Chinese won Nobel Literature Prize!!!

[theblackhole]

And yet Saint Lucia, a tiny country that only became independent in 1979, managed to produce a Nobel laureate in Literature. Face it, Singaporeans have no talent.

eat more chocolates!!! that will produce nobel laureates....


Researcher: More chocolate consumption linked with more Nobel prizes

By Agence France-Presse
Thursday, October 11, 2012 13:15 EDT

The more chocolate people in a country eat, the more Nobel prize winners the country produces per capita, according to a note published Thursday in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

Flavonoids, antioxidants found in cocoa, green tea, red wine and some fruits, appear “to be effective in slowing down or even reversing the reductions in cognitive performance that occur with aging,” wrote Columbia University professor Franz Messerli.

“Since chocolate consumption could hypothetically improve cognitive function not only in individuals but also in whole populations, I wondered whether there would be a correlation between a country’s level of chocolate consumption and its population’s cognitive function,” Messerli wrote.

The results were surprising: according to Messerli, there was “a close, significant linear correlation between chocolate consumption per capita and the number of Nobel laureates per 10 million persons in a total of 23 countries.”

Chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, which ancient Aztecs and Mayas drank as a beverage. Spanish conquistadors introduced cocoa to Europe in the 16th century, and the Swiss perfected modern chocolate bars in the 19th century.

Not surprisingly, Switzerland “was the top performer in terms of both the number of Nobel laureates and chocolate consumption,” wrote Messerli, who said he obtained figures on chocolate consumption from manufacturers.

The United States, France and Germany are in the middle of the list, while China, Japan and Brazil are at the bottom.

Sweden, which consumes 6.4 kilos of chocolate per capita per year, was an exception. Based on this rate of consumption “we would predict that Sweden should have produced a total of about 14 Nobel laureates, yet we observe 32.”

So either the Stockholm-based Nobel Committee “has some inherent patriotic bias when assessing the candidates for these awards” or Swedes “are particularly sensitive to chocolate, and even minuscule amounts greatly enhance their cognition.”

Messerli however provides a caveat: “Obviously, these findings are hypothesis-generating only and will have to be tested in a prospective, randomized trial.”

 

[PissNPiss]

A consolation

 

[Extremist]

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zjl2pRErkBQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

GAOMI: Chinese author Mo Yan on Friday defended his Nobel prize from dissidents who accused him of being a communist stooge, and expressed hope for the early release of jailed fellow laureate Liu Xiaobo.

Speaking a day after his Nobel literature prize sparked an outpouring of praise from the government, and sharp condemnation from critics, Mo Yan stood his ground in a press briefing likely to anger both sides.

He dismissed his detractors, saying they probably had not read his books.

"Some say that because I have a close relationship with the Communist Party, I shouldn't have won the prize. I think this is unconvincing," said Mo Yan, 57.

He called his award "a literature victory, not a political victory".

But Mo Yan also defended Communist Party founder Mao Zedong, who wrote that Chinese art must serve the party.
"I think some of Mao's remarks on art were reasonable," the author said.

Looking relaxed and confident, he also courted official anger by saying he hoped that jailed dissident writer Liu Xiaobo could be freed soon.

Liu was jailed in 2009 for calling for democratic change, and his Nobel Peace Prize the following year enraged Beijing, which brands Liu a criminal.

"I hope he can gain freedom as early as possible," Mo Yan said in response to a question from one of about 30 journalists at the briefing in his hometown of Gaomi, where many of his dozens of works have been set.

Chinese dissidents have assailed the prize as a disgrace due to the Communist Party's control of creative expression.

Artist Ai Weiwei savaged Mo Yan as a government patsy and ridiculed the official jubilation from Beijing, which had lashed out at the Nobel committee in the past over peace prizes for Liu and Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

"(Mo Yan) will always stand on the side of power and he will not have one bit of individualism," Ai told AFP, adding that "people don't know if they should laugh or cry over this Nobel Prize".

Prominent exiled dissident Wei Jingsheng criticised the prize as an effort to appease Beijing after the angry reaction to Liu's 2010 peace award.

He questioned Mo Yan's independence, noting that he had copied by hand a speech by Mao - which contained the late leader's views on controlling art - for a commemorative book this year.

"We can tell that this prize was awarded for the purpose of pleasing the communist regime and is thus not noteworthy," Wei said.

In sharp contrast to its past Nobel vitriol, China boasted about Mo Yan, the first Chinese national to win the literature prize.

"Mo Yan's winning of the Nobel Prize for literature reflects the flourishing improvements of Chinese literature and China's comprehensive national strength and international influence," said Li Changchun, the country's top propaganda official, according to Xinhua news agency.

"Chinese authors have waited too long for this day, the Chinese people have waited too long. We congratulate Mo Yan!" said the People's Daily, the official outlet for the Communist Party.

But Yu Jie, an exiled dissident writer, was quoted by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle as calling it "the biggest scandal in the history of the Nobel prize for literature", saying Mao had "slaughtered" more people than Stalin or Hitler.

The prolific Mo Yan is known for exploring the brutality of China's tumultuous 20th century with a cynical wit in dozens of works.

Some of Mo Yan's work has cast an unflattering eye on official policy, such as his 2009 novel "Frog", which looks at China's "one child" limit and the local officials who implement it with forced abortions and sterilisations.

Literary critics have said Mo Yan has dodged censure by deftly avoiding overt criticism of authorities. He is also vice-chairman of the officially endorsed China Writers' Association.

Mo Yan is a pen name for the author, who was born Guan Moye. He is best known abroad for his 1987 novella "Red Sorghum", set amid the brutal violence that plagued the eastern Chinese countryside, where he grew up, during the 1920s and 30s.

 

[laksaboy]

Sinkies would rather win 4D/Toto than winning a Nobel prize.

Nobel prize? Simi lai eh? Can it be eaten?

 

[Extremist]

Free link. Download all 22 works of Mo Yan


http://kuai.xunlei.com/d/SGBPKXPCOXDA


三十年前的一次长跑比赛
丰乳肥臀
会唱歌的墙
倒立
儿子的敌人
四十一炮
天堂蒜薹之歌
师傅越来越幽默
拇指铐
檀香刑
牛
生死疲劳
白发皇妃
红树林
红蝗
红高粱
良心作证
蛙
蝗虫奇谈
透明的红萝卜
酒神
难忘那带着口罩接吻的爱

 

[yellowarse]

Free link. Download all 22 works of Mo Yan

Thanks, man.

 

[Extremist]

 

[theblackhole]

GAOMI, Shandong, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nobel Literature Prize winner Mo Yan said Friday that eyes worldwide will read Chinese contemporary literature over a period of time.

"It (my winning the prize) should play a rather positive role, but the effect shouldn't be overestimated," Mo said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua in his hometown Gaomi in east China's Shandong Province.

Mo became the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Literature Prize in its century-long history Thursday, bringing joy to other writers and readers throughout the country.

 

[BicycleChain]

Mo Yan uses black humor for his works.

 

[BicycleChain]

Any download for the English translations?

 

[Sideswipe]

Mr Xin Hao Nian, who vigorously told Chinese to distinguish between right and wrong in 20th century China history also deserves Nobel Peace Prize. his book "谁是新中国" moved me to tears ( that's an exaggeration but you get the drift ).

 

[theblackhole]

By Xinhua writers Zhao Ying, Yang Chunxue

BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Hailing Mo Yan as the first Chinese citizen who won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the public has started to contemplate the way to enhance Chinese literature's global presence.

The prize indicates that Chinese contemporary authors and their works are getting the world's attention, which prompts writers and amateurs to continue their pursuit, said Wang Meng, a renowned Chinese writer.

But "the prize came a little late," said Xue Yongwu, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Journalism and Communication with Ocean University of China (OUC).

There have been many accomplished writers of modern and contemporary literature in China, including Lu Xun, Ba Jin and Mao Dun, who should have won the prize earlier, he noted.

China's splendid ancient literature, which extends thousands of years, has been widely acknowledged across the world. However, the contemporary literature failed to get enough recognition from outside the country due to its short history and complex political influences, he explained.

Language has also been a barrier. Only a small proportion of Chinese literature has been translated into foreign languages, mainly English. The quality of some translated editions needs improvement, said Xue.

In addition to language skills, translation requires high-level comprehension and interpretation of culture and art. It's hard for people without any literature background to produce a translation that fully reserves the aesthetic sense of the original version, according to Ren Dongsheng, professor with the College of Foreign Languages of OUC.

The 57-year-old writer is known for his depiction of Chinese rural life. The settings for his works range from the 1911 revolution, Japan's invasion to Cultural Revolution.

Mo combines hallucinatory realism with folk tales, which is more appealing to the taste of Western readers than the styles adopted by many of his peers, such as Yu Hua, Su Tong and Wang Shuo, said Zhang Hongsheng, dean of the Literature Department of the Communication University of China.

However, "Nobel Prize is not the sole standard to judge the achievements of a writer. Prizes presented by different organizations adopt various evaluation criteria," said Xu Yan, a literature critic.

The quality of a literary work is always judged by the topic, language, structure, the way of story-telling, imagination and some other significant elements. People's tastes vary amid different social background and cultural mechanism, she added.

Chinese contemporary literature, which loomed in 1949, has seen a trend of diversification since the country adopted the market economy in 1992.

"The prize is a positive sign that the West begins to recognize Chinese literature. But it's an acknowledgement of individual efforts, and Chinese literature revival still has a long way to go," said Zhang.

Xue called upon Chinese writers to produce quality works with international perspectives. Good literature should reveal social problems and people's concerns while create the beauty of art.

"The society should provide favorable environment for the growth of Chinese writers," he stressed.

Seeking increasing world attention requires Chinese writers to maintain the national characteristics and uniqueness. "Chinese elements are the last to lose in successful writings," Zhang said.