Nobel literature laureates share thoughts on storytelling

Nobel laureates in literature Mo Yan and Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio discuss their homes, storytelling and literature on Oct 23 in Tai’an, Shandong province. [Photo by Si Gang/ccmapp.cn]

Two Nobel literature laureates met during the first Taishan Cultural Forum on Oct 23 and shared their views on their homes, storytelling and literature.

Mo Yan, a penname for Guan Moye, the 2012 Nobel laureate, and French writer Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, winner of the 2008 prize, discussed the pre-selected topic “mutual learning among civilizations: the possibilities of literature”.

Mo Yan said that even though every writer has a nationality, literature knows no national boundaries.

“Every creator works from what he knows and what he’s familiar with. Works must have personality, with distinctive national and regional cultural characteristics, thus becoming a unique symbol of literature and art. Only the preservation of personality, can lead to the world,” he said.

“We see a child who loves their parents, a mother who loves her child, a grandfather who loves his grandson, and a pair of young lovers who are crazy about each other, and I think that’s something that all of humanity can feel and identify with,” he continued.

Mo Yan said that literary works are based on the shared feelings of humanity, but with the influence of region, culture and history, they are able to become their own thing entirely. Such literature is not only a reflection of the country, the nation, but also the entire world.

He believes that no writer of any country can deny the help of foreign literature. Mutual learning is actually a process of comparison. Only in the process of comparison can we know ourselves and the other, learn from each other in an inclusive and innovative way.

“We’ve all had difficult lives, and we all believe that we can create our own literature by telling stories,” said Le Clezio, adding that the event was the sixth “dialogue” between Mo Yan and himself.

Despite speaking different languages, Le Clezio and Mo Yan understand each other well, “basically through careful scrutiny of each other’s literary works,” said Mo Yan.

Le Clezio recalled gathering wheat with his grandmother and listening to her stories during the years of hardship. He agreed that it is only through experience that one knows best. He tells stories by drawing from his pat experiences.

“Maintaining world peace through cultural exchange is also the task of literature,” he said, adding that communication should be established between civilizations, more possibilities should be found, and literature without borders should be established.