Yan Lianke became the first Chinese person to win the Czech Franz Kafka Prize on May 27 when he was awarded a bronze sculpture of Kafka and $10,000 from the Prague-based Franz Kafka society.
The writer, who has penned more than 20 novels and short stories, spoke of his gratitude when receiving the coveted prize.
"I know this prize which is famous around the world,” he said. “Many writers I know or like have won this prize.”
The Beijing-based writer was trained at a PLA school and his works comprise of stories about army and rural life.
At 56-years-of-age and having books translated in many languages and read widely, he was also a finalist for the 2013 Man Booker International Prize.
Incidentally many of his books have not been published due to their controversial nature.
"There must be some people saying I won the prize for ‘controversy’, but I believe it's a misunderstanding,” he said. “What they really care about is creation and art per se.”
Western media have described him as “one of China’s most interesting writers and a master of imaginative satire”.
The Franz Kafka Prize has been awarded since 2001 and past winners include Philip Roth,Harold Pinter, Amos Oz and Haruki Murakami.
Yan will collect his award in Prague in October.
This is a milestone for Chinese literature, which has seen a decline in recent years as more and more young people turn to digital forums instead of picking up a novel.
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