Chinese author Jiang Rong beat four other shortlisted writers to
become the first winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize for his
bestselling novel
The Wolf Totem.
The newly established US$100,000 award seeks to recognize the
region's best literature that has not yet been published in
English.
The Wolf Totem, first published in Chinese, is about
the struggle of life during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) and
draws on Jiang's personal experience in the Mongolian grasslands.
The English edition of the book is scheduled for publication in
March.
Jiang, who was born in Jiangsu Province in 1946, spent 11 years
living with nomadic communities in the border grassland region.
Due to ill health, the Beijing-based writer was unable to accept
the award in person at a ceremony held in Hong Kong on Saturday
night.
But in a statement, Jiang said he was thrilled and honored his
story had caught the attention of the judges. "I spent 30 years
thinking, and six years writing The Wolf Totem," he
said.
"During that process, I hoped to write a story that would appeal
to the Chinese sensibility."
Adrienne Clarkson, who led a panel of three judges, hailed
The Wolf Totem as a "panoramic novel" of life in the
grasslands during the time of the "cultural revolution".
(China Daily via Agencies November 12, 2007)
