Yan Geling
Yan Geling is a Chinese novelist and screenwriter. Born in Shanghai in 1958, Yan served in the People’s Liberation Army during the Cultural Revolution. Her career began at the age of twelve as a dancer in an entertainment troupe, followed by more than a decade of military service, including stints in Tibet and working as a war correspondent during the Sino-Vietnamese War. In 1989, she emigrated to the USA and studied literature at Columbia University. Her multi-award-winning works, which have been translated internationally, have frequently been adapted for film and television, including works by renowned directors such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Feng Xiaogang. Yan’s most notable works include “Die verlorene Tochter des Glücks“, “Die kleine Tante Crane“ and “Die Blumen des Krieges“. Her stories often explore female perspectives and historical events, which she portrays in a unique way thanks to her distinctive position straddling Chinese and American cultures. Yan is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Société des Gens de Lettres in France and the Writers’ Guild of America, West. She is also a former member of the Chinese Writers’ Association. She lives in Berlin with her husband, the diplomat Lawrence Walker.