Martin Li

martin.mouse@163.com

SHENZHEN’S Haitian Publishing House is planning to republish all of Chinese writer Mo Yan’s books, after he won this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature.

The plan is aimed at meeting demand for Mo’s books, which has been skyrocketing since his victory was announced Oct. 11.

The publishing house’s inventory of Mo’s books has already sold out.

“I knew little about Mo Yan and only read one of his books. However, when he won the Nobel Prize, I decided to read more so I could appreciate him,” said a resident, Li, who works in the design industry and went to Shenzhen Book City CBD store at the weekend.

Haitian Publishing House once published three of Mo’s 25 books, including “Mangrove,” which was inspired by the story of a migrant worker in Shenzhen in the early 1990s.

“In the book, a young man comes to Shenzhen with only 50 yuan and eventually he works hard enough to become a successful businessman,” said Yu Dongfeng, deputy head of the publishing house.

It is a panoramic depiction of contemporary urban life. Mo insisted on naming the book “Mangrove” after a flourishing plant in Shenzhen, because he saw the young man’s story as representative of the city, according to Yu.

The publishing house published “Mangrove” in 1999 and sold 18,000 volumes.

“The book typifies Mo Yan’s writing spirit and the essence of his creation: writing as an ordinary person,” said Yu.

Mo used to come to Shenzhen frequently to give lectures on creative writing which would be attended by around 100 young people.

He has been described by attendees as approachable and supportive of young writers.

A well-known writer in Shenzhen, Ding Li, was unknown in 2004. Then Mo wrote a foreword for his book, “Winner,” despite having never met him.

Ding made a decision to persist with writing thanks to Mo’s encouragement. In addition, Mo even delivered his promise to write calligraphy for a young writer in Shenzhen, whom he met only once, according to Ding. “Writers who can write quality books, like Mo, increase enthusiasm for literature around the country,” said Ding.