Enjoyed this interview quite a bit.

One of the topics was writing for publication outside of China to avoid censorship. Eric, I believe, implied that such writing wouldn't be read by people within China.

But I'm less sure. I think there is a minor tendancy among some writers to write what they mean, and seek first publication outside China, knowing that such writing eventually is picked up by China publishers. International publication brings with it a certain "halo" effect, and subsequent versions in China can be pretty forthright.

As I recall, Hong Ying returned a few years ago and insisted on re-publishing her first novel in its original form. Some of Yan Lianke's work is also appearing now after earlier bans.

I haven't researched this, and can't claim it's a major trend, but I suspect it is or will be soon.

Bruce, April 14, 2014, 8:49a.m.

An example of a mainland Chinese writer who has chosen to publish abroad in order to avoid censorship: Liu Xinwu (刘心武), and his autobiographical work, Je suis né le 4 juin: Mémoires littéraires, to date available only in French (Gallimard).

An interview with him on the subject: Personne ne peut m'arracher le droit de remémorer ma vie

Bruce, April 28, 2014, 1:24p.m.