Mo Yan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mo Yan (莫言; Pinyin: Mò Yán) (born 1956) is a modern Chinese author, known in the West for two of his novels which were the basis of the film Red Sorghum. Mo Yan was born in the Shandong province to a family of farmers. He left school during the Cultural Revolution to work in a factory that produced oil. He joined the People's Liberation Army at age twenty, and began writing while he was still a soldier, in 1981. Three years later, he was given a teaching position at the Department of Literature in the Army's Cultural Academy. His works include The Garlic Ballads, The Republic of Wine: A Novel, Red Sorghum, Shifu: You'll Do Anything for a Laugh, and Big Breasts & Wide Hips.
"Mo Yan", meaning "don't speak" in Chinese, is a pen name. His real name is Guan Moye.
