Linking Publishing's (
"Quick, let me buy Gao's books for you," a middle-aged woman said to her son, explaining, "He's a Nobel Prize winner. He's famous." And as a result of the huge hype that has surrounded Gao's visit to Taiwan, he has become a household name.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
But this is not Gao's first visit by any means. Prior to this trip, which was timed to coincide with the TIBE and was a consequence of his entry into the elite Nobel club, he had visited Taiwan on six previous occasions. During these visits, he had made a few friends with such literary luminaries as Chang Ta-chun (
The contrast between Gao's virtual no-name status prior to the announcement of his Nobel Prize five months ago and the massive and still-growing hype surrounding his current visit couldn't be more drastic.
Over the past five years, the Chinese edition of Soul Mountain sold less than 1,000 copies. Two years ago, Linking Publishing listed the book for clearance sale, off loading stock at half price. Over the last four months, after the announcement of Gao's Nobel Prize, sales for the book skyrocketed, reaching 120,000 copies. One Man's Bible, Gao's other major literary work, has also sold nearly 90,000 copies over the same period. Gao's other works, including five essay and drama collections have together sold more than 30,000 copies, according to Chen Chiu-ling (
"This year at TIBE, our sales business has grown five fold. Gao accounted for more than 70 percent of our sales," she said.
As his book sales have grown, so has the number of Gao's "old friends."
Over 70 literary heavyweights and artists turned up at a reception held in Gao's honor at Taipei's Grand Hotel last week. Although many had only recently become aquatinted with Gao, many gave him an affectionate hug, a form of demonstrative affection uncommon among Taiwanese writers.
Speaking to the Chinese media, author Li Ang recalled how Gao was treated last year by these "friends." "Last year when he visited, he was put up at a university guest house, not even a hotel. And when he tried to gather friends for a dinner, [Gao] Xingjian made 20 more calls but only eight people showed up," Li said.
Feng Yi-kang, founder of the Comedian's Workshop (
This change has been brought about partly due to the massive support of two of Taiwan's leading dailies, the United Daily News (
With reporters now dogging his every move, Gao's celebrity status may have curtailed his personal freedom, which is ironic for someone who has spent most of his life and literary career living quietly in his own corner.
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