Mo Yan (莫言) was born on February 17, 1955 in Gaomi, Shandong Province. He graduated from the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts and started his writing career in 1980.
His 11 novels include "Family Stories of Red Sorghum," "The Garlic Ballads," "Thirteen Steps," "The Republic of Wine," "Big Breasts & Wide Hips," "Sandalwood Penalty," "Fatigue of Life and Death," and "The Frog."
His 24 novellas include "The Transparent Carrot," "Explosions," "Wild Mule," and "Joy" while his more than 60 short stories include "Dry River," "White Dog Swing," and "Thumb-cuffs."
Besides these works, he also wrote many scripts and essays. Many of his works have been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Arabic and Vietnamese and other languages. Mo Yan has been awarded many prizes at home and abroad, including China's prestigious Mao Dun Literature Prize. In 2012, he became the country's first Nobel Literature Prize laureate.