{{short description|Chinese novelist and screenwriter (born 1958)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}{{Infobox writer | name = Liu Zhenyun | native_name = 刘震云 | image = 刘震云 20251005 153826.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Liu Zhenyun (2025) | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1958|5}} | birth_place = Yanjin County, Henan, China | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | death_place = | resting_place = | occupation = Writer | language = Chinese | education = | alma_mater = Peking University | period = | genre = | subject = | movement = | notableworks = ''One Sentence Is Ten Thousand Sentences'' | spouse = Guo Jianmei 郭建梅 | children = Liu Yulin | relatives = | awards = {{awd|Mao Dun Literature Prize|2011}} | signature = | signature_alt = | website = }} {{family name hatnote|Liu|lang=Chinese}}
'''Liu Zhenyun''' (born May 1958) is a Chinese novelist and screenwriter.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2047931/film-review-i-am-not-madame-bovary-fan-bingbing-defies-petty|title=Film review: I Am Not Madame Bovary – Fan Bingbing defies petty bureaucracy in dark satire|work=South China Morning Post|access-date=2018-01-17|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125023220/http://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2047931/film-review-i-am-not-madame-bovary-fan-bingbing-defies-petty|archive-date=25 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> He is best known for his novel ''One Sentence Is Ten Thousand Sentences'' (awarded the 2011 Mao Dun Literature Prize) as well as his involvement with the many film adaptions of his books. Among these is ''I Am Not Madame Bovary'', produced in collaboration with director Feng Xiaogang, a frequent collaborator of Liu. He is married to noted human rights activist Guo Jianmei.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=1476|title=Permission to Speak|website=NewsChina|access-date=2018-01-17|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131239/http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=1476|archive-date=17 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
==Life and work== Liu grew up in the village of Laozhuang in Yanjin County, Henan, China. At age 14, he left his village and joined the army.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=1476|title=Permission to Speak|website=NewsChina|access-date=2018-01-18|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131239/http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=1476|archive-date=17 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> At age 20, he took the national college entrance exam, achieved the highest score in Henan province, and was accepted at Peking University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201706/07/WS59bbe5bda310ded8ac18abc6.html|title=How math made him a better writer - Chinadaily.com.cn|last=毕楠|website=www.chinadaily.com.cn|access-date=2018-01-18|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119060617/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201706/07/WS59bbe5bda310ded8ac18abc6.html|archive-date=19 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> After graduation, he became a journalist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=1476|title=Permission to Speak|website=NewsChina|access-date=2018-01-18|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131239/http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=1476|archive-date=17 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In the 1980s Liu began to concentrate seriously on his literary career, publishing his debut novella ''Tapu,'' in 1987.
He went on to publish novels such as ''Hometown, Regime and Blood'' (故乡天下黄花), ''Anecdotes in the Hometown'' (故乡相处流传), ''Material and Spirit in the Hometown'' (故乡面和花朵), ''Nonsense Talk'' (一腔废话), ''Cell Phone'' (手机), ''The Cook, the Crook, and the Real Estate Tycoon'' (我叫刘跃进).
His novels ''One Sentence Is Ten Thousand Sentences'' (一句顶一万句) and ''I Am Not Madame Bovary'' (我不是潘金莲) have sold over a million copies each. ''Someone to Talk To'' was awarded with Mao Dun Literature Prize in 2011<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://paper-republic.org/resources/trans/28/|title=The Mao Dun Literary Prize Winners|last=Abrahamsen|first=Eric|website=Paper Republic|language=en|access-date=2018-01-17|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131515/https://paper-republic.org/resources/trans/28/|archive-date=17 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and has sold more than 1.6 million copies.
He has also authored novellas such as ''A Small Town: Tapu'' (塔铺), ''Recruits'' (新兵连), ''The Office'' (单位), ''Ground Covered with Chicken Feathers'' (一地鸡毛), ''Remembering 1942'' (温故一九四二). Throughout the years, Liu's works have been translated into over 28 languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bibf.net/en/NewsDetail.aspx?Id=114&NID=35&PID=35|title=Beijing International Book Fair-New Reading Promotion Ambassador for BIBF|website=www.bibf.net|access-date=2018-01-17|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331130353/http://www.bibf.net/en/NewsDetail.aspx?Id=114&NID=35&PID=35|archive-date=31 March 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Many of Liu's books have been adapted into TV series and movies. He has written the screenplays for some of them including: ''A Small Town: Tapu'', ''Ground Covered with Chicken Feathers'', ''The Cook, the Crook, and the Real Estate Tycoon'', ''Remembering 1942'', ''Someone to Talk To'', ''I Did Not Kill My Husband''. Several of these adapted films have been awarded in the film festivals around the world, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the Rome Film Festival, the Busan International Film Festival, and the Hong Kong International Film Festival, among others.
==Themes and influences== Liu often credits his upbringing in Yanjin county as influencing his work, especially growing up in the shadow of the 1942 famine.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/opinion/global/why-wont-the-chinese-acknowledge-the-1942-famine.html|title=Opinion {{!}} Why Won't the Chinese Acknowledge the 1942 Famine?|last=Zhenyun|first=Liu|date=2012-11-30|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-01-17|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117190757/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/opinion/global/why-wont-the-chinese-acknowledge-the-1942-famine.html|archive-date=17 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> He also is noted for including political criticism as well as advocating for social justice in his works.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=1476|title=Permission to Speak|website=NewsChina|access-date=2018-01-17|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131239/http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=1476|archive-date=17 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
==Works== {| class="wikitable sortable" !Year !Title !Chinese Publisher !English Publisher !Translator |- |1989 |''A Small Town: Tapu'' (塔铺){{citation needed|date=August 2017}} |Writers Publishing House | | |- |1991 |''Hometown, Regime and Blood'' (故乡天下黄花)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.cn/%E6%95%85%E4%B9%A1%E5%A4%A9%E4%B8%8B%E9%BB%84%E8%8A%B1-%E5%88%98%E9%9C%87%E4%BA%91/dp/B0011BH5VO/ref=sr_1_21?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498522319&sr=1-21|title=Yellow Flowers: All Over Hometown|website=Amazon.cn|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref> |中国青年出版社 (China Youth Press) | | |- |1992 |''Corridors of Power'' (官场)<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=750710222X|title=Corridors of Power|url=http://Amazon.com|last1=Liu|first1=Zhenyun|year=1994}}</ref> |华艺出版社 (Hua Yi Publishing House) |Chinese Literature Press |rowspan=2|David Kwan |- |1992 |''Ground Covered with Chicken Feathers'' (一地鸡毛)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.cn/%E4%B8%80%E5%9C%B0%E9%B8%A1%E6%AF%9B-%E5%88%98%E9%9C%87%E4%BA%91/dp/B008Z8V9NQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498517739&sr=1-1|title=Ground Covered with Chicken Feathers|website=Amazon.cn|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref> |China Youth Press |Foreign Languages Press<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-7119087573|title=Ground Covered with Chicken Feathers|url=http://Amazon.com|last1=Liu |first1=Zhenyun |year=2014 |publisher=Foreign Languages Press }}</ref> |- |1992 |''Official'' (官人)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://book.douban.com/subject/1961473/|title=官人|date=December 1992|publisher=长江文艺出版社|isbn=9787535407368|series=跨世纪文丛|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530193314/http://book.douban.com/subject/1961473/|archive-date=30 May 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> |长江文艺出版社 (Yangtze River Literature & Art Publishing House) | | |- |1993 |''Anecdotes in the Hometown'' (故乡相处流传)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.cn/%E5%9B%BE%E4%B9%A6/dp/B01D81UQPG/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498517739&sr=1-13|title=Hometown Stories Spread|website=Amazon.cn|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref> |rowspan=2|Hua Yi Publishing House | | |- |1998 |''Material and Spirit in the Hometown'' (故乡面和花朵)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.cn/%E5%9B%BE%E4%B9%A6/dp/B008BTUXEK/ref=sr_1_44?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498522439&sr=1-44|title=Flour and Flowers from My Homeland|website=Amazon.cn|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref> | | |- |2002 |''Nonsense Talk'' (一腔废话){{citation needed|date=August 2017}} |中国工人出版社 (China Workers Publishing House) | | |- |2003 |''Cellphone'' (手机)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.cn/%E6%89%8B%E6%9C%BA-%E5%88%98%E9%9C%87%E4%BA%91/dp/B002SDW7W6/|title=Cellphone|website=Amazon.cn|publisher=作家出版社|access-date=26 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402230803/http://www.amazon.cn/%E6%89%8B%E6%9C%BA-%E5%88%98%E9%9C%87%E4%BA%91/dp/B002SDW7W6|archive-date=2 April 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> |Writers Publishing House |MerwinAsia<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-0983659921|title=Cellphone|url=http://Amazon.com|last1=Zhenyun|first1=Liu|year=2011 |publisher=MerwinAsia }}</ref> |Howard Goldblatt |- |2007 |''The Cook, the Crook, and the Real Estate Tycoon'' (我叫刘跃进)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.cn/%E6%88%91%E5%8F%AB%E5%88%98%E8%B7%83%E8%BF%9B-%E5%88%98%E9%9C%87%E4%BA%91/dp/B007F50292/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498517739&sr=1-6|title=I am Liu Yuejin|website=Amazon.cn|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-1628725209|title=The Cook, the Crook, and the Real Estate Tycoon: A Novel of Contemporary China|url=http://Amazon.com|last1=Zhenyun|first1=Liu|date=4 August 2015 |publisher=Arcade }}</ref> |rowspan=2|Yangtze River Literature & Art Publishing House |Arcade Publishing |rowspan=4| Howard Goldblatt & Sylvia Li-chun Lin |- |2009 |''Someone to Talk To'' (一句顶一万句)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.cn/%E4%B8%80%E5%8F%A5%E9%A1%B6%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%87%E5%8F%A5-%E5%88%98%E9%9C%87%E4%BA%91/dp/B008H02YSQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498517739&sr=1-2|title=One Sentence Is Ten Thousand Sentences|website=Amazon.cn|publisher=长江文艺出版社|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-0822370833|title=Someone to Talk To: A Novel (Sinotheory)|url=http://Amazon.com|last1=Liu |first1=Zhenyun |date=3 April 2018 |publisher=Duke University Press }}</ref> (also known as One Sentence Is Ten Thousand Sentences) |Duke University Press |- |2009 |''Remembering 1942'' (温故一九四二)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://book.douban.com/subject/3623831/|title=Remembering 1942|website=Douban.com|series=中国当代作家系列 Isbn: 9787020066124 |date=March 2009 |publisher=人民文学出版社|isbn=978-7-02-006612-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827211954/https://book.douban.com/subject/3623831/|archive-date=27 August 2017|url-status=live|access-date=26 June 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-1628727128|title=Remembering 1942: And Other Chinese Stories|url=http://Amazon.com|last1=Zhenyun|first1=Liu|date=November 2016 |publisher=Arcade }}</ref> |People's Literature Publishing House |rowspan=2|Arcade Publishing |- |2012 |''I Did Not Kill My Husband'' (我不是潘金莲)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.cn/%E6%88%91%E4%B8%8D%E6%98%AF%E6%BD%98%E9%87%91%E8%8E%B2-%E5%88%98%E9%9C%87%E4%BA%91/dp/B00R65ZPF2/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498517739&sr=1-4|title=I Did Not Kill My Husband|website=Amazon.cn|publisher=长江文艺出版社|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-1628724264|title=I Did Not Kill My Husband|url=http://Amazon.com|last1=Zhenyun|first1=Liu|date=14 October 2014 |publisher=Arcade }}</ref> |rowspan=2|Yangtze River Literature & Art Publishing House |- |2017 |The Era of Watermelon Eaters (吃瓜时代的儿女们)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://book.douban.com/subject/27176647/|title=吃瓜时代的儿女们|series=刘震云作品 Isbn: 9787535499639 |date=2017-11-01|publisher=长江文艺出版社|isbn=9787535499639|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331130350/https://book.douban.com/subject/27176647/|archive-date=31 March 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-11-24/who-are-chinas-watermelon-eaters-101175839.html|title=Who are China's 'Watermelon Eaters?' - Caixin Global|website=www.caixinglobal.com|language=en|access-date=2018-01-17|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131956/https://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-11-24/who-are-chinas-watermelon-eaters-101175839.html|archive-date=17 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | | |- |2021 |One Day Three Autumns (一日三秋)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://book.douban.com/subject/35496106/|title=一日三秋|series=刘震云作品 Isbn: 9787536094420 |date=2017-11-01|publisher=花城出版社|isbn=9787536094420}}</ref> |花城出版社 (Huacheng Publishing House) |Sinoist Press<ref>{{cite book |last=Liu |first=Zhenyun |title=One Day Three Autumns |url=https://sinoistbooks.com/product/one-day-three-autumns/ |date=2023}}</ref> |Howard Goldblatt & Sylvia Li-chun Lin |}
==Awards== * 2011: Mao Dun Literature Prize, winner, ''Someone to Talk To''<ref name="netease">{{cite news |access-date = 28 July 2012 |script-title = zh:刘震云莫言等5人作品获第八届茅盾文学奖 |url = http://news.163.com/11/0820/13/7BTFAP2100014JB6.html |date = 20 August 2011 |author = Zhang Zhongjiang |newspaper = Netease |language = zh |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170408083636/http://news.163.com/11/0820/13/7BTFAP2100014JB6.html |archive-date = 8 April 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>
==External links== * Interviews with Liu Zhenyun [http://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/culture/chinese-writers-reality] [http://www.newschinamag.com/newschina/articleDetail.do?article_id=1476] * List of works (in Chinese) [https://book.douban.com/author/4507615/]
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Mao Dun Literature Prize}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Zhenyun}} Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:Chinese male novelists Category:Mao Dun Literature Prize laureates Category:Peking University alumni Category:Writers from Xinxiang Category:People's Liberation Army personnel