MCLC: Mo Yan and jailed writers (1)

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Zheng, Ming Fang <MingFang.Zheng at ubc.ca>
Subject: Mo Yan and jailed writers (1)
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After reading Professor Klein's "Noble roundup," I kind of experienced an
"epiphany": There it is!

There has been long an ugly or even insulting saying: "Translators are
traitors." Yesterday's posting by Timothy Pi goes as this:

<<BBC News Chinese site reports: At a meeting at Stockholm University, when
the host mentioned that many writers are jailed in China, Mo Yan responded
he never heard of any writer jailed by Chinese government.

Then he said there are many complicated reasons that a writer is in jail.
He gave two examples. He said writers do not necessarily have high moral
standards. I know somebody writes many poems but kill a friend of his. I
also know a writer friend of mine stealing wallets and purses several
times. If people like them are in jail, what can I do?

Below is the BBC Chinese report:

據英國廣播公司（ＢＢＣ）中文網報導，12月9日，在瑞典名校斯德哥爾摩大學，主持人提到中國
有許多作家
被監禁，莫言稱自己沒有聽說過，表示：「有很多的中國作家關在監獄裡，這個我沒聽說過。
而且我想每個人
進監獄，其中都有很複雜的原因……我們不要認為只要是作家，就是一個高尚的人。我知道
有一個寫了很多詩
歌的人曾經把他的朋友給殺掉了。我也認識一個作家朋友，他偷過好幾次錢包。如果這樣
的人進了監獄，我有甚麼辦法？」莫言這番言論，再次激怒外界，遭到炮轟。>>


The original Chinese answer by Mo Yan might be put like this: "That there
are many Chinese writers in prison, this I have not heard of [until now]."

As to the Chinese word 很多, it may mean "many," or even "very many." As to
how many, the interviewer and the interviewee each might have different
understanding. Thus by stating that he did not hear of many, Mo Yan
cannot be taken that he heard of no writer being in prison.

When the above quote ends the first paragraph by "Mo Yan responded he
never heard of any writer jailed by Chinese government," and starts the
second paragraph by Mo Yan explaining different reasons for some writers
being in prison, any reader will get an impression that Mo Yan is
self-contradictory within such a short space of time and response.

ming fang zheng
ubc