Exclusive | Mo Yan shares some Nobel thoughts
Mo Yan sings the praises of motherhood and its power to move mountains, while he is a bit less enthusiastic about hurried trips to Hong Kong
Q: How have different literary traditions influenced your writing?
A: Every writer in China is influenced by Chinese literature and Western literature. For Chinese literature, writers are influenced in two ways. They are influenced by the poems from the Tang dynasty and novels from the Ming and Qing dynasties. They are also influenced by folk tales. In my case, folk tales have a greater impact on my writing.
In your Nobel award speech you spoke a lot about your mother. You mentioned that after she died you were grief-stricken and decided to write a novel dedicated to her [1997's Big Breasts and Wide Hips]. Why do you say mothers are "the last saviours" and "the true compassion"?
What makes a woman great is her quality of motherhood. The power of motherhood can "move mountains and fill the sea" and nothing can stop it. The character "Mother" in the novel has gone beyond the limit of classes and portrays the style of novels from previous decades.
Chinese novels published after 1949 overemphasised the political side and social background of a person. They simply distorted and ignored the description of human nature. Women play an important role in my writing.
