Yu Hua
Yu Hua (simplified Chinese: 余华; traditional Chinese: 余華; pinyin: Yú Huá; born April 3, 1960) is a Chinese author, widely considered the foremost writer of avant-garde fiction and one of the greatest living authors in China.
Yu Hua | |
|---|---|
Yu Hua at the 2005 Singapore Writers Festival | |
| Native name | 余华 |
| Born | April 3, 1960 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China |
| Occupation | Novelist, essayist |
| Language | Chinese |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Alma mater | Lu Xun Literature School |
| Period | 1984 – present |
| Genre | Novel, prose |
| Literary movement | Avant-garde |
| Notable works | To Live (1993) Chronicle of a Blood Merchant (1995) Brothers (2005–2006) Cries in the Drizzle |
| Notable awards | 5th Zhuang Zhongwen Literary Prize 1992 James Joyce Award 2002 Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 2004 |
| Relatives | Father: Hua Zizhi (华自治) Mother: Yu Peiwen (余佩文) |
Shortly after his debut as a fiction writer in 1983, his first breakthrough came in 1987, when he released the short story "On the Road at Age Eighteen". Yu Hua was regarded as a promising avant-garde or post-New Wave writer. Many critics also regard him as a champion for Chinese meta-fictional or postmodernist writing. His novels To Live (1993) and Chronicle of a Blood Merchant (1995) were widely acclaimed. While other works like Brothers (2005–06) received mixed reviews domestically, but positive reviews abroad.
Yu Hua has written five novels, six collections of stories, and three collections of essays. His works have sold around a total of nine million copies and have been translated into over 20 languages.