China's Guest-of-Honor Status Debated at Frankfurt Book Fair
Ma Jian, a writer whose expose-style portraits of China's downtrodden are banned at home and who lives in London, hailed the Book Fair's invitation to China as special guest as "a good thing per se."
But he said no one should expect to hear the authentic voice of China from the officials and authors in the Beijing delegation.
"While they cavort here in their beautifully tailored suits, lots of authors are locked up in jail back home," he said.
Comments
Ma Jian considers himself apparently as the only authentic voice of China! He even declared at a Pen meeting in London (in substance) that all writers living in China had the choice of silence, exile or cooperation with the government. That sort of statement shows that he has lost contact with realities in China where he is able to travel provided he does not make public statements. As a writer,"Red Dust", is travel litterature compared to "The Soul Mountain" of his friend Gao Xingjian."Beijing Coma" is a book that had to be supported because it is the only serious novel about historical events that tend to be forgotten by new generations; but it is far too long, one third of the book concerning the survival of the hero is of limited interest.
bertrand mialaret, October 19, 2009, 8:26a.m.