Laureate award Western, but carries less political tinge
In the current global sphere, many rules, social structures and cultural mechanisms are dominated by the West. The Nobel Prize is an example. It reflects the Western opinion on human achievement.
The Chinese public's attention to the Nobel Prize dates back to the 1980s, when China opened itself to the world and international literature arrived in China again. The most notable case was that of Gabriel García Márquez, a Colombian novelist who won the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature. Some people thought that, since writers from developing regions such as Latin America could win such a prize, why couldn't those from China?
Some Chinese people felt anxious that China couldn't win a prize as they thought China was isolated from the mainstream international arena. But on the other hand, some worry that the world didn't understand our culture and our standpoint as Chinese values are different from those of the West. These fears were not alleviated by the victory of Chinese-born but Paris-resident Gao Xingjian in 2000.
Unlike the Nobel Peace Prize, the literature prize doesn't have as strong a political impact. The peace prize granted to Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991 had a direct impact on the democratization process in Myanmar, but one shouldn't expect the literature prize to have such influence.
Sometimes the panel avoids controversial decisions. For instance, it hasn't yet granted the prize to frequent nominee Salman Rushdie, perhaps because of the death threats against him from Iran over his The Satanic Verses.
Most people easily relate the literature prize to politics. But in fact, the mechanism for running the literature prize is quite complex. Writers must have worked for years, and have specially appointed translators who can translate their work elegantly into different languages, so that they can be appreciated by readers worldwide.
Meanwhile, the features of a laureate that the panel of judges most look for is his or her ability to discover deeply rooted and complicated humanity and exquisitely put it in a way that's easier for international readers to understand. Chinese writer Mo Yan's literary achievements make him a serious competitor for the prize.
The above article was compiled by Global Times reporter Wang Wenwen based on an interview with Zhang Yiwu, professor and director of the Cultural Resources Research Center of Peking University.
