Liao Yiwu

Liao Yiwu, born in 1958 in China’s Sichuan province, is a Chinese writer and poet. He grew up in extreme poverty. In 1989, he wrote the poem “Massacre” and was subsequently sentenced to four years in prison, where he was severely mistreated. His notable works include “The Corpse Walker,” “For a Song and a Hundred Songs,” “God Is Red,” “The Rebirth of Ants,” and the documentary novel “Wuhan.” He received, among other honors, the Independent Chinese PEN Center’s Freedom to Write Award, the Geschwister Scholl Prize, and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.