Nobel Prize brings with it great pressure, laureate Mo Yan says
Though delighted by his Nobel Prize, the writer dislikes the pressure that it brings
Mo Yan says the demands and expectations of being the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize for literature is dampening the joy he feels about receiving the award.
In an interview with China Central Television's One On One, the Nobel laureate declined to say whether he was "happy" about receiving the international honour last week, which many have taken as a validation of modern Chinese writing.
"I have never thought about this question," Mo Yan said on the Sunday night programme. "I'm now under great pressure and have a lot to worry about. So how can I be happy?"
The 57-year-old writer acknowledged that some people may not understand his apprehension about winning such a coveted award. But he said he feared his new status would cause people to find fault with him or try to embarrass him.
"I was overjoyed for the unexpected prize and terrified," he said. "But if I say, 'I'm not happy', [people] would say that's too pretentious - because how can I not be happy after winning the Nobel [Prize]?"
Mo Yan said his notion of happiness required "letting go of everything. For me, happiness is being free from worry, having good health and suffering no pressure."