The Nobel Prize in Literature 2012, Mo Yan

Mo Yan, the pen name of Guan Moye, means 'Do Not Speak'. This was an instruction by his father for surviving the turbulent Maoist period. Mo Yan hails from Shandong, where most of his novels are based. He has been a farmer, cotton factory worker and a PLA solider, etc. before he turned to writing. Literary influences range from Lu Xun, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, William Faulkner to Goethe among others. He is a social commentator, who has reinterpreted Chinese political and sexual history in his works. He is also a vice-president of the state-sponsored Chinese Writers Association. Unlike many creative writers whose independent ethics and norms force them into social controversies or into friction with the State, Mo Yan, has consciously stayed on the right side of the law and steered away from controversies. Instead of wailing and wasting energy in protest at the lack of full-blown freedom of  expression in China, he seems to have decided to make good, creative use of the the limited freedom which was available. He has shown that deep and effective comments can be made on life and society even when the boundaries of expression are limited. (Gao Xingjian had got the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2000, but that was as a French citizen. Incidentally Gao Xingjian is criticized by Chinese authors not for being anti-Chinese but for being a mediocre writer!!)
  
His unique style can be sampled in some short pieces below:
In the People’s Liberation Army - by Mo Yan

Bull - by Mo Yan

An English translation (pdf) of his humble and mesmerising Noble Prize winning speech can be accessed (click here).

Chinese writer Mo Yan says that there are many writers who deserve the Nobel Prize ahead of him! He says that literature is useless compared with science !! One finds that his noble mother was a big moral influence on him.

Some good reviews of Mo Yan and his works can be accessed below:
John Updike reviews Mo Yan

John Updike on Mo Yan - an article

Great art behind an iron curtain: Are all Chinese novelists 'state writers'  by Guo Xiaolu in THE INDEPENDENT

Mo Yan and the Rise of Male-Oriented Chinese Literature by Mei Fong in The Atlantic

After Fury Over 2010 Peace Prize, China Embraces Nobel Selection in New York Times

A Chinese Laureate's Tale of Free Speech - NY Times

Is Mo Yan courageous, or is he a patsy? By Hector Tobar in Los Angeles Times

Does This Writer Deserve the Prize? by Perry Link

Is Mo Yan a Stooge for the Chinese Government?  by Brendan O'Kane
Brendan concludes No! Mo Yan is a serious and courageous writer.

A New Normal for Chinese Literature? by Sheila Melvin

The Diseased Language of Mo Yan Anna Sun in The Kenyon Review

What Mo Yan’s Detractors Get Wrong Charles Laughlin in TheChinaFile.com

Prof. Srikanth Kondapalli's new book, "China's Military and India"

This book is a collection of essays written by academics, analysts and military personnel on analyzing the impact on India of the developments in China, specifically in the military field. As China`s material strength is increasing, its impact on the global and regional environments is clearly visible in the recent period. The near double-digit economic growth rates in China have been channelized into the near double digit growth in the defence allocations in the last two decades. This has resulted in major transformations in China`s strategic orientation, military structure, procurement patterns, personnel quality, logistics and extensive deployments across the country. These developments, specifically in the strategic domain of offensive orientation of the armed forces of China and their preparations, have led to concerns in Asia and beyond. 

Bilateral relations between India and China exhibit tensions in a number of areas including the unresolved territorial dispute, suspicion about each other`s strategic intentions and agenda in the regional and global context and, significantly, in the military postures and preparations across the border as well as in the regional context. This collection attempts to analyse and evaluate the implications of such military modernization efforts of China on India. The contributors to this volume have been engaged in operations/research/policy in the Indian establishment or think-tanks or academia on China`s military developments. By identifying possible areas of impact of China`s military on India, this collection provides a valuable guide to the policy and decision-makers, academics and journalists.

Shashi Bhushan Bharti, a PhD Candidate at the Centre, with his debut book "The China Factor In ROK- U.S. Relations: Trilateral approach"

Shashi Bhushan Bharti, a PhD Candidate in Korean Division at the Centre, in his debut book "The China Factor In ROK- U.S. Relations: Trilateral approach".

"South Korean Peninsula has been the flash point of conflicts between the two power blocks right since the beginning of Cold War. Korea got divided like many other countries namely Vietnam, Germany etc. because of the onset of cold-war between the two superpowers two power blocks. Since then the world politics has been partially determine by the events/happenings in the Korean peninsula or to put it more appropriately in the North-East Asia as like China, Japan, Taiwan (Formosa) and even South-East Asia, through ought Cold War period Korea like Japan remained as flash point for two super powers two power blocks. In post cold war the relevance of South Korea as a strategic partner has not decline precisely because China still remained as a communist state despite having embraced market-led economic system. South Korea's geo-strategic importance becomes all the more relevant because of other half of Korea ie, North Korea still remains communist and has gone nuclear recently. Relations between the United State and Korea have expanded at great extent after the Korean War (1950-1953)"- Book's Blurb

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