Mao Dun 茅盾 [pen name of Shen Dehong 沈德鴻, also known by his courtesy name Shen Yanbing 沈雁冰] 1896-1981

Celebrated as the leading realist writer of modern China, especially for works such as Ziye 子夜 [Midnight] (1932). Born in Zhejiang, Mao Dun attended Peking University, and in 1916 took up a position at the Commercial Press in Shanghai. With Zheng Zhenduo 鄭振鐸 and others, he founded the Wenxue Yanjiu Hui 文學研究會 [Literary study society] in 1921. He completed the trilogy of novellas known collectively as Shi 蝕 [Eclipse] in 1928, and later became involved with the League of Left-wing Writers. From 1949 to 1965 he served as Minister of Culture of PRC. His complete works were published in 1984 by the Renmin wenxue chubanshe.

Works available in English:

  • Midnight (Hsu Meng-hsiung). Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1957; Hong
       Kong: C. & W Publishing Co., 1976.
  • Rainbow (Madeleine Zelin). Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.
  • Spring Silkworms and Other Stories (Sidney Shapiro). Beijing: Foreign
       Language Press, 1956.
  • The Vixen. Beijing: Chinese Literature, 1987.
  • Three Seasons and Other Stories (by Mao Tun, Yao Hsueh-yin, Pai Ping-chei,
       Chang Tien-yi) (Yeh Chun-chan). London: Staples, 1946.

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