Jen Lien-kche takes Franz Kafka Prize !

       The Franz Kafka Prize attracted some attention about a decade ago when two years in a row they honored the author who would go on to be awarded the Nobel Prize later that year (Elfriede Jelinek in 2004 and Harold Pinter in 2005), and ever since folks have been keeping a closer eye on the prize announcement.
       This year's winner has been now been announced. Not at the official site yet, last I checked, but see for example the České noviny report, Cenu Franze Kafky letos dostane čínský prozaik Jen Lien-kche.
       Jen Lien-kche ? I know this site has a really well-read and knowledgeable audience but kudos to anyone (outside the Czech Republic and Slovakia) that recognized the author as 阎连科. Or, as you are perhaps more likely to know him, Yan Lianke. (I've mentioned how big a fan I am of non-uniform transliteration, haven't I ? See what happens .....)
       In any case, good to see some more attention being paid to Chinese authors on the international stage. (Even if the focus tends to be on the same, widely-available-in-translation ones -- Yan was, after all, also a 2013 Man Booker International Prize finalist.)
       Two of Yan's titles are under review at the complete review: Serve the People ! and Lenin's Kisses.