Mo Yan quotes

Mo Yan is a renowned Chinese novelist known for his imaginative and often satirical writing style. His works blend folk tales, history, and contemporary life to explore themes such as power, corruption, and humanity. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature and is celebrated for his unique literary voice. Here are 21 of his quotes:

A writer should express criticism and indignation at the dark side of society and the ugliness of human nature, but we should not use one uniform expression. (Mo Yan)
I write about my region, the countryside in which I grew up. View quote
Mo Yan
My works are Chinese literature, which is part of world literature. They show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique culture and folk customs. View quote
Mo Yan
Loneliness and hunger were my fortunes of creation. View quote
Mo Yan
I think writers write for their consciences, they write for their own true audiences, for their souls. View quote
Mo Yan
People who are strangers to liquor are incapable of talking about literature. View quote
Mo Yan
Where there's life, death is inevitable. Dying's easy; it's living that's hard. The harder it gets, the stronger the will to live. And the greater the fear of death, the greater the struggle to keep on living. View quote
Mo Yan
A writer writes what he knows, in ways that are natural to him. View quote
Mo Yan
A writer should always bravely face life, risking death and mutilation in order to dethrone an emperor. View quote
Mo Yan
I am also well aware that literature only has a minimal influence on political disputes or economic crises in the world, but its significance to human beings is ancient. View quote
Mo Yan
A writer should bury his thoughts deep and convey them through the characters in his novel. (Mo Yan)
No person writes to win awards. View quote
Mo Yan
One of the biggest problems in literature is the lack of subtlety. View quote
Mo Yan
When literature exists, perhaps we do not notice how important it is, but when it does not exist, our lives become coarsened and brutal. For this reason, I am proud of my profession, but also aware of its importance. View quote
Mo Yan
For a country boy, poor as I was, whose constant worry was to be able to have enough to eat, the Army guaranteed one's survival. View quote
Mo Yan
I think that China has many outstanding authors, and their great works should also be recognised by the world. View quote
Mo Yan
I heard so many stories from Gaomi's peasants that I had an irrepressible urge to write them down. Today, Gaomi's peasants know that they have become famous around the world through my writings, but I think they are a little puzzled by this. View quote
Mo Yan
Possibly because I've lived so much of my life in difficult circumstances, I think I have a more profound understanding of life. View quote
Mo Yan
I know what real courage is, and I understand true compassion. View quote
Mo Yan
When someone forces me to do something I don't do it. View quote
Mo Yan
I'll continue on the path I've been taking, feet on the ground, describing people's lives, describing people's emotions, writing from the standpoint of the ordinary people. (Mo Yan)

Mo Yan

Mo Yan - Image
Photo: Johannes Kolfhaus, Gymn. Marienthal, CC BY-SA 3.0
Occupation: Chinese Novelist
Born: February 17, 1955
Quotes count: 21

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