Liu Zhenyun (born May 1958) is a Chinese novelist and screenwriter.[1] He is best known for his novel Someone to Talk To (awarded the 2011 Mao Dun Literature Prize) as well as his involvement with the many film adaptions of his books. Among these is I Am Not Madame Bovary, produced in collaboration with director Feng Xiaogang, a frequent collaborator of Liu. He is married to noted human rights activist Guo Jianmei.[2]
Life and Work
Liu grew up in the village of Laozhuang in Yanjin County, Henan, China. At age 14, he left his village and joined the army.[3] At age 20, he took the national college entrance exam, achieved the highest score in Henan province, and was accepted at Peking University.[4] After graduation, he became a journalist.[5] In the 1980s Liu began to concentrate seriously on his literary career, publishing his debut novella Tapu, in 1987.
He went on to publish novels such as Hometown, Regime and Blood (故乡天下黄花), Anecdotes in the Hometown (故乡相处流传), Material and Spirit in the Hometown (故乡面和花朵), Nonsense Talk (一腔废话), Cell Phone (手机), The Cook, the Crook, and the Real Estate Tycoon (我叫刘跃进).
He has also authored novellas such as A Small Town: Tapu (塔铺), Recruits (新兵连), The Office (单位), Ground Covered with Chicken Feathers (一地鸡毛), Remembering 1942 (温故一九四二). Throughout the years, Liu's works have been translated into over 28 languages.[7]
Liu often credits his upbringing in Yanjin county as influencing his work, especially growing up in the shadow of the 1942 famine.[8] He also is noted for including political criticism as well as advocating for social justice in his works.[9]