's
national and international politics, its mid-twentieth-century visual
culture, and its rich religious and literary conventions, including
humor. The three articles in "Part III: Roots" delve into the
theoretical and practical extensions of Mo Yan's works, uncovering the
vibrant critical and cultural systems that ground Eastern and Western
literatures and cultures. Mo Yan in Context concludes with an epilogue
by sociologist Fenggang Yang, offering a personal and globally aware
reflection on the recognition Mo Yan's works have received at this
historical juncture.
