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THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS



Books by Nobel Laureate Mo Yan

Cover art for RED SORGHUM
FICTION
Released: April 1, 1993
RED SORGHUM
by Mo Yan
"A notable new arrival."
A powerful new voice on the brutal unrest of rural China in the late 20's and 30's. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE GARLIC BALLADS
FICTION
Released: May 1, 1995
THE GARLIC BALLADS
by Mo Yan
"An affecting vindication of the human spirit under extreme duress—from a writer of tremendous power and sympathy."
 An epic tale, banned in China, that tells of ordinary lives brutally destroyed by greed—official and familial. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE REPUBLIC OF WINE
FICTION
Released: April 1, 2000
THE REPUBLIC OF WINE
by Mo Yan, translated by Howard Goldblatt
"Mo Yan has heretofore looked like China's Maxim Gorky; it now seems he may also be his country's Evelyn Waugh or Groucho Marx."
You may think you're watching Twin Peaks on Chinese television halfway through this rumbustious melodramatic satire by the internationally acclaimed author (1993's Red Sorghum, the source of a prize-winning film; The Garlic Ballads, 1995). Read full book review >
Cover art for SHIFU, YOU’LL DO ANYTHING FOR A LAUGH
FICTION
Released: Aug. 1, 2001
SHIFU, YOU’LL DO ANYTHING FOR A LAUGH
by Mo Yan, translated by Howard Goldblatt
"Uneven work. But when Mo Yan's imagination cuts loose, and the gloves come off, he can be a provocative and powerfully original writer."
A mixed-bag collection of frequently abrasive, imaginative stories written in the 1980s and '90s by the highly visible Chinese author (Red Sorghum, 1993; The Republic of Wine, 2000). Read full book review >
Cover art for BIG BREASTS AND WIDE HIPS
FICTION
Released: Nov. 1, 2004
BIG BREASTS AND WIDE HIPS
by Mo Yan, translated by Howard Goldblatt
"Ambitious, if at times prolix."
In a sprawling saga that spans a century, the noted Chinese author chronicles the lives of the Shangguan family, graphically illustrating his country's violent past and corrupt present. Read full book review >
Cover art for LIFE AND DEATH ARE WEARING ME OUT
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2008
Kirkus Star LIFE AND DEATH ARE WEARING ME OUT
by Mo Yan, translated by Howard Goldblatt
"The recent Nobel awarded to Gao Xingjian may have ousted Mo Yan from the top level of contenders. If so, the selection committee may have to be "re-educated." He's one hell of a writer."
Epic black comedy from the inventive Chinese author (Big Breasts and Wide Hips, 2004, etc.) frequently mentioned as a leading Nobel Prize contender. Read full book review >