Wang Xiaobo
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- This is a Chinese name; the family name is 王 (Wang)
Wang Xiaobo (Chinese: 王小波; pinyin: Wáng Xiǎobō) (May 13, 1952 – April 11, 1997) was a Chinese writer who became famous after his death.
Wang was born in an intellectual family in Beijing in 1952. He was sent to a farm in Yunnan province as an "intellectual youth" at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1968. In 1971, he was sent to the countryside of Shandong province, and became a teacher. In 1972, he was allowed to return to Beijing, and he got a job as a working in a local factory. He met Li Yinhe in 1977, who was working as an editor for "Guangming Daily", and she later became his wife. He was accepted by Renmin University of China in 1978 where he studied economics and trade and got his Bachelor's Degree. He received his Master's Degree in the University of Pittsburgh in 1988. After he returned to China, he began to teach in Peking University and Renmin University of China. He quit his job as a college lecturer in 1992, and became a freelance writer. On April 11, 1997 he died suddenly of heart disease at his apartment.
Wang was very good at using simple words. His style (especially his sense of humor) was adopted by many young Chinese. He wrote a lot of essays while he was writing his novels. Many began to know Wang just from his essays. His western experience made him an independent and free writer. He was much influenced by Bertrand Russell from his essays while he often mentioned Mark Twain, George Bernard Shaw and Marguerite Duras in his works. He suggested scientific and rational thinking, and fought against mind imprisonment.
His works became popular among Chinese youth after his death.
