Chinese writer beats Murakami as favorite for Nobel Literature Prize

PanARMENIAN.Net - Chinese writer Mo Yan is favored to win the Nobel Prize in Literature by a Swedish betting site, while a British gaming site has him listed as second most likely to win and become China's first literary laureate, Morning Whistle said.

Although the Nobel committee does not release a list of nominees, many consider Mo a leading contender for his body of works that includes Frog, which centers on a tale involving China's family planning policy.

Unibet lists the 57-year-old Mo as 5.25 to one favorite to take the prize followed by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami at 8 to one. Four other writers including US author Joyce Carol Oates are listed as 10 to one favorites.

Luan Meijian, professor with the Department of Chinese and Literature from Fudan University, wrote in his Sina blog that Mo's unique writing style steers clear of political slogans often used by other Chinese writers.

"China's rising stature and Howard Goldblatt, the translator who turned Mo's works into English, also help," Luan also wrote.

Cui Yongyuan, a famous TV host, wrote in his Sina Weibo that Mo deserves to win.

While many around the world celebrate the Nobel Prize in Literature as a global recognition and a great honor, many people in China expressed different views in cyberspace.

"Judges from the Swedish Academy don't represent the highest level of world literature, neither are they likely to read the sea of works from different regions of the world," Zhang Yiyi, a well-known Chinese writer, wrote on his blog.

In a recent interview, Mo acknowledged that the Nobel Prize is the world's most influential literary award, but refused to comment about being listed as a favorite to win.

"Once I talk about it, some people will criticize me immediately. Chinese writers have 'Nobel Prize anxiety,'" said Mo.

Zhang also wants China to set up its own global literary award to make up for China's current shortcomings in cultural exchanges with the West.

The prize committee came under heavy fire and criticism in China when it named a jailed Chinese dissident as winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

No Chinese writer has won a Nobel Prize in Literature, although Gao Xingjian was given the prize in literature in 2000 after he became a citizen of France.