In Conversation with Liu Zhenyun - The Last Laugh

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About the author 

Satire, style and the spiritual esprit that underpins the human race, is examined in exquisite detail by the prize winning contemporary Chinese novelist, Liu Zhenyun whose novels embrace the absurdity of people while offering a philosophical slant on the who, what, when and why of what makes the humble human tick.

The reality of living in a social media age is employed ruthlessly across the pages of recent works, sitting alongside the homogenisation of rural village lives. Zhenyun delights in juxtaposing the classical, traditional – perhaps international cliché – image of a bucolic existence with the cutting-edge advances of AI and social media. 

Twelve books, translated into over 30 languages, and with an impressive 15 million copies to date sold in China, Zhenyun’s works have reached page, stage and screen with film adaptations of I Am Not Madame Bovary; Cell Phone; Back to 1942; Lost and Found; Someone to Talk To, all of which have had international releases and recognition. His new novel, The Last Laugh, has sold over 1 million copies in China within six months. 

Thought-provoking and never afraid of probing complex, demanding themes – loneliness; social shame; social mobility; interpersonal relationships in a fast-changing society; hypocrisy; spirituality and retribution – Liu’s work is often referred to as neo-realist, employing the vernacular while using ordinary people to wrestle with  complex and contemporary philosophical challenges. Liu’s lens is forensic – his themes, while explored through meticulous observation and deadpan humour, allow little room for double standards and the universality of the subjects he examines allow even less room for complacency in society’s approach to the digital age. In tune with the zeitgeist, Liu lays out for all to see the realities of life lived through a screen.

For more information, please visit Singing Grass