A hit with Western readers

Mai Jia's novel Decoded has been translated into more than 30 languages and published in different countries.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Like the protagonist in the novel, Mai Jia also battled loneliness as he wrote.

When the book came out, it was a great success with millions of copies sold. His other novels, including In the Dark, The Message and Whispers on the Wind, are also very popular, and have been adapted into TV series or movies.

The TV series based of Decoded is under production.

Despite its popularity in the West and The Economist calling Decoded the best Chinese novel in 35 years, Mai Jia modestly says this is because of the "ignorance" of the West about contemporary Chinese literature.

"Many contemporary Chinese writers are inspired by Western literature," he says, "but due to cultural differences, the things we care about and the way we express ourselves do not interest the West. Also, as a result of being bombarded by Western influences, and having got used to them we try to adapt to their ways, not the other way around."