Jiang Rong Wins First Annual Man Asian Literary Prize
Posted on November 12, 2007
Chinese author Jiang Rong has won the first Man Asian Literary Prize for his book, Wolf Totem. The book was published in China by Jiang Rong, the author's pen name. Other authors on the short list included Jose Dalisay Jr., Reeti Gadekar, Nu Nu Yi and Xu Xi. The author will receive a $10,000 prize and the translator, Howard Goldblatt, will receive a $3,000 prize.
The publisher, Penguin Books, says Wolf Totem depicts the "dying culture of the Mongols–the ancestors of the Mongol hordes who at one time terrorized the world–and the parallel extinction of the animal they believe to be sacred: the fierce and otherworldly Mongolian wolf."
The International Herald Tribune reports that the book has been selling like wildfire in China since it was released in 2004. It has already sold at least two million copies.
The Beijing-based author, who has largely sought anonymity as his book and nom de plume have grown in celebrity in China, was absent from the award dinner. His Chinese and English publishers said the 61-year-old author was suffering ill health.Rong writes under a pseudonym to avoid political repercussions from the Chinese authorities, which is most likely the real reason he didn't show up at the awards dinner."I spent 30 years thinking, and six years writing 'Wolf Totem,' and my only hope was to produce an appealing story," Rong said in a letter read by his Chinese publisher, Li Bo.
But "Wolf Totem" has turned out to be much more than simply an appealing story. The book's messages about the state of modern China and Chinese culture have touched a nerve. It has been featured on television shows, used by businesses in China as a motivational tool and sold for film production, and has spawned a children's tale.
The Asian literary community has expressed hope that the Man Asian Awards will become a much-anticipated annual event for years to come.