New voices from China turn new literary page

Liu Cixin, who attended an event in Beijing last month, shows up at the Frankfurt Book Fair with a German version of Three-Body Problem that will be released soon. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily]

Western readers have great expectations of Chinese authors, according to veteran Sinologist Michael Kahn-Ackermann.

"They're supposed to represent their society, culture, history and the whole country," he said at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, which concluded on Sunday. The fair opened on Oct 18.

A section of the fair dedicated to "new voices from China" saw many Chinese writers participate in a wide range of discussions.

Yu Yishuang, a Beijing-based author, is among those who spoke. So far, the 32-year-old writer has published two books of short stories set in Beijing.

And while she was introduced to an international audience in Frankfurt, Yu said she mostly cares about one thing when writing: "If the stories are well written or not."

Her candid writing about her experiences in Chinese cities and failed relationships seem to have got her invited to the fair.

Another invitee to the fair was Shanghai-based Lu Nei, 43. He is among Chinese authors who write about small towns.