Wang Xiaobo

Wang Xiaobo (Chinese: 王小波; pinyin: Wáng Xiǎobō) (May 13, 1952 – April 11, 1997) was a renowned contemporary Chinese novelist and essayist from Beijing.

This is a Chinese name; the family name is 王 (Wang).

王小波 Wang Xiaobo
Born(1952-05-13)May 13, 1952
Beijing, China
DiedApril 11, 1997(1997-04-11) (aged 44)
Beijing, China
NationalityPeople's Republic of China
Alma materRenmin University of China and University of Pittsburgh
SpouseLi Yinhe

Life

He was a sent-down youth in Yunnan during Cultural Revolution. From 1978 to 1982, he studied at Renmin University of China. He went to the United States to continue his education in 1984 and received a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1988. After his return to China, he taught at Peking University and Renmin University of China. He became a freelance writer in 1992. On April 11, 1997, Wang died of a heart attack in Beijing.

List of works

Wang Xiaobo wrote several novels, short stories collections and essays, some of which have been translated into English, French and Italian.

Novels
  • 《红拂夜奔》 Running Away At Night
  • 《万寿寺》 Wan Show Temple
  • 《黄金时代》 Golden Age
  • 《白银时代》 The Silver Age
  • 《青铜时代》 The Bronze Age
  • 《黑铁时代》 The Iron Age
  • 《夜里两点钟》 Half Past Two At Night
  • 《茫茫黑夜漫游》 The Vast Tour
  • 《樱桃红》 Red Like Cherries
  • 《寻找无双》"Looking For Wushuang" or "In Search Of Wushuang"
  • 《三十而立》
  • 《似水流年》
  • 《革命时期的爱情》
  • 《我的阴阳两界》

Plays
  • 《东宫·西宫》

Short story collections and Essays
  • 《沉默的大多数》 The Silent Majority
  • 《思维的乐趣》 The Pleasure of Thought
  • 《我的精神家园》 My Spiritual Homeland
  • 《理想国与哲人王》
  • 《爱你就像爱生命》
  • 《一只特立独行的猪》

Filmography

Writing style and attitude

Writing style

He had been writing about the life of people and love, even sex in his understanding. He has unique vision. His diction is close to daily life but does not lack of literariness. As he said: “...I believe readers will make a conclusion like that after they read. The theme is our life; and at the same time, they will agree that there is no one has ever written our life in this way...As our life should not be like what I wrote, but actually, it is.”[1]

Attitude

Some people had commented Wang’s works that though they were interesting, they lack of a positive theme and can not inspire us, etc. And Wang responded: “Though the author is a modest person, he can not accept those opinions. Being positive is one of our norm, but it should not be always mentioned. I think my duty is writing interesting novels as possible as I can, and should not add some deliberate sermonize. My writing attitude is to write some works for those people who read novels, not to teach undereducated youth...”[2]

References
  1. Wang, Xiaobo. Huang jin shi dai(The Golden Age) (Di 1 ban(First) ed.). p. 395. ISBN 978-7-5426-3794-9.
  2. Wang, Xiaobo. Huang jin shi dai(The Golden Age) (Di 1 ban(First) ed.). p. 395. ISBN 978-7-5426-3794-9.
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