Geling Yan

Yan was born in Shanghai, China in 1958. She is the second child of Yan Dunxun and Jia Lin. She has an elder brother Yan Geping (严歌平).[http://news.163.com/14/0909/04/A5M2LTJG00014AED.html 严歌苓： 翻手苍凉 覆手繁华] Retrieved 2017-01-14 Her father is an alumnus of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University.[http://phtv.ifeng.com/a/20150522/41089133_0.shtml "家"系列之严歌苓] Retrieved 2017-01-14

Yan began performing as a dancer at age 12. She served in the People's Liberation Army in Chengdu, during the Cultural Revolution in Tibet and later as a journalist in the Sino-Vietnamese War, achieving a rank equivalent to lieutenant colonel.{{cite news |last1=Ng |first1=I-ching |title=Yan Geling |url=https://www.scmp.com/article/476179/yan-geling |access-date=17 May 2021 |work=South China Morning Post |date=October 31, 2004}}

Yan holds a bachelor's degree in literature from Wuhan University, and a Master's in Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago.

Her first novel was published in 1985. She is the author of such novels as The Banquet Bug (published as The Uninvited in the UK) and The Lost Daughter of Happiness, as well as a story collection entitled White Snake and Other Stories. Several of Yan's works have been adapted for film, including Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl, which was directed by Joan Chen, and Siao Yu, directed by Sylvia Chang and screenplay co-written by Ang Lee. Zhang Yimou, the Chinese director of To Live and Raise the Red Lantern adapted her novella 13 Flowers of Nanjing to the screen as The Flowers of War, and his movie Coming Home was based on Yan's novel The Criminal Lu Yanshi.{{Cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/07/07/writing-china-yan-geling-the-criminal-lu-yanshi/|title = Writing China: Yan Geling, 'The Criminal Lu Yanshi'|newspaper = Wall Street Journal|date = 7 July 2014}} She has worked on other scripts including a biography of Mei Lanfang, the Peking opera star, for Chinese director Chen Kaige.

• The Banquet Bug (written in English, published as The Uninvited in the UK 简体版《赴宴者》){{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/dec/09/featuresreviews.guardianreview13|title=Review: The Uninvited by Geling Yan|website=TheGuardian.com|date=9 December 2006}}
• The Lost Daughter of Happiness (tr. Cathy Silber, Chinese title Fusang 《扶桑》)
• The Flowers of War (tr. Nicky Harman, Chinese title Jinling shisan chai 《金陵十三钗》){{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/nanjing-requiem-by-ha-jinthe-flowers-of-war-by-geling-yan-trans-nicky-harman-6291808.html|title = Nanjing Requiem, by Ha JinThe Flowers of War, by Geling Yan|website = Independent.co.uk|date = 19 January 2012}}
• Little Aunt Crane (tr. Esther Tyldesley, Chinese title Xiaoyi Duohe 《小姨多鶴》){{cite book |last1=Yan |first1=Geling |title=Xiao yi Duohe |date=2008 |publisher=Taibei Shi: San min shu ju gu fen you xian gong s |isbn=9571450707}}
• The Criminal Lu Yanshi (adapted into a movie, titled Coming Home)《陆犯焉识》{{cite book |last1=Yan |first1=Ge ling |title=Lu fan Yan shi |date=2011 |publisher=Zuo jia chu ban she |location=Beijing |isbn=9787506360876 |edition=Di 1 ban}}
• The Secret Talker {{Cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-secret-talker-geling-yan?variant=32231859191842|title = The Secret Talker}}

• 绿血
• 一个女兵的悄悄话 (Yi ge nü bing di qiao qiao hua){{Cite book |last=Yan |first=Geling |title=Yi ge nü bing di qiao qiao hua |date=1987 |publisher=Jie fang jun wen yi chu ban she : Xin hua shu dian Beijing fa xing suo fa xing |isbn=978-7-5033-0034-9 |edition=Di 1 ban |series=Jun shi wen xue chang pian xin chao cong shu |location=Beijing}}
• 雌性的草地{{Cite book |last=严歌苓 |title=雌性的草地: 长篇新潮丛书 |date=1989 |publisher=解放军文艺出版社 |isbn=978-7-5033-0079-0 |series=长篇新潮丛书 |location=北京}}
• 草鞋权贵 (In 2009, the name was changed to Shuangjiang《霜降》){{Cite book |last=Yan |first=Geling |title=Ren huan: Cao xie quan gui |last2=Yan |first2=Geling |last3=Yan |first3=Geling |date=1998 |publisher=Chun feng wen yi chu ban she : Liaoning sheng xin hua shu dian fa xing |isbn=978-7-5313-1952-8 |edition=Di 1 ban |series=Bu lao hu cong shu |location=Shenyang Shi}}
• 扶桑 (The Lost Daughter of Happiness ){{Cite book |last=严歌苓 |title=扶桑: 文瀚阁创作丛书 |date=1996 |publisher=中国华侨出版社 |isbn=978-7-80120-089-1 |series=文瀚阁创作丛书 第一辑 |location=北京}}
• 人寰 (In 2009, the name was changed to Xinli Yisheng Zaima 《心理医生在吗》）
• 无出路咖啡馆{{Cite book |last=Yan |first=Geling |title=Wu chu lu ka fei guan: Wuchulukafeiguan |date=2001 |publisher=Bai hua wen yi chu ban she |isbn=978-7-5306-3127-0 |edition=Di 1 ban |location=Tianjin}}
• 花儿与少年{{Cite book |last=Yan |first=Ge ling |title=Hua er yu shao nian |date=2012 |publisher=Shan xi shi fan ta xue chu ban zong she you xian gong si |isbn=978-7-5613-5516-9 |edition=2ban |location=Xi an}}
• 第九个寡妇（The Ninth Widow）{{cite book |last1=Yan |first1=Geling |title=Di Jiu Ge Gua Fu |date=2008 |publisher=Shaanxi Normal University General Publishing House |isbn=9787561344231}}
• 一个女人的史诗
• 小姨多鹤（Auntie Duohe）{{cite book |last1=Yan |first1=Geling |title=Xiao yi Duohe |date=2008 |publisher=Taibei Shi: San min shu ju gu fen you xian gong si |isbn=9789571450704}}
• 寄居者{{Cite book |last=Yan |first=Geling |title=Ji ju zhe |date=2009 |publisher=Xin xing chu ban she |isbn=978-7-80225-614-9 |edition=Di 1 ban |location=Beijing Shi}}
• 铁梨花{{Cite book |last=Xiao |first=Ma |title=Tie li hua =: Tielihua |last2=Yan |first2=Geling |date=2010 |publisher=Shanxi shi fan da xue chu ban she |isbn=978-7-5613-4770-6 |edition=Di 1 ban |location=Xi an}}
• 陆犯焉识{{Cite book |last=Yan |first=Ge ling |title=Lu fan Yan shi |date=2011 |publisher=Zuo jia chu ban she |isbn=978-7-5063-6087-6 |edition=Di 1 ban |location=Beijing}}
• 金陵十三钗（The Flowers of War）{{cite book |last1=Yan |first1=Geling |title=Jinling shi san chai: Yan Geling zuo pin |date=2012 |publisher=Shanxi shi fan da xue chu ban she |location=Beijing Shi |isbn=9787550203570 |edition=Di 1 ban}}
• 补玉山居
• 妈阁是座城（A City Called Macau）{{cite book |last1=Yan |first1=Ge ling |title=Ma ge shi zuo cheng |date=2014 |publisher=Ren min wen xue chu ban she |location=Bei jing |isbn=9787020101825 |edition=Di 1 ban}}
• 老师好美{{Cite book |last=Yan |first=Ge ling |title=Lao shi hao mei |date=2014 |publisher=Tian jin ren min chu ban she |isbn=978-7-201-08724-5 |edition=Di yi ban |location=Tian jin}}
• 床畔{{Cite book |last=yan ge ling |title=chuang pan |date=2015 |isbn=978-7-5354-7941-9 |location=wu han}}
• 舞男{{Cite book |last=Yan |first=Ge ling |title=Wu nan |date=2016 |publisher=shang hai wen yi chu ban she |isbn=978-7-5321-6017-4 |location=Shang hai}}
• 芳华（Youth） {{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/movies/youth-review.html|title = Review: In 'Youth,' the People's Dance Troupe, in Love and War|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 14 December 2017|last1 = Kenny|first1 = Glenn}}
• 666号
• 小站
• 蜃楼

• The Landlady (tr. Lawrence A. Walker){{Cite web|url=http://granta.com/the-landlady/|title = The Landlady|date = 21 September 2015}}
• Disappointing Returns (tr. David Haysom){{Cite web|url=https://paper-republic.org/pubs/read/disappointing-returns/|title = Read Paper Republic: Disappointing Returns}}
• White Snake and Other Stories (tr. Lawrence A. Walker){{Cite web |url=http://store.auntlute.com/White-Snake-p228.html |title=White Snake |access-date=2015-11-20 |archive-date=2015-09-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903020959/http://store.auntlute.com/White-Snake-p228.html |url-status=dead }}

She is a member of the Hollywood Writers Guild of America, the Writer's Association of China, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

{{See also|Xuzhou chained woman incident|Internet censorship in China}}

As of 11 February 2022, Yan was censored on China's internet after commenting on the atrocity and government cover-ups in the Xuzhou chained woman incident and agreeing with Zhou Xiaozheng's assessment that Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping is a "human trafficker" who imposed a large sum of money for "donation" on foreign families who adopt Chinese orphans.{{cite web |title=Weibo censored a famous novelist who voiced her anger over China's inhumanity to women |url=https://qz.com/2127169/censors-delete-geling-yans-wechat-essay-on-chained-woman-in-china/ |website=QUARTZ |date=14 February 2022 |access-date=15 February 2022}}{{cite news |title=China claims arrests of human traffickers in chained woman case |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-60344484 |work=BBC News |date=11 February 2022|access-date=11 February 2022 }} Baidu Baike showed "Sorry, the page you're visiting no longer exists" for Yan's entry. The search results for Yan's name on Sina Weibo became unavailable.{{Cite web|url= https://qz.com/2127169/censors-delete-geling-yans-wechat-essay-on-chained-woman-in-china/|title= Weibo censored a famous novelist who voiced her anger over China's inhumanity to women|work=Quartz|date=2022-02-14}}

Yan's ex-husband is Li Kewei; they divorced in the 1990s. In 1992, Yan married her second husband Lawrence Walker in San Bruno, California. Walker is a diplomat. They have no biological children together, but have adopted a Chinese girl, Yanyan.[http://mt.sohu.com/20161020/n470823489.shtml 严歌苓：做一个在美国畅销的中国作家] Retrieved 2017-01-14

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Yan Geling}}

{{wikiquote}}

• [http://lawrenceawalker.wix.com/yangeling Geling Yan's website]
• [http://www.peonyliteraryagency.com/authors_Yan_Geling.php Geling Yan at Peony Literary Agency]
• [https://paper-republic.org/authors/yan-geling/ Geling Yan profile] at [http://paper-republic.org/ Paper Republic]
• {{IMDb name|id=0945802|name=Geling Yan}}
• [http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=588 Book Browse] Biography
• https://web.archive.org/web/20080121031733/http://www.redroom.com/author/geling-yan
• [http://www.makers.com/china/yan-geling Yan Geling] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623034007/http://www.makers.com/china/yan-geling |date=2017-06-23 }} Video produced by Makers: Women Who Make America
• [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06r8t1z Geling Yan on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, 19 November 2015 (07:18 to 15:55)]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Geling}}

Category:Chinese women short story writers

Category:Chinese dramatists and playwrights

Category:Chinese women dramatists and playwrights

Category:1958 births

Category:Living people

Category:Chinese women novelists

Category:Chinese novelists

Category:Short story writers from Shanghai

Category:American writers of Chinese descent

Category:People's Liberation Army officers

Category:Chinese journalists

Category:20th-century Chinese short story writers

Category:Wuhan University alumni

Category:Columbia College Chicago alumni

Category:Chinese military personnel of the Sino-Vietnamese War