Bi Feiyu wins Man Asian Literary Prize

Novelist Bi Feiyu has won the 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize, becoming the prize's third Chinese winner in four years.

He was awarded the US$30,000 award at an event in Hong Kong for his novel Three Sisters (Telegram/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).The novel's translators Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-chun Lin share a prize of US$5,000.

Feiyu said "I am extremely honoured to receive the Man Asian Literary Prize tonight.
Although this is a young prize, I now believe that in a very short time it will become a very important prize in Asia."

Feiyu was unable to visit the UK to promote the title last year, after being stymied by visa troubles. Campaigns manager Robert Sharp said "British readers could have met Bi Feiyu in July last year, at special English PEN event to promote Three Sisters. Unfortunately, his visa application was lost in red tape and he had to cancel the visit.

"That we have been unable to host this critically acclaimed and popular author is yet another example of how Britain is slipping into a cultural and economic silo. We congratulate Bi Feiyu on his wonderful book, and only wish we could have done so in person. " 


The title's publisher was recipient of a PEN Writers in Translation grant.