Rebellious writer slams ghostwriting accusation
- By Wu Jin
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China.org.cn, January 17, 2012
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Han Han |
In a recent blog post, well-known Chinese author and satirist Han Han adamantly denied accusations that some of his famous works were ghostwritten.
Han's reputation was blemished by a blogger named "Maitian" (an online alias translated as "wheat-land") on Sina.com.cn. The blogger disputed the originality of Han's works, accusing the post-80s author of hiring people to write for him.
According to Maitian, Han finished most of his writings at night while he racing his car in the daytime. Therefore, he questioned how a person could be so energetic and concluded that most of his writings were probably ghostwritten.
He hence presumed Han's first ghostwriter was his father Han Renjun, who he alleged might have been involved in the writer's first novel "Triple Door". Han also earned praise by influential publisher Lu Jinbo, which contributed to his success. Han responded furiously to the accusation on his blog on Jan. 16.
"As a writer, (the accusation) goes beyond my bottom line", Han wrote on his blog. "I wrote every word myself."
"Anybody who could show any evidence to prove the ghostwriting as they suspected, I would like to reward them with 20 million yuan (US$3.17 million), stop writing and give all my copyrights from the published books to the accusers."
Even though Han registered his outrage to the ghostwriting claim, he by no means forgot his characteristic sense of humor. He responded to the questioning of his ability to write at nights, especially in the days when he drove race cars. "Maybe you will pant heavily when raise a finger to press the button of elevator, but somebody might feel good even after a 10,000-meter marathon," Han wrote in his blog. "So I suggest the friend do more exercise, maybe just walking out of your dim, damp corner into the sunshine will do you good." He finished the sarcastic sentence by saying: "Maybe someday, you will be able to write until 1:00 AM, like me."
Han's blog post was published simultaneously with his father's. The senior Han asserted in his blog that his son's writing style was unique and hard to emulate. "There is no other person in China who can write the way Han Han writes, if there is, I’d like to take him as my son," the father said, "Farmers will immediately distinguish the grass from wheat when it peeps up from the soil."
The junior Han, who rose to fame with his talented submission to a new-concept writing competition for high-school students in Shanghai in 2000, is famous for his rebellious streak. He failed his college entrance exams and became a freelance writer and car racer afterwards. He has been involved in numerous verbal arguments with prominent cultural figures, such as the musician Gao Xiaosong.
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