South Africa paper lauds Chinese writer for winning Nobel Prize in Literature

A Chinese writer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature several days ago, marking a milestone in the country's continued integration with the world, a South African newspaper said on Wednesday.

On Thursday, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy Peter Englund announced that this year's Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Chinese writer Mo Yan.

"As the first Chinese writer living in China to be awarded the prize, Mo Yan is a heavyweight in the contemporary Chinese literature scene, with China's prominent Mao Dun Literature Prize won last year and some prestigious international literature awards nominated," said the newspaper Business Day in its editorial.

Due to the leading contemporary writers in China wrote their compositions in their native tongue, only a limited number of their works could be translated into English, leading the global audience to be in a difficult position to have access to works of those Chinese writers.

However, the contemporary Chinese literature remained esoteric to the readers in the rest of the world given the complexities of the Chinese language and the dearth of skillful and seamless translation.

The editorial noted that the Chinese writer's triumph on the international stage is a positive sign that "the world is gaining better access to the contemporary Chinese literature."

As a Chinese writer, Mo Yan grew up with a mixed experience ranging from the turbulent Cultural Revolution to the far-reaching economic reforms, including the life as a peasant in the countryside, a worker at a factory and a soldier in the army.

"China is one of the most influential countries today, and Mo Yan's winning will help the readers in the world to be better to comprehend his works and his country," the editorial said.

The Chinese writer's award means "China is steadfastly making its mark in the world not only in the political and economic spheres, but also culturally," it said.

"The Chinese writer becoming the laureate of the Nobel prize in Literature indicated that China is becoming more accessible to the rest of the world through its platform of the culture, such as Zhang Yi-mou's critically acclaimed films and the growing Confucius Institutes around the world," said the editorial.

Find out more about Mo Yan:Special: Mo Yan