11 Quotes by Murong Xuecun

Genuine bravery for a writer.... It is about calmly speaking the truth when everyone else is silenced, when the truth cannot be expressed. It is about speaking out with a different voice, risking the wrath of the state and offending everyone, for the sake of the truth, and the writer’s conscience.

It is difficult to call myself a writer, even when I stand at a podium to receive a prize, I feel uncomfortable calling myself a writer—I am merely a word criminal.

Actually, I am a coward. I say only what is safe to say, and I criticise only what is permissable to criticise.

The only truth is that we cannot speak the truth . The only acceptable viewpoint is that we cannot express a viewpoint.

Why is contemporary China short of works that speak directly? Because we writers cannot speak directly, or rather we can only speak in an indirect way.Why does contemporary China lack good works that critique our current situation? Because our current situation may not be critiqued. We have not only lost the right to criticise, but the courage to do so.Why is modern China lacking in great writers? Because all the great writers are castrated while still in the nursery.

Unfortunately, I have dedicated great effort to the task of compiling this ‘sensitive words glossary,’ and I have mastered my filtering skills. I knew which words and sentences had to be cut, and I accepted the cutting as if that was the way it should be. In fact, I will often take it on myself to save time and cut a few words. I call this ‘castrated writing’ -—I am a proactive eunuch, I have already castrated myself before the surgeon raises his scalpel.

Because at this time, in this place, Chinese writing exhibits symptoms of a mental disorder.

Literature is not at the service of the government; on the contrary, governments should do everything in their power to create a favourable climate for literature.

The only truth is that we cannot speak the truth. The only acceptable viewpoint is that we cannot express a viewpoint.