A fight between Titans of the written word has broken out as a best-selling author, one of Time magazine's "100 most influential people in the world" in 2010, launches a legal battle against a wildly popular micro-blogger known for exposing academic fraud.
Han Han, a 29-year-old novelist and champion amateur race-car driver, submitted a bill of prosecution to the court on Tuesday, his publisher said. Han is suing blogger Fang Zhouzi for libel because Fang claimed Han's works may be ghostwritten.
The lawsuit fuels an already heated dispute that, as of Tuesday afternoon, had sparked more than 14.8 million micro blogs on weibo, China's largest micro-blogging platform, since it started on Jan 15. Han's supporters outnumbered Fang's about 4-to-1. Numerous bloggers, intellectuals and celebrities also voiced their opinion.
In an interview, Han Han said he thinks it is unlikely he would lose the case in court. "If you read the micro blogs posted by Fang Zhouzi concerning his accusation against me, you will find clear evidence of actual malice," he said on Monday.
Fang told China Daily he had not intended to disparage Han. "Why should I bother to defame him? I don't even know him. There is no grudge between us."
The clash began when a popular blogger, Mai Tian, claimed Han's works might have been written by his publisher, Lu Jinbo, and said there is a team of ghostwriters behind Han.
Han responded the next day, offering 20 million yuan (nearly $3.2 million) to anyone who could prove his works were ghostwritten.
Fang Zhouzi (left), known for exposing academic fraud, has questioned the work of Han Han, one of the best-selling writers in China. Han is suing over Fang's stated suspicion that Han's works were ghostwritten.
When Mai apologized to Han on Jan 18, admitting he didn't have sufficient evidence, Fang joined the fray, saying he noticed Han had deleted all his articles from December 2006 to September 2007 from his blog.
"Posting a reward to look for evidence, while at the same time destroying the proof, makes people feel his claims of innocence lack sincerity," Fang said on his micro blog.
Fang also questioned Han's ability to write such mature works at a young age and to write well enough to win a national composition writing contest in 1999. Fang also alleged that Han's father, writer Han Renjun, is the most likely suspect as young Han's ghostwriter.
Han Han responded by saying the articles were deleted in 2008 at the request of his publishing house and to protect his copyright interest. He also said it was impossible for him and his father to have the same writing style.
Han Renjun also posted online his own works that were published around the same time as Han's first novel, Triple Door, so readers could compare the styles. He also said he did not know any judges to manipulate the writing contest won by his son.
