Yan Lianke, Renmin University of China

A Few Drops of Water in the Thunderstorm of History 

March 29, 8:00–9:30 pm EST via Zoom Meeting 

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Lecture Abstract 

Author Yan Lianke will share his thoughts on the writing of his novel The Explosion Chronicles, which provides a frenzied, irreverent, and gripping portrayal of China's economic leap-forward in recent years. He will combine his personal experiences with reflections on the wider historical context to illuminate his conceptualization of this remarkable work.  

About the Speaker 

Yan Lianke is one of today's foremost Chinese novelists. His writings capture the stunning development of China in recent decades with remarkable insight, imagination, courage, and irony, throwing into stark relief pressing social issues such as the stigmatization of illness, pandemics and economic inequality, women’s struggle, and the consequences of over-development. His major works include Dream of Ding Village, The Day the Sun Died, The Explosion Chronicles, Serve the People!, and The Ladies. He has garnered a number of major international awards, including the Lu Xun Literary Prize (awarded twice), the Franz Kafka Prize, the Dream of the Red Chamber Award, and most recently the Newman Prize for Chinese Literature, as well as being shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize.