Shen Shixi (; born October 1952), also known as Shen Yiming (), is a best-selling children's author in China. He is best known for his animal stories, and is known as the "King of Animal Stories". In 2015 he was the 9th highest earning author, earning royalties of 12 million RMB.
Life
Shen Shixi was born in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
in October 1952. In 1968 he was sent to a village of the Dai people in
Xishuangbanna
Xishuangbanna, Sibsongbanna or Sipsong Panna ( Tham: , New Tai Lü script: ; ; th, สิบสองปันนา; lo, ສິບສອງພັນນາ; shn, သိပ်းသွင်ပၼ်းၼႃး; my, စစ်ဆောင်� ...
. In 1975 he joined the army, and was Head of the Propaganda Department. He became a member of the Yunnan Writers Association in 1982, and the
China Writers Association
China Writers Association or Chinese Writers Association (CWA, ) is a subordinate people's organization of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC). Founded in July 1949, the organization was initially named the China National Liter ...
in 1985. In 1992 he moved to creative office of the
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
Military Region.
Writing
Shen is best known for his animal stories, and is known as the "King of Animal Stories".
''Most of the animals in his books are wild animals, who live mainly in the vast wilderness, the hot humid tropical rainforest, the freezing snow-covered mountain, or the surging Lantsang River. The unique landscape and settings in Xishuang Banna has given Shen ample room for creation, as well as material for an original taste of life in the forest. The life of animals is extremely hard. Danger from their natural enemies, competition among the same kind, shortage of food, and hunting by humans have always stood as great threats to their lives. No matter how smart, sly, and strong the animals are, they would eventually be killed by other animals or by people. There are thus numerous traps in Shen’s jungles, and there is no happy ending or final closure. Even if an animal happened to escape from one crisis, it may never escape the next.''
Awards and honours
Winner of the
National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award, and the
Chen Bochui Children's Literature Award
The Chen Bochui Children’s Literature Award (陈伯吹儿童文学奖) is a major award issued in China, with the aim of promoting excellence in children’s publishing and cultural diversity. It was originally called the Children’s Literary Ga ...
.
Books
*《猎狐》
*《第七条猎狗》
*《再被狐狸骗一次》
*《狼王梦》 - Wolf King Dream
*《白象家族》
*《斑羚飞渡》
*《最后一头战象》
*《一只猎雕的遭遇》
*《和乌鸦做邻居》
*《野犬女皇》
*《鸟奴》
*《混血豺王》
*《红豺》 - ''Jackal and Wolf'', translated by
Helen Wang
Helen Kay Wang (; ; born 1965) is an English sinologist and translator. She works as curator of East Asian Money at the British Museum in London. She has also published a number of literary translations from Chinese, including an award-winning tr ...
(Egmont, 2012)
* ''When Mu Meets Min'', illustrated by
Shen Yuanyuan
External links
Shen Shixi on WorldcatShen Shixi on Paper RepublicShen Shixi on Weibo (in Chinese)Shen Shixi: Translation Workshop, by Dave Haysom, 31 March 2015
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shen, Shixi
1952 births
Chinese children's writers
Living people
Writers from Shanghai
20th-century Chinese writers
21st-century Chinese writers
Chen Bochui Children's Literature Award winners