Shan Its

The Chinese early one

Born in China, Yan Nor of its true name, Shan Its (its pseudonym which wants to say " rustle of vent" in Chinese) is initially poet of Chinese expression. It obtains the first price of the national competition of sepoesy of the children at 12 years. After secondary studies in Beijing, it passes in 1990 the equivalent of our baccalaureat. “After the event Tian Year Men, I chose to reappear in France. ” In August 1990, it thus leaves Beijing for Paris thanks to a purse of the French government. It settles and adopts the language and passes the vat in 1992 there. In 1994, it finishes its studies of philosophy. “I know that each novel is a walk thrown in this infinite rise towards the perfection in a language. ” From 1994 to 1996, it is secretary of the painter Balthus. Setsuko, the woman of Balthus, initiates it with Japanese civilization. “Any well-read man Chinese must know to practice the zither, the go and to make penmanship, therefore of painting. To these three disciplines, I added the art of the sword. ”

With the attack of France!

It publishes two Romance first and a collection of poetry which meet a success of regard.

It is with its third novel, the Player of go (ED. Grasset), which it makes truly its appearance in the foreground of the French literary scene. The Académie Goncourt notices the novel and places it on its list, which, potentially, opens to him the doors of historical Goncourt but also of Goncourt of the High-school pupils, price to the fresh and enthusiastic reputation.

A thing is certain: when, black hair, Chinese dress and foreign accent, it launches a “the high-school pupils are formidable and their so relevant questions. Live the high-school pupils! ” , the room answers him “Vive Shan Its! ” in standing ovation .

The large literary press starts to be interested seriously in it. The magazine Lire sends a young journalist, Philippe Perrier, to question it. Perrier is then a declared support of Rouge Brazil , the novel of Jean-Christophe Rufin, also selected to him for Goncourt, him also of appearance historical and treating in fact, like the Player of go , of the eternity of the human reports/ratios.

Two scoops will leave this maintenance, major event in the media career of Shan Its.

One learns there on the one hand that Min, its recurring character, is in fact the setting in literature of Min truth, its first love. Min which is not a traitor, as in the Player of go , but that on the contrary it betrayed by choosing France. The topic of the double and the play of distorted mirror is fundamental in its work. It still works it over again in the Conspirators .

It reveals in addition in confidence with the readers of Lire the subject of its next novel: “a Chinese empress of VIIIe century. It will be the account of its life, 80 years of reign on the most prosperous empire and most imposing of VIIIe century. I will test - through the body, the skin, the eyes and the hair of this woman - of ressusciter one disappeared time. But all the characters, all the tragic events and all the thoughts were always and will be always. ” the bomb has delayed-action is started, it will explode the following year.

The season continues, the prices fall. Red Brazil , crowned by historical Goncourt, flies away towards spectacular sales, even for the price the attractive price of France. the Player of go raid Goncourt of the High-school pupils and passes the bar of the 100.000 specimens. French and cannibals at Rufin, the Chinese and Japanese at Shan His: the shock of civilizations will thus remain like one of the major topics of the vintage 2002.

The Trojan War to Saint-Germain-of-Meadows

One year passes. The new novel of Shan Its, very awaited, appears… with the Albin-Michel editions. Surprised and scandal! Grasset, armed with a contract stipulating that Shan Its owes him its " next roman" attacks in justice and rests on the scoop Lire to support that Impératrice is well the " next roman" in question. The bomb explodes. Albin defends himself. It is the war. A variation on the myth eternal of the husband, the woman and the lover, declined in epic literature by Homère in Illiade , in dramatic literature by Molière in the School of the women and, naturally, in all the light comedy, from where the popularity of the scandal.

That to make of Helen of Troy?
Agnes does it have the right to like elsewhere?
Which editor for Shan His, the author with the gold lines?

Three times the same question.

Eternal structures of the human relations, still…

The press, logically, makes its lambsquarters of them.

In the Express train , for example, the literary journalist Olivier Naire, one nothing taquin, recalls that the business is all the more serious as the ideogram as a cover for Impératrice , ideogram that naturally nobody understands, would like, according to the rumor, to say " goncourable". Assured hot throats.

Books Hedbo , the professional magazine, major reference of the medium, launches to him also its joke: “Shan Its, it would be necessary two of them for us! ” Emmanuel Pierrat, lawyer specialized in the edition, finds a precedent in the judiciary record.

In deprived, Philippe Perrier, who does not give an opinion in 2003 officially, answers Livres Hedbo by distinguishing duality and duplicity: “That nenni, it is double, we have two well of them. It is even more complicated. To give pleasure with everyone, Shan San, it with will be necessary four for us! ” And to consider it regrettable that the judgment of Solomon is too known so that one can propose in Grasset to publish the even pages and in Albin the odd pages, the first exclaiming " Ridiculous! " gaining the novel in entirety.

Lastly, justice slices. Grasset receives a fine paid by Albin Michel to compensate for the loss of an author become very profitable. From now on, Shan Its will sign at Albin, but the scandal, of course, ruined all the chances of Impératrice to the literary prizes of foreground and collected much more the attention that the attentive examination of the artistic force of the novel.

Seductions and mirrors, new handsets of role

In 2005 to the Conspirators appear, at Albin Michel. As of the catch in hand of the book, one understands that Shan Its did not change: a face cut into two, sign of duality, the meeting of three civilizations, American, French and Chinese, through a new handset of mirrors distorted but this time on " the chess-board planétaire" and either on a plate of go. According to the fourth of cover, a roleplay, of seduction and espionage, with, in the center, beautiful, given and cruel Chinese immigrant in France after Tian Year Men and, once again, Min. After Shan Its empress, Shan Her conspiring? Only for the richness of the rhyme?

Works

1983 : Poems of Yan Nor
1988: red Dragonfly , collection of poetry
1989: Snow , collection of poetry
1990: That spring returns , collection of news
1997: Door of celestial peace , its first novel in French language, it receives the Prix Goncourt of the First Novel in 1998
1999: Four lives of the willow , Romance ( Price Cazes in 1999)
2000: sharp Wind and the fast sword , poetry
2001: the Player of go , Romance ( Goncourt Price of the high-school pupils in 2001)
2002: the Mirror of the Calligrapher , test (paintings and poems)
2003: Empress , Romance ( Price of the Readers of the Book of Pocket in 2005)
2005: the Conspirators
2006: Alexandre and Alestria

Bond (S) external (S)

Articles and talks

Interview and video of Shan Its in Reading for the Player of go, interview taken again like incriminating evidence at the time of the lawsuit in 2003
Interview of Shan Its before the publication and the drafting of Empress. Source: Literary zone
the point of view of the Express train on the Shan business Its, literary scandal of the re-entry 2003. Article of Olivier Naire.

Extracts

extracts from the four lives of the willow
extracts of the Player from go
extracts from Empress

Random links: