Newman Prize handed to Han Shaogong
18th October 2010
Han Shaogong has won the 2011 Newman Prize for Chinese Literature for his A Dictionary of Maqiao.
The author will receive a USD 10,000 award along with a commemorative plaque and medallion at a ceremony at the University of Oklahoma in March next year.
Peter Hays Gries, director of the Institute for US-China Issues at the university, commented: 'I can see why our panel of five international experts in Chinese literature chose Han and his Dictionary of Maqiao for the award. The book is innovative, interrogating the local to capture the universal.'
The other works nominated for the award were Ge Fei's Peach Blossom Beauty, Garden of Labyrinths by Li Ang, Yu Hua's Chronicle of a Blood Merchant and The Boat to Redemption by Su Tong.
Founded in 2009, the biennial prize is open to any living author writing in Chinese and seeks to recognise works of prose or poetry that capture the 'human condition'.
The first recipient of the Newman Prize for Chinese Literature was Mo Yan for his novel Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out.