"Controversy is a driving force for me, to some extent, because I've been experimenting with innovative literary elements, and they are sure to be accompanied by discussion and even debate," Yan says in a quiet cafe near his house in northwest Beijing, in an easily distinguishable Henan accent.

Amid all this debate, nevertheless, Yan has bagged a dozen literary awards, including the top Lu Xun award in 1997 and 2001, and the Lao She award in 2004.

Despite penning numerous novels, novellas, short stories, essays and criticisms, Yan is honest enough to admit he started writing simply as a means to escape the poverty of his native Songxian county, Henan province.