Chen Xiwo

Chen Xiwo is the author of the controversial novella I Love My Mum,^[1] which remains banned in China. In 2010, Asia Sentinel described Chen Xiwo as ‘one of China’s most outspoken voices on freedom of expression for writers.’^[2] Due to Chen's refusal to compromise about his often controversial writing however, it was nearly 20 years before his books could be published in China. He now teaches comparative literature at Fuzhou Normal University and has published seven major novels. After graduating from Fujian Normal University, Chen studied in Japan from 1989 to 1994. One recurring theme in Chen’s fiction is sex, and perhaps his most famous work I Love My Mum (遮蔽), uses incest as a metaphor for a dysfunctional society. Despite his early difficulties being published there, Chen's writing has now received widespread recognition in his homeland. One of his major novels, "Exile", won the eighth HuangChangXian Literature Prize. Other books, including "Irritation", which has also been translated into French,^[3] helped gain Chen the fourth Fujian Flowers award for outstanding literary works.

One Man Against the Censors

In June 2007, the Fuzhou office of China Customs intercepted the galley proof of author Chen Xiwo's book, which had been mailed to him by his Taiwanese publisher. The collection of Chen's works was quickly deemed 'prohibited' because in contained the banned novella I Love My Mum. Chen launched a legal case against China Customs and an uproar exploded in the Chinese media at the absurdity of a writer having his own book confiscated. The scandal surrounding Chen Xiwo's novel I Love My Mum in many ways epitomizes a writing career characterized by a refusal to compromise. Read an English translation by Martin Merz and Jane Weizhen Pan of Chen Xiwo's 2010 speech on censorship, delivered at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club.

I Love My Mum

This is the first English translation of one of Chen Xiwo's most famous works. I Love My Mum caused an international sensation in 2007 when the author sued the Chinese customs after they confiscated the Chinese version. I Love My Mum is a shocking tale of murder and incest narrated by a hardened crime squad detective who is used to the seamy side of life. Even he has never come across a murder case like this. And the same is guaranteed for the reader. In addition to a full and uncensored translation of I Love My Mum the book also includes a specially written afterword by Chen Xiwo, and an introduction to his life and work.

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