A major turning point early in Tadpole’s life, however, sees that she is revered just as much for her unwavering zeal as she is for her skill. Gugu - who at one point earns the nickname “Living Queen of Hell” - is first the official midwife, then obstetrician, of the township. In a series of letters written to his Japanese professor, Sensei, the playwright Tadpole (Wan Zu, which means “foot,” and later, Xiaopao, or “jogger”) narrates the story of Gugu (Wan Xin, meaning “heart”), the formidable aunt of Tadpole and county obstetrician. In Frog, his first novel since winning the Nobel, Mo Yan continues to use his fictionalized setting of Northeast Gaomi Township to explore the impact of the so-called one-child policy.

And so it is with the words of his latest novel, translated beautifully by Howard Goldblatt, that Mo Yan speaks of his attitude toward the Communist Party’s controversial family planning drives.

įor a writer, he goes on to say, speaks best when he is writing. I was afraid he would succumb to the assault, but he emerged from the garlands of flowers and the stones, a smile on his face. I saw the winner of the prize both garlanded with flowers and besieged by stone-throwers and mudslingers. Like someone watching a play in a theater, I observed the performances around me. It’s a lot of noise, something Mo Yan himself acknowledged in his Nobel acceptance speech:Īt first I thought I was the target of the disputes, but over time I’ve come to realize that the real target was a person who had nothing to do with me. Salman Rushdie lambasted him for not supporting the release of fellow countryman and Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo the Chinese government recognized him as the first true Chinese Nobel Prize winner for LARB, Smith College Chinese literature specialist Sabina Knight lauded Mo Yan for his contribution to increased attention on Chinese writers and NYRB contributor Perry Link took him to task twice on stylistic and political grounds. FOR SOMEONE with a pen name meaning “don’t speak,” Mo Yan has been the cause of much conversation since winning the Nobel Literature Prize in 2012.

Frog by mo yan