Wang Xiaobo

Wang Xiaobo (Chinese: 王小波; pinyin: Wáng Xiǎobō) (May 13, 1952 – April 11, 1997) was a Chinese writer known for his sharp irony and critical spirit, through which he portrayed the absurdity and suffering of everyday life. Born in Beijing to an intellectual family, Wang was sent to rural areas in Yunnan in 1968 during the Cultural Revolution. He returned to Beijing in 1972 and worked as a factory worker before enrolling at Renmin University of China in 1978. In 1984 he went to the United States to study at the University of Pittsburgh under historian Cho-yun Hsu, and after returning to China in 1988 he briefly taught at Peking University and Renmin University before becoming a freelance writer in 1992. Wang rose to prominence with his novel The Golden Age, which later became part of his “Age” trilogy together with The Silver Age and The Bronze Age. In the 1990s, he gained particular popularity among Chinese college students and achieved posthumous status as a cultural icon associated with liberal and independent thought in China.