Wang Xiaobo

Wang Xiaobo was born in 1952 in a wealthy family in Beijing. He was sent to a farm in Yunnan as an "educated youth" at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1968. He wrote his first novel, The Field of Life and Death, in 1933, which was based on his own experiences in the countryside and the suffering of the peasants. The novel was praised for its realism and humanism, and also criticized for its pessimism and vulgarity. He also wrote other novels, such as Tales of Hulan River, Ma Bole, and Market Street, as well as essays, short stories, and poems. He was influenced by both western and traditional Chinese literature and culture, and had a keen eye for detail and humor. He was a supporter of democracy and feminism, and opposed fascism and feudalism. He moved to Shanghai in 1936 and became involved in the literary circles there. He also traveled to Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong, where he witnessed the Japanese invasion and occupation of China. He married the sociologist Li Yinhe in 1980, but their relationship was troubled by his infidelity and gambling. He died of a heart attack in Beijing in 1997, at the age of 44. He was regarded as one of the most influential and popular writers of modern China.