Chinese writers and publishers are being celebrated this week in New York at BookExpo America — the industry's largest trade event in North America. Organizers of the event say China deserves a seat at the table because it is such a big and potentially lucrative market. But some authors and free speech advocates have seen this as an opportunity to shine light on censorship in China.
Most of the books in the exhibition area are in Chinese, but Paul Myatovich presides over a display of books in translation. Myatovich is sales and marketing manager for CN Times Books, which is the U.S. publishing arm of Beijing Media Times. He says being invited to BookExpo is a great opportunity for Chinese publishers:
"To give Americans and Westerners who are coming to the show a chance to see the breadth of Chinese publishing — that it's not all the little red book of Mao," Myatovich says.
BookExpo invited China to exhibit this year because organizers say China represents a market that could be crucial to Western publishers. But critics say in its eagerness to please the Chinese, the book industry is ignoring the dark side of publishing in China: censorship. Xiaolu Guo is a Chinese writer who now lives in the U.K. She left China because she felt she had to censor herself to stay out of trouble.
"You have to protect yourself," she says. "... If you can't leave China, most of the writers, artists and filmmakers they have to play the game. You know — use lots of metaphors to write a story or don't touch certain subjects."
Western writers who publish in China are also subject to censorship and sometimes they don't even know how their work has been altered. In his novel Sunset Park, Paul Auster included a mention of the imprisoned Chinese poet Liu Xiaobo. His Chinese publisher indicated some changes might be necessary but Auster says it wasn't until he got a copy of the Chinese translation of his book that he understood that all mention of the dissident poet had been eliminated.
Auster and Xiaolu Guo were in Manhattan on Wednesday to take part in a protest organized by the PEN American Center on the steps of the New York Public Library. They were joined by both Chinese and American writers including Jonathan Franzen, Ha Jin, Francine Prose and A.M. Homes, who all read from the work of dissident Chinese writers. Auster read a poem by Liu Xiaobo.
China may deserve a seat at the international publishing table, but PEN American Executive Director Suzanne Nossel says that doesn't mean the rest of the world should overlook the fact that there are two very different sides to Chinese publishing.
"Yes, it's vibrant, yes it dynamic, yes there are some great Chinese writers who can get published and whose books can be sold. But there are also others who are completely muzzled and jailed and that piece of the story at least seems to be missing, so we think it's important to show the part of the story that is not being told."
As the protest ended, Nossel led the demonstrators in signing a petition demanding freedom for imprisoned Chinese writers.
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Transcript
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
The complicated relationship between the U.S. and China is playing out at BookExpo in New York City this week. It's the industry's largest trade event in North America. Organizers say China deserves a seat at the table because it's such a big and potentially lucrative market. But some authors and free speech advocates have seen this as an opportunity to shine light on censorship in China, as NPR's Lynn Neary reports.
LYNN NEARY, BYLINE: Not far from the entrance to the China Pavilion inside New York's cavernous Javitz Center, a young man dressed in blue silk practices tai chi. Behind him, another young man demonstrates a ritual tea ceremony. All this, says Chinese university student Alex Chen, is intended to draw attention to a nearby pile of books.
ALEX CHEN: For example, this one, "The Trilogy Of Tea Man," it wins twice the biggest literature prizes in China. That's exactly why the publishing group want it brought up and having the tea ceremony over here.
NEARY: Most of the books in the exhibition area are in Chinese. But Paul Myatovich presides over a display of books in translation. Myatovich is sales and marketing manager for CN Times Books, which is the U.S. publishing arm of Beijing Media Times. He says being invited to BookExpo is a great opportunity for Chinese publishers.
PAUL MYATOVICH: To give Americans and Westerners here coming to the show a chance to see the breadth of Chinese publishing - that it's not all the little red book of Mao.
NEARY: BookExpo invited China to exhibit this year because organizers say China represents a market that could be crucial to Western publishers. But critics say in its eagerness to please the Chinese, the book industry is ignoring the dark side of publishing in China - censorship. Xiaolu Guo is a Chinese writer who now lives in the U.K. She left China because she felt she had to censor herself to stay out of trouble.
XIAOLU GUO: You have to protect yourself, you know? Either you go to jail or not write. So if you can't leave China, most of the writers, artists or filmmakers, they have to play the game. Either use lots of metaphors to write a certain story or don't touch certain subject. But the self-censorship is so seamless applied to every artist in China.
NEARY: Western writers who publish in China are also subjected to censorship, and sometimes they don't even know how their work has been altered. In his novel "Sunset Park," Paul Auster included a mention of the imprisoned Chinese poet Liu Xiaobo. His Chinese publisher indicated some changes might be necessary, but Auster says it wasn't until he got a copy of the Chinese translation of his book that he understood that all mention of the dissident poet had been eliminated.
PAUL AUSTER: My sister-in-law is fluent in Mandarin, and she was visiting, and I said look through this Chinese addition and compare it to the English one. She said no, it's gone. These passages are gone.
NEARY: Auster and Xiaolu Guo were in Manhattan yesterday to take part in a protest organized by the PEN American Center on the steps of the New York Public Library.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Free free (unintelligible).
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Free free (unintelligible).
NEARY: They were joined by both Chinese and American writers, including Jonathan Franzen, Ha Jin, Francine Prose and A.M. Homes who all read from the work of dissident Chinese writers. Paul Auster read a poem by Liu Xiaobo.
AUSTER: (Reading) A prisoner presses into the crowd of your life, so cruel and full of greed, won't even let you buy a bouquet of flowers for yourself, a piece of chocolate, a pretty dress.
NEARY: China may deserve a seat at the international publishing table says PEN American executive director Suzanne Nossel. But that doesn't mean the rest of the world should overlook the fact that there are two very different sides to Chinese publishing.
SUZANNE NOSSEL: Yes, it's vibrant. Yes, it's dynamic. Yes, there are some great Chinese writers who can get published and whose books can be sold, but there are also others who are completely muzzled and jailed and that piece of the story at least seems to be missing. So we think it's important to show the part of the story that's not being told there.
NEARY: As the protest ended, Stossel led the demonstrators in signing a petition demanding freedom for imprisoned Chinese writers. Lynn Neary, NPR News, New York. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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