I’m sure Howard Zinn would have been delighted to see the United States broken up and turned into a series of autonomous collectives. China too for that matter. The man still won several awards for his works in literature and promoting peace. Most of his awards were from organizations based in the US; all this despite his very vocal stance against centralized government in any form.

Regardless, I think the point was more to the effect of “crazy makes good art”. Most of the world’s best artists, musicians, authors, etcetera, have all been slightly deranged. So even if Liao is completely mad, he’s mad in good company.

BTW: great article TAR Nation! I always like the ones you guys spend some time on. Hilarious!

As expected, denial and clumsy.

@ second, he said in regard to the warring states period, “Never since has there been the same degree of freedom of speech and debate”. Symbolism is fun, and you can too!

His whole point is that he despises ‘Unified’ China and blamed woes to it such as Qin Shi Huang and the Communist

@ second, he said in regard to the warring states period, “Never since has there been the same degree of freedom of speech and debate”. Symbolism is fun, and you can too!

@ third, no, they just hate him. They screwed him over and hurt him, and bullies don’t like people who fight back. I don’t think eveen they’re dumb enough to think he’s crazy.

Keep it up though. The CPC is lucky to have you on their side. You and every newspaper, every tv station, every magazine, and every radio station beaten and threatened into submission. Such bravery.

The only “Chinese propaganda rags” that calls “Liao Yiwu a “bigot,” accused him of being insane, affronted the whole of Germany”, with the EXCEPTION of “bragged about the Nobel Prize win” is the editorial.

Nice spin, though.

@Also, I took the “empire” to mean the CPC, not the country.

He wanted to go back to the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States period, for Christ sake.

@But he’s compared to crazy writers because he was called crazy.

The Chinese editorial called him crazy because of his ideas not Liao’s physical self.

To the Merkle thing: conspicuous, but not damning of an entire country.

To the writers, had the editorial been comparing Liao to political writers and satirists from USA encouraging political upheaval (of which there are many), you would have a point. But he’s compared to crazy writers because he was called crazy. You might as well accuse them of not mentioning bald writers because Liao is bald. Also, I took the “empire” to mean the CPC, not the country. But, hey ho, to each their own.

Reading all the back articles too. Fun stuff.

P.S. That Kindle link is down (suspiciously). Anywhere else to get it?

Where? Mo Yan isn’t even mentioned.

@There you go, blame an entire country for a prize, just like the Nobel.

Cozing it up to Merkel and getting to Germany for exile…and a minute later–wins prize. It seems a lot to do with Germany.

@JD Salinger was so nuts he chose to be a recluse in New Hampshire of all places, Philip K. Dick thought “pink beams” of light were giving him messages, Hunter S. Thompson was so crazy that he convinced the world it was a choice, Poe fucked the shit out of his underaged cousin/wife and had hallucinations, Kurt Vonnegut famously took up smoking as a “classy” way to commit suicide, and Hemingway ate two barrels for breakfast one day, probably because he thought he was just that badass.

Shitty examples. Name one famous American literary figure that want United States to break up.