Chinese fiction and its writers have finally gained their rightful place in the world of English-language literature.
Su Tong and Wang Anyi, both renowned writers based in eastern China, are among the 13 finalists nominated for the coveted Man Booker International Prize, awarded every two years. This is the first time Chinese authors have appeared as finalists in the contest for arguably the world's top English literary honour since the prize's inception in 2005.
The nomination is based on a candidate's overall body of work rather than a single novel, and only the United States and the United Kingdom, with three candidates each, have more nominees than China.
The shortlisting surprised both writers and, with traditional Chinese modesty, both said they stood little chance of picking up the award and its GBP60,000 (HK$760,737) prize money on May 18 in Sydney.
'I think my chances of winning the prize are not one out of 13 but one out of a hundred,' said Su from his Nanjing home.
'But what makes me happy most is that Chinese writers have made it onto the Western literary horizon. Not that the two of us are the best in China, but that we as Chinese writers have been given recognition in the world's literary circles.' The 48-year-old's 1989 novella, Wives and Concubines, was adapted by movie director Zhang Yimou for his acclaimed film Raise the Red Lantern.
To Wang Anyi, whose 1996 historic fiction, The Song of Everlasting Sorrow, was also made into a movie, Everlasting Regret, by Hong Kong director Stanley Kwan Kam-pang, the nomination marked the dawn of Chinese works in the English literary world.