Geling Yan

Geling Yan (嚴歌苓) is one of the most acclaimed novelists and screenwriters in the Chinese language and a well-established writer in English. Born in Shanghai, she served with the People's Liberation Army during the Cultural Revolution, starting at age twelve as a dancer in an entertainment troupe. She published her first novel in 1986 and has been writing constantly ever since. Her work has been translated into 21 languages. Many of Ms. Yan's works have been adapted for film and television, directed or produced by famous directors such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Feng Xiaogang, Ang Lee, Li Shaohong and Joan Chen. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, France's Société des Gens de Lettres, and the Writers' Guild of America (west). She has published over 40 books and has won over 30 literary and film awards. She holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College, Chicago. She lives in Berlin and San Francisco. Ms. Yan's work has been banned in China since March 2020. Her website is www.yangeling.com.