Great Regulars: Mo [Yan]'s detractors are forceful.

"For him to win this award, it's not a victory for literature; it is a victory for the Communist Party," raged Yu Jui, a writer and democracy activist, in a blog post.

And yet, an article titled "Is Mo Yan Man Enough for the Nobel?"--published on Tuesday in the China Daily--includes a defense of sorts from Mo, taken from a 2009 speech. "A writer should express criticism and indignation at the dark side of society and the ugliness of human nature," he said then, "but we should not use one uniform expression. Some may want to shout on the street, but we should tolerate those who hide in their rooms and use literature to voice their opinions."

from David L. Ulin: Los Angeles Times: Mo Yan of China wins Nobel Prize in literature and prompts debate

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