An exile gives hope to Chinese writers

"I write simply because that, as a human being, not merely as a Chinese, I want to prove my existence," he wrote.

But he also believes that "faced with political and social oppression, one must resist and rebel." Therefore, he publicly declared after the 1989 Tiananmen massacre that he "would not go back to the so-called motherland as long as it remains under a totalitarian regime."

Gao's most weighty work so far is Soul Mountain, (靈山) which was first published here in Taiwan. The book is based on a 10-month trip Gao took in early 1980s. In the story, "I," the leading character, travels along the Yangtze river to escape from the net of the authorities and encounters a string of mysterious women. Throughout the trip, he roams and rambles from river's source to its mouth in search of the meaning of life.

"I have put all the memories of my youth, my thoughts and my doubts about Chinese culture into that book," Gao has said. However, this modern Western-style work of art failed to attract any attention at all in Taiwan where traditionalism continues to dominate.

Another work of his, One Man's Bible (一個人的聖經) which was also initially published in Taiwan, sold only 200 copies in 10 years, once he told friends. Certainly, his works, with virtually no plots and story lines and full of absurd daydreaming and consciousness are very hard for the general reading public to understand.

Also, though refreshing in style and rich in the use of the Chinese language, some of his works lack the originality that masterpieces should display; sometimes they can seem too derivative of Western literary works and forms.

Nevertheless, his daring inspires reflection about being not only a Chinese but a human being, and his robust rejection of writing to support an ideology, be it nationality, motherland or the masses, but rather writing in search for satisfaction of the needs of one's soul may truly be considered refreshing for Chinese.

Following is a list of winners of the Nobel Prize in literature since 1975. The prize was first awarded in 1901.

2000 Gao Xingjian (China)

1999 Guenter Grass (Germany)

1998 Jose Saramago (Portugal)

1997 Dario Fo (Italy)

1996 Wislawa Szymborska (Poland)

1995 Seamus Heaney (Ireland)

1994 Kenzaburo Oe (Japan)

1993 Toni Morrison (US)

1992 Derek Walcott (Trinidad)

1991 Nadine Gordimer (South Africa)

1990 Octavio Paz (Mexico)

1989 Camilo Jose Cela (Spain)

1988 Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt)

1987 Joseph Brodsky (US)

1986 Wole Soyinka (Nigeria)

1985 Claude Simon (France)

1984 Jaroslav Seifert (Czechoslovakia)

1983 William Golding (Britain)

1982 Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia)

1981 Elias Canetti (Britain)

1980 Czeslaw Milosz (United States)

1979 Odysseus Elytis (Greece)

1978 Isaac Bashevis Singer (US)

1977 Vicente Aleixandre (Spain)

1976 Saul Bellow (US)

1975 Eugenio Montale (Italy)

Cao Chang-ching (曹長青) is a writer and journalist based in New York.