Liu Xinwu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Liu Xinwu (刘心武; Liú Xīnwǔ; born 1942) is a Chinese author, and one of the earliest proponents of the post-Maoist wave of Chinese literature. Born in the province of Sichuan, his family moved to Beijing, a city that figures prominently in his work, in 1950. Liu spent most of his life in Beijing, except for a brief period during the Cultural Revolution, when he was sent to work in rural China. His short story, "Class counsellor" (also translated as "The Class Teacher" 班主任 bān zhǔrèn) published in 1977 was one of the earliest examples of prose condemning the excesses of the Chinese government during the Cultural Revolution.
Liu filled editorial positions in a number of prominent government-sponsored publications throughout most of the 1980s. In 1987, however, he was removed as editor of the publication People's Literature after a story published failed to meet government approval. He left all his government positions after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 because of continual harassment from the government for his pro-demonstrator stance. Since then, he has devoted himself entirely to his writing.
Liu's work, which includes novels, short stories, and children's literature, focuses on the common people of Beijing and people who live on the margins of society.
[edit] Translations
- Black Walls and Other Stories (ed. by Don J. Cohn, ISBN 962-7255-06-8)
- Chinese short stories of the twentieth century: an anthology in English (ed. by Zhihua Fang, ISBN 0-8153-0532-X) Includes "The Class Teacher".
- Prize-winning Stories from China, 1978-1979 (by Liu Xinwu, Wang Meng, and others). HC (ISBN 0-253-34620-7) PB (ISBN 0-253-20292-2)
- The Wounded: new stories of the Cultural Revolution, 77-78 (ed, Hsin-hua Lu, Geremie Barmé, Bennett Lee). HC (ISBN 962-04-0007-0) PB (ISBN 962-04-0008-9) Includes "Class counsellor".
