Xue Mo Outshone the Spanish Guest of Honor and Became the Most Talked-About Figure During the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair

Chinese Writer Xue Mo, The most talked-about figure during the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair

MELBOURNE LN, AURORA, ILLINOIS , US, February 23, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- According to the latest statistical analysis of media presence for the 2022 Frankfurt Book Fair conducted by Meltwater, Chinese writer Xue Mo ranked No.1 in the list of Top Topics in the International Media, who even outshone the Spanish Guest of Honor and became the most talked-about figure during this event. This is considered one of the most impressive pieces of news related to the Fair.

Cultural scholar and prolific writer Xue Mo, whose real name is Chen Kaihong, has been nominated three times for the Mao Dun Literature Prize, one of the most prestigious literature awards in China. His most remarkable novels include Desert Rites, Desert Hunters, White Tiger Pass, Liangzhou Ci: A Tale of Jianghu, Wild Fox Ridge, and Curse of Xi Xia. His substantial publication of works, namely Xue Mo’s Commentary on Dao De Jing (I-IV) and his epic poem Suo Sa Lang (I-VIII), established him as a significant figure in the contemporary Chinese literature as well as a nonnegligible presence in the literary and cultural representation of China’s West. Selected Stories by Xue Mo, a collection of wonderful stories themed on the culture, life and spirit of the Western China, has been translated into more than 30 languages and distributed worldwide. The wisdom flowing from his fingertips has lit up the hearts of countless readers over the globe.

Chinese writer Xue Mo has been attending the Fair annually since 2019. So far, he has published approximately 100 works at home and abroad. During the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair, Xue Mo’s classic novels and literary commentaries were exhibited in the booth of the China International Book Trading Corporation (CIBTC). The themed exhibit caught the eyeballs of global publishing houses and copyright agencies, with the booth populated with visitors and publishers aspiring to get their hands on his works. In particular, the short story Xue Mo and His Light was reported or re-posted by more than 2,000 international media.

Translated from Chinese by the American translator Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-Chun Lin into English, Into the Desert is a story included in Xue Mo’s full-length novel White Tiger Pass. Goldblatt said that both reading and translating Xue Mo’s works are not like any other experience, adding that he hoped his translation might allow English readers to fully appreciate the beauty of China’s West, while Sylvia Li-Chun Lin praised highly of Xue Mo’s works for his profound depictions of Western Chinese life. Until now, Goldblatt translated nine of Xue Mo’s full-length novels and three volumes of the epic poem Suo Sa Lang (I-VIII) in total. During this fair, his translation Into the Desert attracted wide attention, and won the Outstanding Translation Award issued by China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration.

"I’m very honored to have the opportunity to introduce Xue Mo’s novels to English readers and open a window for them to have a glimpse of Chinese literature." said the British translator Nicky Harman, who has won the 14th Special Book Award of China. Her translation of Xue Mo’s Old Man Xinjiang was posted online by the Guardian newspaper in 2012, entitled as one of China’s top five short novels.

"Xue Mo’s works introduce to the world the contemporary survival of the northwest countryside in China, including physical survival, spiritual survival, the survival of nature and culture as well, which all tested the people’s ability to resist, survive, and laugh on tough experience. His novels not only bring us artistic enjoyment, but also enlightenment and redemption in some extent." said the Mexican translator, Lisa Carducci.

Lei Da, former director of the Chinese Writers Association, former president of the Chinese Fiction Society, and a prestigious critic, once said, "In 2016, Dangdang Website launched a nationwide campaign to select the most influential novelists in China. Xue Mo ranked first with the highest number of votes. Why? First, Xue Mo is certainly a talented novelist. For example, he spent twelve years to complete his first full-length novel Desert Rites, depicting the extremely difficult life of those Chinese peasants in the west. In the following years, he spent another decade to write Desert Hunters and White Tiger Pass. Later, Xue Mo slowly laid emphasis on the cultural level, and he accomplished his Soul Trilogy, including Curse of Xi Xia, Legendary Wolf of Xi Xia, and The Holy Monk and the Spirit Woman. Deeply inspired by the land and people in China’s West, he has produced many literary works varied in themes and styles. With a grand vision, Xue Mo hopes to achieve more than mass literature. Beyond Sunyata —The Essence of Mahamudra has enjoyed great popularity among Chinese readers. This shows he has now shifted to the topics of culture, religion and spirituality. Nowadays, everyone will encounter spiritual dilemma since we are all locked by materialism. Xue Mo’s works actually provide an effective solution to our problems. Indeed, he is not only a cultural ambassador but also a love deliverer."

"Xue Mo and Zhang Chengzhi are the most spiritual among the contemporary Chinese-western writers," said Chen Sihe, a professor from Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Fudan University and a famous literary critic. "Actually, Xue Mo is not interested in how beautifully his novels are written and how fascinating his stories are narrated. What he really cares about is how people should live their life and where to settle their souls. This big ambition requires his works to pursue something transcendent, rather than to achieve any materialistic goal."

"Xue Mo is greatly underestimated. He is a great writer!" said Chen Xiaoming, a professor from Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Peking University and a prestigious critic. "Great literary works will certainly win the recognition and respect of the world. I believe he will finally become a world-class writer. "

"Today in China, there rarely are writers like Xue Mo, who has spiritual pursuit, spiritual insight and spiritual belief. I think his writings, his attitude towards life and his way of living are the manifestations of his spiritual realization and literary pursuit. After reading his Curse of Xi Xia, I’m convinced Xue Mo is a great writer. Unlike many people, I really like this book. Though Curse of Xi Xia is difficult to read, I guess those who like the novel will be fascinated, moved and shocked while reading it. From my point of view, writing this book requires supreme wisdom and strong motivation." added Professor Chen.

"Xue Mo is naturally talented in telling stories in a fascinating way," said Yue Wen, a critic from Chinese Writers Association. "He is definitely an expert at gathering all kinds of objects, events, and characters into his novels. Which means he has a strong ability to construct a fictional world, and besides, his vision is grand. In his eyes, western China seems to be isolated from modern society. Self-contained, it actually has a holistic and spiritual worldview. I really marvel at his resilient personality and extraordinary talent."

With more international publication of Xue Mo’s works, an increasing number of overseas publishers, translators and readers will gain a better, deeper understanding of Xue Mo’s novels and commentaries, Chinese literature and culture, and even China. Currently, more than 30 world-famous translators are working on Xue Mo’s books. Over the last decade, the American translator Howard Goldblatt and his wife Sylvia Li-Chun Lin have co-translated twelve of Xue Mo’s works, with over four million Chinese characters.

Based on the latest statistical analysis of media presence conducted by Meltwater, the total online media potentially reached exceeding 1 billion website visitors, including Tencent News, MSN.com, The New York Times, CNN, The Washington Post, Yahoo News, etc. In addition, "Xue Mo" and his works have been covered by more than 2,000 media outlets worldwide. Top search engines show the total number of website links that contain the key words "Xue Mo" reaches more than half a billion.

Ida Liu
Ruxue International Media Inc
+1 773-648-5522
ruxue_media@163.com
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